Sorry to beat a dead horse...

[Guest guest]

I posted a while back a convoluted question about FM system and

hearing aids. I did not get a response, so am going to try a

simpler version of the question. I am working with my audiologist,

but she is quoting me SOP and as you all know, each kid and each

hearing loss is different, so I am trying to think outside the box,

which is what seems to be what works for you my son, at least some

of the time.

Here is my question:

Do any of you have kids that use an FM system that is not connected

to the hearing aids?

Assuming that most of you use boots, and or and integrated system,

is it possible to program the aids so that only the FM is working

some of the time?

It makes sense to me that it could be FM, aids and FM or aids alone.

My choice is to buy the separate FM or to get the boots. I am

leaning towards the boots, as he won't wear either to school, but

will use both at home and in other challenging listening

environments where he is okay with " looking different " .

He is lucky right now because he can get by without his aids at

school, with the use of a sound field system.

The audi says they don't recommend adding FM to kids aids that are

not established full time users. I say he is an established user,

but it is when he wants to use them. It could be next year he won't

have a choice and will have to wear his aids/fm to school, or it

could remain optional. Either way, I would rather he became used to

the FM boot slowly and at home.

Anyone else have older kids that choose to go unaided some of the

time?

Opinions, expertise, anything at all??

Thanks Everyone.

[Guest guest]

Our son doesn't use FM at all. All of his hearing tests with hearing aids shows

that he hears relatively " normally, " and he never seems to not understand what's

going on around him, as long as his hearing aids are working. An FM system would

add an extra element to a system that currently works fine as far as everyone

can tell, so we've never even considered it seriously. Now that he's in middle

school, with seven different classes and teachers, it seems like an FM system

would be even more cumbersome and fiddly, without any added benefit.

He works at grade level, enjoys school, and hears well enough with his hearing

aids that we can even have conversations between rooms at home and in the car.

Kiminy

traceyandynathen tracey@...> wrote:

Do any of you have kids that use an FM system that is not connected

to the hearing aids?

Assuming that most of you use boots, and or and integrated system,

is it possible to program the aids so that only the FM is working

some of the time?

It makes sense to me that it could be FM, aids and FM or aids alone.

---------------------------------

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[Guest guest]

I'm sort of new with all of this. My daughter is 5 and in kindergarten. When

school started she started with the FM. She has shoes and boots (2 pieces that

snap together and then those 2 pieces snap onto her hearing aids). She only

uses the FM at school - we don't use it at home. She was hesitant at first, but

now she says, " Mommy, I love the FM. I can hear better than all the other

kids. " I don't know how old your child is.

We used the FM at home only one week prior to school so that she could adjust.

I didn't know that you could use the FM w/o hearing aids. I thought that you

had to have shoes & boots. Probably not much help to you - but that's all know

about it....

Regards

traceyandynathen tracey@...> wrote:

I posted a while back a convoluted question about FM system and

hearing aids. I did not get a response, so am going to try a

simpler version of the question. I am working with my audiologist,

but she is quoting me SOP and as you all know, each kid and each

hearing loss is different, so I am trying to think outside the box,

which is what seems to be what works for you my son, at least some

of the time.

Here is my question:

Do any of you have kids that use an FM system that is not connected

to the hearing aids?

Assuming that most of you use boots, and or and integrated system,

is it possible to program the aids so that only the FM is working

some of the time?

It makes sense to me that it could be FM, aids and FM or aids alone.

My choice is to buy the separate FM or to get the boots. I am

leaning towards the boots, as he won't wear either to school, but

will use both at home and in other challenging listening

environments where he is okay with " looking different " .

He is lucky right now because he can get by without his aids at

school, with the use of a sound field system.

The audi says they don't recommend adding FM to kids aids that are

not established full time users. I say he is an established user,

but it is when he wants to use them. It could be next year he won't

have a choice and will have to wear his aids/fm to school, or it

could remain optional. Either way, I would rather he became used to

the FM boot slowly and at home.

Anyone else have older kids that choose to go unaided some of the

time?

Opinions, expertise, anything at all??

Thanks Everyone.

---------------------------------

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starting at 1¢/min.

[Guest guest]

Do any of you have kids that use an FM system that is not connected

to the hearing aids?

Nope. Ian has FM boots that connect to his HA's.

Assuming that most of you use boots, and or and integrated system,

is it possible to program the aids so that only the FM is working

some of the time?

Yes. We have FM Only, FM with background noise, and OFF as options.

My choice is to buy the separate FM or to get the boots. I am

leaning towards the boots, as he won't wear either to school, but

will use both at home and in other challenging listening

environments where he is okay with " looking different " .

The FM boots just extend the hearing aids. They aren't that bad, but since

our little guy is only 3, he really could care less.

