Buffalo

If it is too loud, it makes things shake visionally. I keep both volumes just under that.

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“The problem is not that the (deaf) students do not hear. The problem is that the hearing world does not listen. “- Rev Jesse L. Jackson ( American Civil Rights Activist, Minister)

Deafness

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jillio

I'll let him know that.

Frisky Feline

Yeah I dont mind going back to two HAs. It gives me some choices that depends on my mood. Like I dont have to wear both everyday. I havent tried that. Like you said, turn volumns down a little bit that i think it might helps for me that i didnt think of before. Right now I wear one. I ll wait till i can afford to buy both new HAs.

posts from hell

I grew up with hearing aids and understood the world just fine with them... HATED them though. I mean straight up hated them. Growing up I figured out how to balance the worlds.. (The child and adult worlds AND the deaf and hearing worlds..) and how to beat the system. I broke my equipment on the insdie so it seemed fine so I just "wore it for the looks" and to "appease the big people"... Your little one looks to be going down that way.

ASL all the way, baby.

Beowulf

I grew up with hearing aids and often hated them. It took me a long time to figure out it was because I wore them for the benefit of others, because I felt I needed to hear them. Today I do not need to hear anyone to feel happy inside, and most of the time I do not wear hearing aids. Today I had an interview and did fine without them.

Lavender

When I was lil the first time I worn ha's, I never got cried. It didn't hurt my ears at all. The only I got accident hit by the ball, I had a hard earmold that caused my ear pain. I think smthg's wrong inside his ear. Maybe, that's why he wants to take it off.

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Jazzberry

What everyone else said. In addition to checking your son's sound levels and recruitment (which would probably affect the compression setting in his hearing aids), perhaps you could discuss the size of the air vent holes in his ear molds.

I haven't seen the thread where you posted his audiograms so I don't know what kind of loss he has but the largest air vent holes that he can have without creating feedback can go a long ways toward making him feel more comfortable.

Also, you may want to consider giving another audiologist a try. I think fitting hearing aids is also about talent and not just academic credentials. Some people are just much better at it. I think that would probably come more into play with a child because he will have less experience with hearing aid fittings than an adult that has worn hearing aids for years and he may not be able to fully communicate what's going on at his end that well yet.

And FWIW, my hearing aids are not painful and I think they are programmed OK (they aren't the best quality but that is another story) but I still don't like to wear them all the time. Its just feels nice not to have my ears stuffed up all the time and, IMHO, the technology still isn't at the point where amplified and filtered sound is as comfortable as natural sound. It's good to have a break!

I hope the appt. with the ENT and audi went well.


PS Back to making hearing aids more comfortable, cleaning the ear molds carefully every night or better yet using an electric dryer that automatically drys and cleans them with a UV light helps a lot too. I was lucky enough to win a Dry & Store dryer in a raffle and even though I was carefully cleaning my aids before -- they became a lot more comfortable after I started using the dryer.

After I switched to the Dry & Store and changed to ear molds with a small pressure hole vent from ear molds with no vents I stopped getting ear infections.

Frisky Feline

I like silcone mold the best. It is expensive than the regular mold. I dont know what kind of molds do your boy have. that would be convenient to go back to audologist and adjust the volume of the sound and check the molds.

deafdyke

Oh, and not in kindergarten either too.... But yeah, maybe it's time to look into more Deaf Ed, as well as checking hearing aids etc.....Is there any way you could go to a pediatric audi, like the ones at Phoinix Day School for the Deaf or the Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and Blind.

rivenoak

Just a quick update from appointment. Just a little wax in right ear, so that was removed. Both tubes in and no fluid in either ear. So that was all good news.

Ran out of time to do any testing with the audi, but did have a few minutes to talk with her. She took the right aid and is sending it back to Oticon for them to check and make sure it's mechanically ok. I'll schedule a solid appointment with her soon.

So, he's off the hook for having to wear both for a while.

The earmolds are about 2 months old and fit well. I know how quickly they can outgrow them! As a baby, about the time a new pair came in, he'd already outgrown them.

