Hearing in Noisy Situations

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Even with a perfectly adjusted hearing instrument, a child is not guaranteed to be able to understand speech in all situations. Distance to the speaker, interfering noises and reverberation of sounds off walls and floors can make it very difficult for the child to hear the desired signal (e.g. speech).

New technological features are now available to support hearing-impaired children. Directional microphones and FM systems are options, which improve the child’s ability to hear and understand in background noise.

FM Systems
An FM (frequency-modulated radio waves) system consists of a transmitter and microphone worn by the person speaking and a receiver attached to the child’s hearing instrument. The speaker’s voice is transmitted by FM radio waves directly to the child’s receiver. This receiver is now even available as a small "audio shoe" (boot) to fit over the end of the child’s hearing instruments. No wires or body worn units are necessary! With an FM system, the speaker’s voice is heard more clearly above background noise and at greater distances than for conventional hearing instruments.