The audi says they don't recommend adding FM to kids aids that are

not established full time users. I say he is an established user,

but it is when he wants to use them. It could be next year he won't

have a choice and will have to wear his aids/fm to school, or it

could remain optional. Either way, I would rather he became used to

the FM boot slowly and at home.

Any way to bribe him? Try and show him how cool it is that he really

doesn't have to " look " at the teacher to hear, or work harder?!

Anyone else have older kids that choose to go unaided some of the

time?

Opinions, expertise, anything at all??

Wish I had more advice for ya. But I think I would try some sort of

bribe...like if he wears them 1/2 the time at school he gets some cool treat?!

Tawnya

[Guest guest]

Hi Tracey - I meant to answer you and then life intervened!

My boys have mostly always used an FM with boots that connect to their

hearing aids (and now their implants)

And yes, when programmed they could choose among various settings which

were FM only, FM plus hearing aid (so that was the microphone wearer's

voice was louder than the background but they also could hear that) and

then of course just hearing aids. We found the boots worked well

because they used the programmability of their very sophisticated,

digital hearing aids. Neither of my boys ever went without their

hearing aids but I think their hearing losses are greater than your son's.

I know others will chime in!

Barbara

traceyandynathen wrote:

> I posted a while back a convoluted question about FM system and

> hearing aids. I did not get a response, so am going to try a

> simpler version of the question. I am working with my audiologist,

> but she is quoting me SOP and as you all know, each kid and each

> hearing loss is different, so I am trying to think outside the box,

> which is what seems to be what works for you my son, at least some

> of the time.

>

> Here is my question:

>

> Do any of you have kids that use an FM system that is not connected

> to the hearing aids?

>

> Assuming that most of you use boots, and or and integrated system,

> is it possible to program the aids so that only the FM is working

> some of the time?

>

> It makes sense to me that it could be FM, aids and FM or aids alone.

>

> My choice is to buy the separate FM or to get the boots. I am

> leaning towards the boots, as he won't wear either to school, but

> will use both at home and in other challenging listening

> environments where he is okay with " looking different " .

>

> He is lucky right now because he can get by without his aids at

> school, with the use of a sound field system.

>

> The audi says they don't recommend adding FM to kids aids that are

> not established full time users. I say he is an established user,

> but it is when he wants to use them. It could be next year he won't

> have a choice and will have to wear his aids/fm to school, or it

> could remain optional. Either way, I would rather he became used to

> the FM boot slowly and at home.

>

> Anyone else have older kids that choose to go unaided some of the

> time?

>

> Opinions, expertise, anything at all??

>

> Thanks Everyone.

>

>

>

>

>

> All messages posted to this list are private and confidential. Each post is

the intellectual property of the author and therefore subject to copyright

restrictions.

>

[Guest guest]

Hi,

We are fairly new to hearing aids too--Molly was aided for the 1st time in July

2006 and got her new Phonak FM her 3rd week of school. Molly is 9 and in 3rd

grade. Our school system bought this just for her --our audiologist made all

the recommendations. Her teachers use a Campus S transmitter & Molly wears the

MLxS receiver on her Oticon Gaia hearing aid.

Molly has the " boot & shoe " on her aids so they are " wireless " . She too only

does FM at school. We put the FM boot on at home so she's already to go when

she gets to school. Then when she comes home we take the boot off and store it

safely.

At first I wasn't sure how much her FM would help her out. The audi said she

strongly rec'd the FM. Also, Molly had a camp experience this summer with her

aids and no FM. She said then how hard it was to hear the teacher if anyone was

talking or other things were going on.

During the first 3 weeks of school when she didn't have the FM (it was getting

purchased) she did not do well at all in some of her classes. One in particular:

the teacher was using a FM system for the whole classroom--where she wore a mic

and there were speakers in the room. She had the hardest time hearing in this

setting.

Molly got the FM and did *so* much better.....from C's to A's! She said....now

I actually hear everything the teacher says! :-)) I agree with Lynn Resnick

when she said " .............. if she didn't have the FM she would be exhausted.

They tell me that these kids work so hard to " catch " everything and the FM just

makes it that much easier, less stressful. " This was Molly! She really tried

but just couldn't get it all.

RE>tracey@... question: " Assuming that most of you use boots, and or

and integrated system, is it possible to program the aids so that only the FM is

working some of the time? "

YES! Molly's MLxS receiver has 3 settings

Off : no FM but hearing aid is on

1 dot: FM system on and hearing aid is muted

2 dots: hears FM and hearing aid.

Molly has it on 2 dots while in classroom. Then she turns it off when not being

taught.

to see it in action go here:

http://www.phonak.com/professional/eschooldesk/professional_eschooldes_howto/pro\

fessional_eschooldes_howto_student-intro/professional_eschooldesk_howto_student_\

wear.htm

Also, Molly's audi gave us some great books for her classroom that explained

hearing loss and FM. Molly's classmates read the books and had few questions

about FM and were not quite as curious --thus not overwhelming Molly with

questions.