I tried to ask him questions yesterday, but after an hour of waiting at the office, he wasn't in a sharing mood. It sounds like no one is saying anything negative about the HAs to him, no one is telling him "never mind," and no one is telling him he needs to listen better.

He has seen the audis at ASDB and wasn't particularly cooperative with them. Same with the previous district audi. He will really only cooperate with his current audi. I don't feel that anything's lacking on her end. I do have a list of things to go over with her for the next appointment and she's very good at explaining and is responsive to requests.

I have a message in for the TOD and hopefully we can catch up and talk.

posts from hell

You're pretty lucky to be in an area where there are several options. Sequioa school for the deaf, pdsd, asdb.

jillio

Agreed that it is time to look into Deaf School Placement. And to pick the ASL back up and use it 24/7 not just with the child, but as a rule of thumb with the whole family. Like MM said, it takes work to create a bilingual atmosphere for a deaf child...but it s definately worth all the work it takes.

rivenoak

Yes, there are options here in greater Phoenix. But, sorting it out & making it work for the whole family is a challenge: work schedules, commutes, before & after school care, the usual.

I really wish there was a d/hh magnet school in Tempe; part of me can't believe there isn't.

I think Sequioa's gone through a change of administration. I was never able to get a tour scheduled last year. By any chance does someone on AD have any connection to anyone who attends/teaches there?

rivenoak

I was able to locate one of DS's audiogram, for the curious.

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/phot...eat=directlink

Jazzberry

Rivenok, I took a look at your son's audiogram. I'm just curious, does his HAs have volume control?

It's my understanding that most HA manufacturers assert that HAs don't need VC, esp. ones for less than severe to profound losses. So I wouldn't be surprised if your son didn't have VC, esp. on his right HA.

But, I"m skeptical about that. People with normal hearing can choose not to focus on the sounds around them. People with hearing aids can't -- there's no two-way neural pathway between the brain and the hearing aids. I know that I definitely need to have VC, and I would think that all people, regardless of their degree of hearing loss would benefit from having the option of VC on their HAs.

I noticed that the audiologist didn't jot down your son's MCL and UCL levels. They may have been on another sheet, but I've been to quite a few audis and they usually have that number on the same page that has the graph. Those numbers are usually helpful in selecting the compression settings to help your son find his HAs comfortable despite any recruitment issues he may (probably) have.

(MCL stands for most comfortable level and UCL stands for upper comfort level.)

Smithtr

your son wearing HA kind of his hearing aid? what his said kind of MCL and & UCL level1 how much audis, depend on comfortable reason HA

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rivenoak

No volume control or if.there is.its.not enabled.
Oticon tegos

sorry this is brief...on phone trying to type. Not so good!

I will look in his binder and see if mcl and ucl are noted somewhere else

Buffalo

Some hearing aids don't have volume control???? That is news to me.

__________________

“The problem is not that the (deaf) students do not hear. The problem is that the hearing world does not listen. “- Rev Jesse L. Jackson ( American Civil Rights Activist, Minister)

Steinhauer

I first started wearing HA's when I was 4 or 5 years old. I went through the same thing about not wanting to wear them. It was because they hurt and left blisters in my ear canal.

They really hurt bad - I still remember being forced to wear them and screaming about it. Maybe mineral oil or something would help.

I am reading a warning about using mineral oil on skin - so don't take that as a recommendation - but anything to help with the ear moulds from hurting the ear canal would help. If his ear canal is reddish that should indicate the mould is rubbing blisters in there.

deafdyke

On the other hand, it might be a really good choice. I do remember a regular poster from here (who has a deaf daughter) saying that mainstream sped in Arizona isn't very good. I know that the rule of thumb usually is, if sped is bad, then the deaf schools tend to be good. And the thing is, the Deaf Schools/programs tend to be the best in the early grades. I agree with you.... I am amazed that there isn't a dhh magnet or regional dhh program in Tempe. I mean Tempe IS a city

deafdyke

Oh just thought that it might be a good idea for you guys to see an audi who is experianced with pediatric dhh issues. I go all the way out to Clarke School for the Deaf, in Noho for that.

whatdidyousay!

