MESHGuides

Some hearing aids may use an audio shoe to connect a receiver to the hearing aid. Some hearing aids have a receiver installed in the hearing aid which is activated using a code from a purchased receiver. The manuals that come with the systems explain how to use them.

Hearing devices can be connected to a variety of other technology to give the CYP direct access to eg mobiles, gaming consoles, TV, iPad or tablet, mobile phones, smart board.

Some assistive listening devices can be used to do this, either by bluetooth or using direct input leads.

The Connevans website allows you to see the technology that is compatible with your hearing aids

Assistive listening technology can be very useful in everyday life, including access to online gaming and other media content.  Deaf CYP often find themselves in difficult listening environments eg toddlers in pushchairs, horse riding, bike riding, the car, supermarket, music and drama rehearsals, listening to music, phone, TV, restaurant, cafe, the park.

Top tips

Engage directly with the CYP as appropriate.

The aim is to ensure that all CYP and especially those who may have a temporary or permanent deafness and those with auditory processing/listening in noise challenges can listen and learn effectively in their educational setting.  How intelligible speech is to a CYP will depend on how background noise can be reduced or eliminated and the acoustic quality of the educational setting, ie how much sound reverberates (or echoes) around the room.  The greater the reverberation, the less the CYP will be able to hear the person speaking.

Studies

The fitting a radio aid with a cochlear implant user needs careful timing and planning.  It may seem unusual that an older child who has previously been using an assistive listening device, post CI surgery may need to wait before resuming the use of an assistive listening device.  This is because in the first six months post-implant, the CYP will have many tuning appointments at the Implant Centre.

Here are some suggestions for when things go wrong.

Hearing loss in the classroom  is a video that demonstrates the effect of using a radio aid in the classroom.

Before the lesson begins

Assistive listening devices (ALDs), also known as assistive listening technologies (ALTs) can provide a much-needed option for deaf children and young people (CYP) to access speech and sounds.

Listed below are useful references that are not included in the main texts.

Allen, S., Ng, Z.Y., Mulla, I.M. & Archbold, S. (2016). Using Remote Microphone technology with young children: the real-life experience of families in the UK, British Academy of Audiology, 10-11 November 2016, Glasgow, UK.

Badrak, J. S. (2017). ‘Assistive listening systems in assembly spaces’ The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 141(5): 3781-3781