We are true FM believers here :-)

~Annie

Mom to Molly, age 9, adopted from China, moderate bilateral low freq. SNHL,

aided with PURPLE Oticon Gaia and Phonak FM at school

and twins & , age 14, hearing

[Guest guest]

Thank you everyone. I have gone the bribery route, to no avail. But

am open to trying again, once we get the system established and he is

comfortable with how everything works.

I am thrilled to know that it is possible to have the FM only option

as well as aid and FM or entirely off. That is what I needed to

know. I think I will insist on a trial of this, and if it is

successful, perhaps try to get the school to purchase it for us.

Right now it would cost me over $2000 for the FM boot system, which I

am willing to figure out if that is the only way.

As always, your sharing was invaluable.

Tracey

>

> Hi,

>

> We are fairly new to hearing aids too--Molly was aided for the 1st

time in July 2006 and got her new Phonak FM her 3rd week of school.

Molly is 9 and in 3rd grade. Our school system bought this just for

her --our audiologist made all the recommendations. Her teachers use

a Campus S transmitter & Molly wears the MLxS receiver on her Oticon

Gaia hearing aid.

>

> Molly has the " boot & shoe " on her aids so they are " wireless " .

She too only does FM at school. We put the FM boot on at home so

she's already to go when she gets to school. Then when she comes

home we take the boot off and store it safely.

>

> At first I wasn't sure how much her FM would help her out. The

audi said she strongly rec'd the FM. Also, Molly had a camp

experience this summer with her aids and no FM. She said then how

hard it was to hear the teacher if anyone was talking or other things

were going on.

>

> During the first 3 weeks of school when she didn't have the FM (it

was getting purchased) she did not do well at all in some of her

classes. One in particular: the teacher was using a FM system for the

whole classroom--where she wore a mic and there were speakers in the

room. She had the hardest time hearing in this setting.

>

> Molly got the FM and did *so* much better.....from C's to A's! She

said....now I actually hear everything the teacher says! :-)) I

agree with Lynn Resnick when she said " .............. if she didn't

have the FM she would be exhausted. They tell me that these kids work

so hard to " catch " everything and the FM just makes it that much

easier, less stressful. " This was Molly! She really tried but just

couldn't get it all.

>

> RE>tracey@... question: " Assuming that most of you use boots, and

or and integrated system, is it possible to program the aids so that

only the FM is working some of the time? "

>

> YES! Molly's MLxS receiver has 3 settings

> Off : no FM but hearing aid is on

> 1 dot: FM system on and hearing aid is muted

> 2 dots: hears FM and hearing aid.

>

> Molly has it on 2 dots while in classroom. Then she turns it off

when not being taught.

> to see it in action go here:

>

http://www.phonak.com/professional/eschooldesk/professional_eschooldes

_howto/professional_eschooldes_howto_student-

intro/professional_eschooldesk_howto_student_wear.htm

>

> Also, Molly's audi gave us some great books for her classroom that

explained hearing loss and FM. Molly's classmates read the books and

had few questions about FM and were not quite as curious --thus not

overwhelming Molly with questions.

>

> We are true FM believers here :-)

>

> ~Annie

> Mom to Molly, age 9, adopted from China, moderate bilateral low

freq. SNHL, aided with PURPLE Oticon Gaia and Phonak FM at school

> and twins & , age 14, hearing

>

[Guest guest]

Tracey,

I know each child is different. I know that my 17 year old high school

junior still fights his FM, even when it's been proven to help him. I

eventually insisted that he use it " whether it helps or not " and

requested that his teachers ask him for it if he doesn't offer it and

that they let me know when he claims it is broken. He now mostly uses

it, if only to keep me quiet. I think that some kids just have a really

high discomfort level with the HA/FM. I have a feeling that my son is

at some level pleased that I " make " him use his FM so he can use it

without seeming to acquiesce. I believe that his late diagnosis, which

kept him from HA/FMs until he was almost 10 (although he had a hearing

loss since birth) set up a difficult situation.

An aside: a couple of weeks ago, he had a big test in AP history. He

can't take notes well and had refused to ask anyone for copies of

theirs although this had been arranged. We were arguing about this when

he shouted at me, " well I'm going to get an A on this test just to

prove you wrong! " . He was not happy when I finally had to smile and

said, " okay, whatever it takes " . Teenagers are not for the faint of

heart.

Good luck,

Re: Sorry to beat a dead horse...

Thank you everyone. I have gone the bribery route, to no

avail. But

am open to trying again, once we get the system established and he is

comfortable with how everything works.

I am thrilled to know that it is possible to have the FM only option

as well as aid and FM or entirely off. That is what I needed to

know. I think I will insist on a trial of this, and if it is

successful, perhaps try to get the school to purchase it for us.

Right now it would cost me over $2000 for the FM boot system, which I

am willing to figure out if that is the only way.

