Hearing Aid and How It Effects School

One of my 10 year old daughters teammates has hearing aids. This was her first experience with having a friend with them. She made a small comment about her speech and I explained that she may not hear all of the sounds that we hear and it makes it harder for her to learn them. She asked a few questions as to why she has hearing aids and I offered a few suggestions and it was over. When we started out, the comment was a bit on the derogatory side and then once we talked she changed her tone. They are friends and everyone on the team treats her like everyone else.

I come from a family where a large number of us have hearing loss. The other poster is right about the type that hides in the ear, it's much easier to get lost. I know my brother actually prefers the type with the "clip"/piece that hooks behind the ear. There are also types now that have a background noise cancellation feature; it's worth the extra cost to get that type.

Even with the noise cancellation type know that background noises make hearing difficult. Large rooms with high ceilings and hard surfaces are also hard. Make sure to reinforce/encourage asking someone for clarification and to have her pay special attention to visuals in class.

I would talk to her teacher and just ask if she/he could check on her after group instruction to make sure she understood what was expected. If the teacher doesn't understand her hearing loss she could get frustrated thinking she's not paying attention. But really, those with hearing loss are just embarrassed to ask for help/clarification sometimes.

I don't think the teasing will be any worse than someone with glasses, they really aren't that obvious.

Hopefully that helps.

My grandson and granddaughters get extra help from the school district. Two for autism and one who has ADD and was difficulty with concepts in writing. Federal laws require that children get help. The law is frequently called No Child Left Behind. Here the office that makes these arrangements is Multnomah County Education Service District. Her school can give you a phone number to call for information.

My grandson, who has several issues is on an IEP (individual education plan.) My granddaughter with ADD is on a 504 plan. When I was working in a school, I helped a middle schooler wit taking a test. We were in an empty classroom. He had difficulty reading and needed more time to take it. I think he had a 504 plan.

Depending on how your daughter receives help, it's possible the kids won't know or pay much attention. My grandson is in a special ed classroom and he does get teased. He has speech difficulties and is a couple of years younger in maturity. My granddaughter had 1 period a day in the Special Ed supervisor's office, starting in the 6th grade.

She would've been eligible for services much younger but her Mom didn't know about the program or that a plan was available for ADD issues. Because your daughter's situation is different than my grandchildrens' I don't know if her condition would be covered. It's worth calling to see. They will evaluate her so they'll know what she needs. A part of that evaluation is getting info from her doctor and teacher.

I wear hearing aids. They are not in the canal style. They fit into the canal but are not completely. The electronics is in a narrow case behind the ear. The case cones in several colors. I have grey hair and my case is grey. They are not noticable. They also are sturdy. I've dropped mine on the floor several times without having damage. I've had them for 4 years. I've taken them in,one at a time, for tune up and repairs. Just 2 times in those years after they were adjusted.

Her hearing aid will be covered for at least a year, for repairs and changing the way it fits. I went back in a couple of times before we found a setting that worked for me. I purchased mine at a medical clinic. They haven't charged for anything, even the two repairs for which they had to send them out. They have changed settings.

You don't say how old your daughter is. I found referral to 7 and 9. If she isn't rambunctious, I think she could handle the kind I have. They do stay in when I run and when I fall. If they are directly hit, they may fall out.

The person who fits her will have experience fitting children. They will know what model will be best for your daughter. Noise cancancelling did'not wor for me. She can try it to see if it helps her. Every ear is different. My aids have the ability to change settings.

My experience is as an adult with a hearing aid. I will caution you not to get one that fits in the ear. They are tempting because they are very unnoticable - they look the best aesthetically. But even as an adult I find them hard to take care of. I have had them back for repairs many times. If I were choosing again, I would get something less fragile.

Well, my first thought was "her daughter has a hearing problem she is going to have the rest of her life and she needs hearing aids to hear? And her mom is asking if we think it's worth the cost?"....yes, that's where "my" mind went. So I walked away and came back.

You are asking if hearing aids really help? If they do help people hear better?Yes. They do.

That said. There is nothing that I wouldn't do for the kids to make their lives easier. Putting glasses on them, hearing aids, walkers, braces, etc...anything they needed there would be nothing I wouldn't try to do for them.

Please check with your school admin offices and see what benefits she qualifies for special services. They are required to give her the opportunity to have everything she needs to be successful. If she can't hear every word the teacher says then she has the right to have a tape recorder in class with her. So that she can refer back to it when she's working on that subject. She has the right to have someone take notes for her if she needs it, can't hear clear enough or she can't write fast enough to do both hearing and writing.

With her disability and then getting hearing aids she is going to be processing double the material for the next few years. Until she learns all the skills we have already from our senses. Coordinating them is going to be new to her. Her school will be financially responsible for many of these helps for your daughter too.

She qualifies for so much help. You can also go to the American's with disabilities sites and look up what sorts of things are guaranteed to her.

Google 504 plan and IEP. Since she has a disability that will be life long and never fixed she might do better with an IEP, it might get her more benefits but a 504 plan is for kids that just need help being successful, they might have ADHD or a behavior issue or something else. But both plans are for kids who need help and your daughter definitely qualifies for them.

