Hearing aid
Last updated
A hearing aid is a small, worn device that makes sounds louder and clearer for a person with hearing loss.
Topic: Vision and hearing
In plain terms
Hearing aids are fitted by an audiologist and programmed for the person's hearing. They help most with nearby speech in quiet settings, and less with distance and noise, which is why classrooms often add a remote microphone. Under IDEA, schools must make sure hearing aids worn in school are functioning properly.
How it shows up in an IEP
The IEP can include daily device checks, staff who do them, and goals for the student to manage the device: changing batteries, reporting problems and using it all day.
Example
Each morning, a teacher does a quick listening check on a student's hearing aids, and a goal targets the student reporting a dead battery to an adult independently.
The rule
Federal reference: 34 CFR §300.113(a).
Related terms
- Cochlear implantA cochlear implant is a surgically implanted device that stimulates the hearing nerve directly, giving access to sound for many people with severe hearing loss.
- Remote microphone system (FM or DM)A remote microphone system sends a teacher's voice wirelessly to a student's hearing devices or a speaker, making speech clearer over distance and noise.
- Ling Six Sound checkThe Ling Six Sound check is a quick listening test using six speech sounds to confirm a student can hear across low to high pitches.
- Hearing impairmentUnder IDEA, hearing impairment is a permanent or fluctuating hearing loss, not severe enough to be deafness, that adversely affects educational performance.
On IEP Atlas
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