As always, your sharing was invaluable.

Tracey

>

> Hi,

>

> We are fairly new to hearing aids too--Molly was aided for the 1st

time in July 2006 and got her new Phonak FM her 3rd week of school.

Molly is 9 and in 3rd grade. Our school system bought this just for

her --our audiologist made all the recommendations. Her teachers use

a Campus S transmitter & Molly wears the MLxS receiver on her Oticon

Gaia hearing aid.

>

> Molly has the " boot & shoe " on her aids so they are " wireless " .

She too only does FM at school. We put the FM boot on at home so

she's already to go when she gets to school. Then when she comes

home we take the boot off and store it safely.

>

> At first I wasn't sure how much her FM would help her out. The

audi said she strongly rec'd the FM. Also, Molly had a camp

experience this summer with her aids and no FM. She said then how

hard it was to hear the teacher if anyone was talking or other things

were going on.

>

> During the first 3 weeks of school when she didn't have the FM (it

was getting purchased) she did not do well at all in some of her

classes. One in particular: the teacher was using a FM system for the

whole classroom--where she wore a mic and there were speakers in the

room. She had the hardest time hearing in this setting.

>

> Molly got the FM and did *so* much better.....from C's to A's! She

said....now I actually hear everything the teacher says! :-)) I

agree with Lynn Resnick when she said " .............. if she didn't

have the FM she would be exhausted. They tell me that these kids work

so hard to " catch " everything and the FM just makes it that much

easier, less stressful. " This was Molly! She really tried but just

couldn't get it all.

>

> RE>tracey@... question: " Assuming that most of you use boots, and

or and integrated system, is it possible to program the aids so that

only the FM is working some of the time? "

>

> YES! Molly's MLxS receiver has 3 settings

> Off : no FM but hearing aid is on

> 1 dot: FM system on and hearing aid is muted

> 2 dots: hears FM and hearing aid.

>

> Molly has it on 2 dots while in classroom. Then she turns it off

when not being taught.

> to see it in action go here:

>

http://www.phonak.com/professional/eschooldesk/professional_eschooldes

_howto/professional_eschooldes_howto_student-

intro/professional_eschooldesk_howto_student_wear.htm

>

> Also, Molly's audi gave us some great books for her classroom that

explained hearing loss and FM. Molly's classmates read the books and

had few questions about FM and were not quite as curious --thus not

overwhelming Molly with questions.

>

> We are true FM believers here :-)

>

> ~Annie

> Mom to Molly, age 9, adopted from China, moderate bilateral low

freq. SNHL, aided with PURPLE Oticon Gaia and Phonak FM at school

> and twins & , age 14, hearing

>

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[Guest guest]

Tracey,

Sorry you didn't get a reply the first time. I didn't answer because, as you

mentioned, like most kids Ian wears his FM as boots attached to his aids.

In elementary school, for a short period he had a sound field system. Our

bad experience aside, it would not have worked for him in middle school because

each class was in a different room. And if I remember your earlier post, part

of the concern was that he is moving onto middle school next year -- or am I

completely off?

At that point in time (elementary school) we were still fighting with the

school to establish that 1) Ian was HOH and 2) that his hearing loss was

educationally significant. The school argued that they felt Ian was ADD,

(their

proof: he kept looking at everyone else's papers/desks and couldn't seem to

stay engaged in the classroom activities -- can you hear me snarling at the

memory?) Anyway, our audiologist said, fine, they want to play the ADD

routine,

then we can address that as well. He provided documentation supporting an FM

device for use with ADD kids -- ones that do not require but have their own

little ear buds. (However, he was always very clear that Ian's needs were

based on his hearing loss and that the boy was not ADD.)

Apparently FM devices are often used very successfully for kids with ADD for

very similar reasons as D/HOH kids. The FM brings the teacher's voice right

into the child's head and helps them stay focused. It helps them follow the

teacher's instructions by simply making the teacher's voice the loudest one

they hear. According to our audi, FMs work great for a variety of kids, not

just D/HOH ones.

Our audi was able to argue for the school to get an FM whether Ian wore aids

or not. The truth was he was simply trying to help us get the FM into the

IEP -- that was half the battle. Once it was in we could fight for its

appropriate use. We had a really bad experience with our school district. (I

should

have called in the lawyer long before I did, but I was so new to everything.)

So, my point here is that yes, FMs did exist for use without aids about 8

years ago when all this was happening for us. I will assume that they still do.

I don't know much about them, I only saw what was provided by our audi and I

don't have a copy of it anymore because I saw no need to keep it -- we didn't

need that kind.