I would talk to the school and discuss not only her hearing loss in general but the hearing aids and what other accommodations she may be able to receive. This maybe considered part of an IEP for her. Her teacher, the school guidance office and/or the principal may all be able to help you start that process. You might also want to talk to the special education staff as well, as they may already have experience in this area you can work from.

I don't know the specifics, but an acquaintance of ours has a child with hearing loss, and they have a strap on her hearing aids to help her not lose them.

Also, by prepping the teacher, he or she can prep the class and watch out for snide remarks. Many times kids are just curious and if you lay it out matter of factly, they don't care anymore.

I would look into the United Healthcare Children's Foundation for grants for hearing aids. You can make quite a bit of money and they will pay for hearing aids and other costly medical device.
Your daughter will get her confidence from you. Treat them like you would glasses. Many hearing aids come on fun colors with fun colors for ear molds, let her pick the color she wants. Don't tell her, " let's pick a color that doesn't show", what does that tell her? Hearing aids are not shameful and do not need to be hidden.
Assuming your daughter is still growing she will be recommended behind-the- ear hearing aids that way the aids won't have to be replaced when growing.
There are clips that will allow you to attach the aids to the child clothing. This will help prevent loss.

Please speak with your daughters audiologist to answer questions and point you in the right direction.

Hello:
My daughter is in 2nd grade and has worn a hearing aid in one ear since she was 4 (pre-k). I highly recommend Oticon 600 or Phonak for kids. We have used both, my daughter prefers the Otocon (mainly because the noise cancellation was better than the Phonak). They are tiny, barely noticeable and very helpful. I had the benefit of seeing what my daughter was like in school without a hearing aid - trust me, it helps. It does not make things perfect as hearing loss comes with it's own challenges.

Our daughter has a 504 plan, it's easy to get through the school. The assistant principal will set it up. It's basically an accommodation plan. For a child with hearing loss, you'll want preferential seating, have the teacher "check with your child" for understanding of directions, maybe a few extra minutes to complete tests, seat her away from noisy areas including computers. My kid actually has a separate place where she eats lunch because the cafeteria is just to loud for a person wearing a hearing aid.

Our insurance plan did not cover hearing aids so we spent approximately $2,400 for one. If she looses it within the first year it will be replaced at not cost. After that it's up to you to help her be keep up with it. The good news is. My daughter has worn her hearing aid in gymnastics, skating, on the playground and in recess and it's pretty secure. Some kids have noticed it, and asked her about it. Her response.."it's a hearing aid and it helps me hear better" "I've had it since pre-k" conversation over.

This is what we use for loss protection (eargear) http://www.gearforears.com/content/ear-gear-mini-curved-mono. My daughter has black hair so we chose a black hearing aid and a black sleeve to cover the hearing aid (by doing this, it blends in with the color of her hair and goes completely undetected). Most people clip these to the child's collar, but I clip it to my childs hair (under the bottom near her neck). Also, her hair is shoulder length so people rarely even notice her hearing aid.

Some years she has worn decorative items called (tube riders) on her hearing aid like these http://www.ebay.com/itm/Childrens-Adults-Hearing-Aid-acce... She had a jewelry box full of these and changed them everyday to match her outfit....definitely a conversation piece that bought lots of compliments.

Lastly, ear molds and tubing are important. Try using soft ear molds as they are generally more comfortable. Use tubing that has "tube lock" instead of glue. Down the road this will save you many trips to the audiologist to replace tubing...

Best to you,
It gets easier...

We have a couple of students with hearing aids in the building where I teach. One of them has a voice amplification system that the teacher wears-basically a mic. I used one many years ago with a student I had who was hard of hearing. They are really great! The one I used transmitted directly to the student's hearing aids. The student we have now, it doesn't do that. Our students also have an audiologist who visits school at least once a month to check their aids and monitor how they are working in the classroom.

Definitely check with your daughter's school about whether or not she qualifies for an IEP or a 504 plan. She should be able to qualify for one or the other. The IEP or a 504 will lay out the accommodations that she needs to have. It could include allowing her to sit in the front of the classroom, an amplification system, 1-1 assistance with oral assessments, a 1-1 para for part of the day to help her, being able to record lectures so she can listen to them again, etc.

Ask your daughter's teacher if you can come in and talk to the class about why your daughter has hearing aids and how they can help her. One of my friends has a grandson with a seizure disorder. His mom contacted the principal and he and the school nurse put together a presentation for the class. My friend said it was amazing to see how his classmates responded in such a positive and supportive way. There has been no stigma at all.

You don't say how old your daughter is, but I highly recommend the book El Deafo by CeCe Bell. It is a graphic novel (kind of like a comic book) that is pretty much autobiographical. The main character has hearing loss and gets hearing aids. She also has an amplification system. Throughout the book the main character talks about all the struggles, but also all the positives (like hearing her teacher in the bathroom when she forgets to turn off the mic she wears) that come with her hearing loss and how she learns to accept her hearing loss. It is one of the best books I've read in the last year. My daughter read it twice when she was in 2nd grade and I know some 8th grade readers who loved it. It is appropriate for pretty much all grade levels. It might even be a good book to give to her classroom.

Good luck! It will all work out just fine.