Hearing is one of a child's most precious senses. Through hearing, children acquire language and communication skills, develop a fascination for interacting with their bustling world, learn to read and write, appreciate music and are warned of approaching danger.

Hearing loss does not have to put an end to this for a child if it is identified early and the appropriate amplification is provided. Often, through early intervention and the selection of the appropriate technological solutions, such sounds, including speech, can still be accessed and utilised by the child, allowing him to effectively engage with his world.

The outlook for children with hearing impairment is bright, with a full range of options.

Today, there is virtually no hearing loss that cannot benefit from the use of the appropriate technology. After a hearing impairment has been diagnosed, the appropriate technology to suit the child as an individual, should be selected and fitted as soon as possible, to ensure that he can start to learn to engage with his auditory environment as soon as possible.

The right choice of hearing instrument can help your child develop good communication skills – your Phonak professional will be able to share with you the various technological solutions available.

FM - because learning is a question of being on the right wavelength

The journey to better hearing begins with choosing the right hearing instruments. However, even an individualised, successful hearing instrument fitting cannot guarantee that a child will have sufficient access to speech sounds in a noisy environment, such as a classroom. The analysis and perception of speech signals by a child with a hearing loss can be severely impeded by ambient noise. In classrooms, where many children are often speaking at the same time, it can be virtually impossible for the hearing impaired listener to filter out the background noise. Likewise, distance and reverberation dramatically reduce speech intelligibility.

The best way of overcoming problems created by noise, distance and/or reverberation is to use a wireless communication system. FM systems were specifically designed to capture speech signals directly from the speaker/teacher and transmit them, clearly and without distortion, to the child’s ear.

For many years, teachers, audiologists, parents and speech therapists have been successfully using FM systems to help children with hearing loss in all kinds of learning both in the classroom environment and elsewhere. The advantages of FM technology for the hearing impaired, from very small children to adults, are obvious: FM systems create a basis for optimum speech intelligibility, independent of the acoustic environment.

Phonak is the world’s leader not only in children’s hearing instruments but also in wireless FM technology. Ask your Phonak professional for more details and a free demonstration.