That said, Ian loves his FM system. He knows he couldn't do without it. And

that tiredness factor that a few people mentioned -- it is very real! For the

week or two when Ian's new mike was being ordered last year (the old one was

stolen and broken) he came home tired and with headaches. He spent more time

lip reading than he had in years. He had to be hyper-alert to movement in the

room to tell what was going on, and spent more time looking at lips than he

had in ages. Classroom discussions and debates (which is how many high school

classes are run) were simply exhausting. He didn't have the teacher's voice

to alert him to topic changes or subtle points of discussion. The boy was

simply running to stay in place.

Honestly, we find that Fm to be indispensable. Plus now that MP3s/IPods are

all over, he can turn on his and plug the Fm's jack into it and listen to his

music in the halls between classes. MP3s and IPods are banned during school

hours, and no one can tell Ian is listening to his -- he considers this to be

" one of the few perks of being Deaf Boy. " His friends have told him they're

are jealous and wish they had aids so they could jack into his system. LOL.

And since he never misuses it during class time, I am pretending I don't know

he's breaking a minor rule. (grin)

So, whether he wears aids or not, Fms can be a solution. If your audi is

discouraging you, then perhaps you can get a second opinion.

I wish you the best with this. We fought for Ian to have that FM system and

I think it's one of the best things we've ever done for him.

Best -- Jill

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 10/11/2006 12:22:36 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,

stromms@... writes:

We were arguing about this when

he shouted at me, " well I'm going to get an A on this test just to

prove you wrong! " . He was not happy when I finally had to smile and

said, " okay, whatever it takes " . Teenagers are not for the faint of

heart.

Good luck,

,

Your note made me laugh. You have described a scene from our house, except

the teenager is my daughter. You're right, they're not for the faint of heart.

Thank goodness they start off as more cooperative, if noisy, babies, because

if they arrived with their teenager personalities I'm sure the human race

would die out in one generation.

Thanks for the smile ... Jill

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 10/11/2006 12:15:00 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,

JillcWood@... writes:

Apparently FM devices are often used very successfully for kids with ADD for

very similar reasons as D/HOH kids. The FM brings the teacher's voice right

into the child's head and helps them stay focused. It helps them follow the

teacher's instructions by simply making the teacher's voice the loudest one

they hear. According to our audi, FMs work great for a variety of kids, not

just D/HOH ones.

I forgot to mention that I have no clue about the audiological gain from

this kind of FM. I know that they would not have been strong enough for Ian to

use without his hearing aids. So this is also a consideration when thinking

about using a FM without the hearing aids.

Best -- Jill

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 10/11/2006 1:22:43 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,

bkmackellar@... writes:

Would you know of any references about this?

Bonnie,

I found a bunch of info on this topic way-back-when, but I'm not sure any of

it would be useful since it is so old. Plus, I think I tossed it all when I

cleaned out my office this summer. I also did a bunch of research on ADD

(inattentive type -- no hyperactivity component), which the school liked as a

diagnosis since they thought that meant we'd medicate Ian and they wouldn't have

to do anything extra. The stuff I found supported behavior modification

techniques. One they (the school) trotted out as proof of ADD was tapping him

on

the shoulder to bring him back to focus. Which worked because it allowed Ian

to see the teacher's face and hear close-up what she was saying, so suddenly

he knew what was going on in the classroom. Duh ... the kid couldn't hear the

pacing teacher. (sigh)

I'd do a series of google searches and I'll bet you find stuff supporting

the use of FMs even in quiet settings. But you shouldn't need to do this. You

already have anecdotal proof that your child focuses better when the FM is used

in ALL settings, quiet or otherwise.

Besides, if the FM is in the IEP, then it must be used. Our paperwork says

the FM is to be used everyday. And it does NOT spell out only to use it in

loud settings or only in certain settings. Only Ian has the privilege of saying

when it is not needed, and then we've had discussions about it before

approving NOT using it (like in gym).

So, unless your IEP is very specific about when the FM is to be used, my

guess is that all you need to do is quote the IEP and tell her to follow it.

Best -- Jill

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 10/11/2006 2:54:46 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,

bkmackellar@... writes:

The FM is not in the IEP. At the IEP meeting last spring, I asked for that

and was told it wasn't appropriate. None of the therapists at the meeting

backed me up, so that was that.

Bonnie

Blast ... Now that you say it, I remember that you've told us/me that

before. My apologies for my obvious senility! Would you like me to come with

you

to the next meeting and we can slap them all about the head and shoulders just

for the emotional release? (grin)

When is your next meeting scheduled? Can you get the medical support to use

to force it onto the IEP? (Not to mention the anecdotal proof of its

usefulness based on it currently being used!)

Jill

[Guest guest]

That is very interesting. Elias's speech therapist uses his FM system when

she works with him, even though the setting is quiet, because she says she

has noticed that he pays much better attention when she uses it. We were

just discussing this yesterday because the new OT is refusing to use it,

saying that her setting is quiet and he doesn't need it. Then, she is

complaining

that he has attention problems! The speech therapist, putting on her

informal

hearing impaired teacher hat, is going to write a note to " all therapists " ,

saying that the FM system needs to be used.

