Re: FM Systems

[Guest guest]

>> With an fm system should there be an audioligist who checks

it's effectivness? Is it okay for the teacher to just pick a volume?<<

According to the American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA - the

folks who give out the certifications for Speech Therapists and

Audiologists), FM systems should be chosen and adjusted by an Audiologist.

This is partially because FMs often have some amount of built in

amplification, and the amount of volume chosen by someone without training

could possibly damage your child's hearing. Also, if combined with the

amplification your child may already be wearing, what is the effect? It's

not always 1+2=3 when it comes to amplification. Please visit here

http://www.listen-up.org/edu/assist.htm#13

and scroll down slightly to the link to Guidelines for Fitting and

Monitoring FM Systems.

>> How do they know it is working? <<

By actually hooking up a listening earbud and listening to it - and if it's

hooked into a childn's hearing aids, by putting the child and his FM system

into the sound booth and testing it that way. When JD was using our

personally purchased FM in school, he brought it home each night. I decided

to test it out one day he had a break from school - hooked it into the

speakers of our stereo and just listened to it for a bit and found that he

was picking up stuff from a nearby cell phone tower. Once we changed the

channel he was operating on, that problem was solved. The only hint I had

that my son had a problem was that occasionally, it didn't seem to be

helping our son. And of course, for all my son knew, it was working fine (he

was in the first grade and it was his first year with an FM).

Kay

kay@...

The Listen-Up Website

http://www.listen-up.org