What year was this? I was only given one body type HA to wear in 1953.

Sarfarigirl2011

@rivenoak, my new hearing aids has volume control and is better than my Oticon Gaia which doesn't have one since I thought they were crap LOL!!!!!
look at my signature and avvie for some info.

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18 yr old girl with a moderate/severe in the right and severe on the left.
currently wearing purple Oticon Safari P 600s

AJWSmith

My previous HAs didn't have volume control. My new ones do, but I don't tend to use it as they are digital and will automatically increase/decrease the volume depending on background noise levels. Very handy but can feel a bit weird as sounds zoom in and out depending on what's happening around me. For example if I'm outside and walking towards two people who are talking, the HAs (which are specially designed to amplify human voices) will increase the volume to pick up their voices and then turn down the volume once I've gone 10-15 yards or so past them. While the volume is high, the traffic will sound noisier, but then become quieter again.

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Born deaf. Profound hearing loss in both ears (90-105dB). Wears Oticon Spirit Zest C SP (Chili)
You can also find me on twitter as @AJWSmith and on Google+ as AJW Smith

rivenoak

For people who have volume control, at what age do you think you would have been able to manage it? I have no idea if little fingers would have a hard time "dialing in".

rivenoak

We have OtoEase. Usually just need it when molds are new, but maybe we need to use more. Oto-Ease® Earpiece Lubricant - Bottle | Westone

I just thought of something. The part that goes into the ear canal on these ear molds is shorter than before. They might be touching him in a way that is painful. God, I feel awful.

I still have the previous molds, which were a decent fit, he just wanted a new color. I will try the old one on the left HA & see if he can tell me which one feels better to him.

Jiro

When I was kid, I really hated FM system. It gave me migraine and my ears were very sensitive to it. I stopped using it in middle school or so. Can't remember when but I do remember feeling a relief that I didn't have to use it anymore.

You'll also have to try to find out if one of the teachers is being mean to him regarding FM system. One of my teachers was trying to call on me because I was being disruptive or something but I didn't respond. So he got frustrated and yelled at me. The class went silent and he was raging on and on for a few minutes which felt quite long and then took off mic, slammed it on his table - Why do I have to wear this? You don't hear me!

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Sarfarigirl2011

LOL I was able to manage a volume control at a young age since I have a volume wheeler on my very old Siemens *they are about 15 years old*

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18 yr old girl with a moderate/severe in the right and severe on the left.
currently wearing purple Oticon Safari P 600s

rivenoak

That's horrible.

He only has one teacher. She is very interested in using the FM system. The kids in class are very interested in seeing the FM system being used. He is excited about the idea and liked showing it around, but the reality of actually using it is something else right now.

One of teacher's concerns is that if she lowers voice/whispers, DS might not know that she is talking if he doesn't have the boots on or isn't looking at her.

Last night was Curriculum Night at school, got to meet the Reading Specialist, Music Teacher, and PE teacher. #1 thing when talking with them was something would come up about DS, I'd say that he's d/hh, and they would remark, "Oh, I noticed (those things) in his ears."

So, now the reading specialist knows that he must be tested by a familiar person (in the IEP), the music teacher knows that he voice might be pitched where it is because he is d/hh, and the PE teacher knows we can put EarGear on if there's a problem with his HAs staying on when he's active and that she can use the FM system, too, if need be.

(This is rhetorical, but: Do people really not know what hearing aids are for or what they look like? Or that kids can be d/hh?)

For people who have used FM, would it have been useful for things like PE when maybe playing a sport, the teacher is farther away to hear instructions/read lips?

Yes, yes, I know ASL is the way to go! But, in the interim...

Thank you everyone for sharing on this thread! Very useful to me!

Sarfarigirl2011

I used an FM system alot everyday but yeah it's good for sports!
I have the Phonak Inspiro FM unit and it's always good for everyday use!
mine has peeling and scraches but it's still like new

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18 yr old girl with a moderate/severe in the right and severe on the left.
currently wearing purple Oticon Safari P 600s