Would you know of any references about this?

The new OT is turning into an issue, but I don't have time today to post

about that!

Bonnie

>

>

> In a message dated 10/11/2006 12:15:00 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,

> JillcWood@... writes:

>

> Apparently FM devices are often used very successfully for kids with ADD

> for

> very similar reasons as D/HOH kids. The FM brings the teacher's voice

> right

> into the child's head and helps them stay focused. It helps them follow

> the

> teacher's instructions by simply making the teacher's voice the loudest

> one

> they hear. According to our audi, FMs work great for a variety of kids,

> not

> just D/HOH ones.

>

> I forgot to mention that I have no clue about the audiological gain from

> this kind of FM. I know that they would not have been strong enough for

> Ian to

> use without his hearing aids. So this is also a consideration when

> thinking

> about using a FM without the hearing aids.

>

> Best -- Jill

>

> [

>

[Guest guest]

The FM is not in the IEP. At the IEP meeting last spring, I asked for that

and was told it wasn't appropriate. None of the therapists at the meeting

backed me up, so that was that.

Bonnie

>

>

>

> Bonnie,

>

> I found a bunch of info on this topic way-back-when, but I'm not sure any

> of

> it would be useful since it is so old. Plus, I think I tossed it all when

> I

> cleaned out my office this summer. I also did a bunch of research on ADD

> (inattentive type -- no hyperactivity component), which the school liked

> as a

> diagnosis since they thought that meant we'd medicate Ian and they

> wouldn't have

> to do anything extra. The stuff I found supported behavior modification

> techniques. One they (the school) trotted out as proof of ADD was tapping

> him on

> the shoulder to bring him back to focus. Which worked because it allowed

> Ian

> to see the teacher's face and hear close-up what she was saying, so

> suddenly

> he knew what was going on in the classroom. Duh ... the kid couldn't hear

> the

> pacing teacher. (sigh)

>

> I'd do a series of google searches and I'll bet you find stuff supporting

> the use of FMs even in quiet settings. But you shouldn't need to do this.

> You

> already have anecdotal proof that your child focuses better when the FM is

> used

> in ALL settings, quiet or otherwise.

>

> Besides, if the FM is in the IEP, then it must be used. Our paperwork says

>

> the FM is to be used everyday. And it does NOT spell out only to use it in

>

> loud settings or only in certain settings. Only Ian has the privilege of

> saying

> when it is not needed, and then we've had discussions about it before

> approving NOT using it (like in gym).

>

> So, unless your IEP is very specific about when the FM is to be used, my

> guess is that all you need to do is quote the IEP and tell her to follow

> it.

>

> Best -- Jill

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Our TOD insisted that the FM was in our IEP.

But this is preschool, so it may be different?!

Tawnya

Re: Sorry to beat a dead horse...

The FM is not in the IEP. At the IEP meeting last spring, I asked for that

and was told it wasn't appropriate. None of the therapists at the meeting

backed me up, so that was that.

Bonnie

>

>

>

> Bonnie,

>

> I found a bunch of info on this topic way-back-when, but I'm not sure any

> of

> it would be useful since it is so old. Plus, I think I tossed it all when

> I

> cleaned out my office this summer. I also did a bunch of research on ADD

> (inattentive type -- no hyperactivity component), which the school liked

> as a

> diagnosis since they thought that meant we'd medicate Ian and they

> wouldn't have

> to do anything extra. The stuff I found supported behavior modification

> techniques. One they (the school) trotted out as proof of ADD was tapping

> him on

> the shoulder to bring him back to focus. Which worked because it allowed

> Ian

> to see the teacher's face and hear close-up what she was saying, so

> suddenly

> he knew what was going on in the classroom. Duh ... the kid couldn't hear

> the

> pacing teacher. (sigh)

>

> I'd do a series of google searches and I'll bet you find stuff supporting

> the use of FMs even in quiet settings. But you shouldn't need to do this.

> You

> already have anecdotal proof that your child focuses better when the FM is

> used

> in ALL settings, quiet or otherwise.

>

> Besides, if the FM is in the IEP, then it must be used. Our paperwork says

>

> the FM is to be used everyday. And it does NOT spell out only to use it in

>

> loud settings or only in certain settings. Only Ian has the privilege of

> saying

> when it is not needed, and then we've had discussions about it before

> approving NOT using it (like in gym).

>

> So, unless your IEP is very specific about when the FM is to be used, my

> guess is that all you need to do is quote the IEP and tell her to follow

> it.

>

> Best -- Jill

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Thanks ,

Even at 10, I see the teenager to come. Can't I ship him off for the

next 8 years or so??

> >

> > Hi,

> >

> > We are fairly new to hearing aids too--Molly was aided for the

1st

> time in July 2006 and got her new Phonak FM her 3rd week of school.

> Molly is 9 and in 3rd grade. Our school system bought this just for

> her --our audiologist made all the recommendations. Her teachers

use

> a Campus S transmitter & Molly wears the MLxS receiver on her

Oticon

> Gaia hearing aid.

> >

> > Molly has the " boot & shoe " on her aids so they are " wireless " .

> She too only does FM at school. We put the FM boot on at home so

> she's already to go when she gets to school. Then when she comes

> home we take the boot off and store it safely.

> >

> > At first I wasn't sure how much her FM would help her out. The

> audi said she strongly rec'd the FM. Also, Molly had a camp

> experience this summer with her aids and no FM. She said then how

> hard it was to hear the teacher if anyone was talking or other

things

> were going on.

> >

> > During the first 3 weeks of school when she didn't have the FM

(it

> was getting purchased) she did not do well at all in some of her

> classes. One in particular: the teacher was using a FM system for

the

> whole classroom--where she wore a mic and there were speakers in

the

> room. She had the hardest time hearing in this setting.

> >

> > Molly got the FM and did *so* much better.....from C's to A's!

She

> said....now I actually hear everything the teacher says! :-)) I

> agree with Lynn Resnick when she said " .............. if she didn't

> have the FM she would be exhausted. They tell me that these kids

work

> so hard to " catch " everything and the FM just makes it that much

> easier, less stressful. " This was Molly! She really tried but just

> couldn't get it all.

> >

> > RE>tracey@ question: " Assuming that most of you use boots, and

> or and integrated system, is it possible to program the aids so

that

> only the FM is working some of the time? "

> >

> > YES! Molly's MLxS receiver has 3 settings

> > Off : no FM but hearing aid is on

> > 1 dot: FM system on and hearing aid is muted

> > 2 dots: hears FM and hearing aid.

> >

> > Molly has it on 2 dots while in classroom. Then she turns it off

> when not being taught.

> > to see it in action go here:

> >

>

http://www.phonak.com/professional/eschooldesk/professional_eschooldes

> _howto/professional_eschooldes_howto_student-

> intro/professional_eschooldesk_howto_student_wear.htm

> >

> > Also, Molly's audi gave us some great books for her classroom

that

> explained hearing loss and FM. Molly's classmates read the books

and

> had few questions about FM and were not quite as curious --thus not

> overwhelming Molly with questions.

> >

> > We are true FM believers here :-)

> >

> > ~Annie

> > Mom to Molly, age 9, adopted from China, moderate bilateral low

> freq. SNHL, aided with PURPLE Oticon Gaia and Phonak FM at school

> > and twins & , age 14, hearing

> >

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

______________________________________________________________________

__

> Check out the new AOL. Most comprehensive set of free safety and

> security tools, free access to millions of high-quality videos from

> across the web, free AOL Mail and more.

>

[Guest guest]

,

I've heard that there are boarding schools in China that take kids from

three years old. I've mentioned this to my kids more than once.

Re: Sorry to beat a dead horse...

Thanks ,

Even at 10, I see the teenager to come. Can't I ship him off for the

next 8 years or so??

> >

> > Hi,

> >

> > We are fairly new to hearing aids too--Molly was aided for the

1st

> time in July 2006 and got her new Phonak FM her 3rd week of school.

> Molly is 9 and in 3rd grade. Our school system bought this just for

> her --our audiologist made all the recommendations. Her teachers

use

> a Campus S transmitter & Molly wears the MLxS receiver on her

Oticon

> Gaia hearing aid.

> >

> > Molly has the " boot & shoe " on her aids so they are " wireless " .

> She too only does FM at school. We put the FM boot on at home so

> she's already to go when she gets to school. Then when she comes

> home we take the boot off and store it safely.

> >

> > At first I wasn't sure how much her FM would help her out. The

> audi said she strongly rec'd the FM. Also, Molly had a camp

> experience this summer with her aids and no FM. She said then how

> hard it was to hear the teacher if anyone was talking or other

things

> were going on.

> >

> > During the first 3 weeks of school when she didn't have the FM

(it

> was getting purchased) she did not do well at all in some of her

> classes. One in particular: the teacher was using a FM system for

the

> whole classroom--where she wore a mic and there were speakers in

the

> room. She had the hardest time hearing in this setting.

> >

> > Molly got the FM and did *so* much better.....from C's to A's!

She

> said....now I actually hear everything the teacher says! :-)) I

> agree with Lynn Resnick when she said " .............. if she didn't

> have the FM she would be exhausted. They tell me that these kids

work

> so hard to " catch " everything and the FM just makes it that much

> easier, less stressful. " This was Molly! She really tried but just

> couldn't get it all.

> >

> > RE>tracey@ question: " Assuming that most of you use boots, and

> or and integrated system, is it possible to program the aids so

that

> only the FM is working some of the time? "

> >

> > YES! Molly's MLxS receiver has 3 settings

> > Off : no FM but hearing aid is on

> > 1 dot: FM system on and hearing aid is muted

> > 2 dots: hears FM and hearing aid.

> >

> > Molly has it on 2 dots while in classroom. Then she turns it off

> when not being taught.

> > to see it in action go here:

> >

>

http://www.phonak.com/professional/eschooldesk/professional_eschooldes

> _howto/professional_eschooldes_howto_student-

> intro/professional_eschooldesk_howto_student_wear.htm

> >

> > Also, Molly's audi gave us some great books for her classroom

that

> explained hearing loss and FM. Molly's classmates read the books

and

> had few questions about FM and were not quite as curious --thus not

> overwhelming Molly with questions.

> >

> > We are true FM believers here :-)

> >

> > ~Annie

> > Mom to Molly, age 9, adopted from China, moderate bilateral low

> freq. SNHL, aided with PURPLE Oticon Gaia and Phonak FM at school

> > and twins & , age 14, hearing

> >

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

__________________________________________________________

__

> Check out the new AOL. Most comprehensive set of free safety and

> security tools, free access to millions of high-quality videos from

> across the web, free AOL Mail and more.

>

________________________________________________________________________

Check out the new AOL. Most comprehensive set of free safety and

security tools, free access to millions of high-quality videos from

across the web, free AOL Mail and more.

[Guest guest]

I always appreciate hearing about successful parenting strategies. I

will remember this one!

> > >

> > > Hi,

> > >

> > > We are fairly new to hearing aids too--Molly was aided for the

> 1st

> > time in July 2006 and got her new Phonak FM her 3rd week of

school.

> > Molly is 9 and in 3rd grade. Our school system bought this just

for

> > her --our audiologist made all the recommendations. Her teachers

> use

> > a Campus S transmitter & Molly wears the MLxS receiver on her

> Oticon

> > Gaia hearing aid.

> > >

> > > Molly has the " boot & shoe " on her aids so they are " wireless " .

> > She too only does FM at school. We put the FM boot on at home so

> > she's already to go when she gets to school. Then when she comes

> > home we take the boot off and store it safely.

> > >

> > > At first I wasn't sure how much her FM would help her out. The

> > audi said she strongly rec'd the FM. Also, Molly had a camp

> > experience this summer with her aids and no FM. She said then how

> > hard it was to hear the teacher if anyone was talking or other

> things

> > were going on.

> > >

> > > During the first 3 weeks of school when she didn't have the FM

> (it

> > was getting purchased) she did not do well at all in some of her

> > classes. One in particular: the teacher was using a FM system for

> the

> > whole classroom--where she wore a mic and there were speakers in

> the

> > room. She had the hardest time hearing in this setting.

> > >

> > > Molly got the FM and did *so* much better.....from C's to A's!

> She

> > said....now I actually hear everything the teacher says! :-)) I

> > agree with Lynn Resnick when she said " .............. if she

didn't

> > have the FM she would be exhausted. They tell me that these kids

> work

> > so hard to " catch " everything and the FM just makes it that much

> > easier, less stressful. " This was Molly! She really tried but

just

> > couldn't get it all.

> > >

> > > RE>tracey@ question: " Assuming that most of you use boots, and

> > or and integrated system, is it possible to program the aids so

> that

> > only the FM is working some of the time? "

> > >

> > > YES! Molly's MLxS receiver has 3 settings

> > > Off : no FM but hearing aid is on

> > > 1 dot: FM system on and hearing aid is muted

> > > 2 dots: hears FM and hearing aid.

> > >

> > > Molly has it on 2 dots while in classroom. Then she turns it

off

> > when not being taught.

> > > to see it in action go here:

> > >

> >

>

http://www.phonak.com/professional/eschooldesk/professional_eschooldes

> > _howto/professional_eschooldes_howto_student-

> > intro/professional_eschooldesk_howto_student_wear.htm

> > >

> > > Also, Molly's audi gave us some great books for her classroom

> that

> > explained hearing loss and FM. Molly's classmates read the books

> and

> > had few questions about FM and were not quite as curious --thus

not

> > overwhelming Molly with questions.

> > >

> > > We are true FM believers here :-)

> > >

> > > ~Annie

> > > Mom to Molly, age 9, adopted from China, moderate bilateral low

> > freq. SNHL, aided with PURPLE Oticon Gaia and Phonak FM at school

> > > and twins & , age 14, hearing

> > >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> __________________________________________________________

> __

> > Check out the new AOL. Most comprehensive set of free safety and

> > security tools, free access to millions of high-quality videos

from

> > across the web, free AOL Mail and more.

> >

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

______________________________________________________________________

__

> Check out the new AOL. Most comprehensive set of free safety and

> security tools, free access to millions of high-quality videos from

> across the web, free AOL Mail and more.

>