What Hearing Aid Microphone is Best for my Child?

As technology rapidly advances and we witness huge developments in hearing aids, we celebrate with children and teenagers the ability to explore and interact with the world of sounds much better than just a few years back.

However, some daily situations still remain challenging, despite the most advanced hearing aid. 

Noisy classrooms, phone conversations and outdoor activities are some of the most challenging, especially for children. That is when remote microphones, including Roger technology, can help children  overcome frustration and hear better in noise and over distance.

Remote microphone and Roger technology can be very simple and easy to use. In general, the talking partner – whether that’s the parent, a family member, caregiver, friend, or a teacher  – wears a small wireless microphone, while the child either wears their hearing aids or cochlear implants with small Roger receivers connected to them. The sound then streams directly to the child’s ears. 

Hearing aid accessories can truly make hearing in difficult situations easier, enabling children to improve their speech and language and social interaction in and outside the family. By transmitting the voice of the people they communicate with directly into their hearing aids, kids need to concentrate less on understanding what they hear and more on enjoying the discussion.

There is a wide range of hearing aid microphones to choose from, according to the child’s and family’s communication needs, including: 

Roger Clip-on Mic

Simple to use parent microphone’s, like the Roger Clip-on Mic, are ideal as a family option. The Roger Clip-on Mic can be easily clipped on the shirt of the parent, grandparent or even siblings depending on the activity.

Roger Pen 

More sophisticated microphones, like the Roger Pen, are especially popular among older children and teenagers. The Roger Pen is recognized for its slim design, Bluetooth® connectivity and automatic operation based on movement and position.

Roger Touchscreen Mic

When it comes to schools, a versatile teacher microphone, like the Roger Touchscreen Mic, is great to handle the dynamic classroom environment. The Roger Touchscreen Mic can be worn on a lanyard or placed on the table for small group activities

Choosing the right microphone is one of the best investments a parent can make to their child’s social development.

Here are some examples of challenging situations and recommended Roger microphone accessories that could help:

Interacting with the family at home

Mealtime with the family can get very noisy, especially if the TV is on, siblings are talking at the same time and dishes are being passed around. Communicating with a child who is further away is also very difficult.

Suggestion: Roger Touchscreen Mic or Roger Clip-on Mic

Walks and outdoor sports

Daily walks with your baby in the stroller, playing with your toddler on playgrounds or listening to the coach’s directions at soccer practice are routine activities that demand much concentration from your kid and can cause stress as they are unable to hear and communicate well.

Suggestion: Roger Pen and/or Roger Clip-on Mic

In the car

Car trips are especially known for being one of the most difficult listening situations with all the background noise from the car engine and traffic, especially if your child is in the back seat and you are driving.

Suggestion: Roger Pen and/or Roger Clip-on Mic

Schools

Classrooms areknown as one of the noisiest environments. Children with hearing loss profit the most when they are able to hear not only the teachers, but also their classmates

Suggestion: Roger Touchscreen Mic

Tip: Use the Roger Touchscreen Mic on a lanyard by the teacher when lecturing and placed in the middle of the table when small group activities take place in order to hear the voices of the other children in the group.

Phone conversations

Having phone calls can be especially challenging as the child is unable to see the person on the other side of the phone line and needs to place the phone just right for the hearing aid microphone to pick up the phone signal.

Suggestion: Roger Pen paired with a Bluetooth® phone

Tip: Use the Roger Pen with a Bluetooth phone, such as the Phonak DECT cordless phone to stream the phone call directly to hearing aids.

TV, music and games

Watching a movie, listening to music and playing games with friends and family members can be compelling.

Suggestion: Roger Pen or Roger Clip-on Mic

Tip: Place the Roger Pen or Clip-on Mic in the docking station and connect it to the TV or music player audio out jack.

Socializing

When children become teenagers, socializing, clubbing and being connected to their peers is so important. Teens can are also be self-conscious and have a strong need to feel accepted by friends.

Suggestion: Roger Pen 

Tip: Place the Roger Pen in the center of the table to catch friends’ conversations or used as interview style to hear the voice of a single person in noisy surroundings.

Have you used a hearing aid microphone accessory in a different listening situation? We’d love to read your experiences in the comments. 

• Author Details

Author Details

Cecilia Zugaib

MARKETING MANAGER OF PEDIATRICS AT PHONAK HQ, SWITZERLAND With an extensive experience in marketing and communications projects, one of Cecilia’s passions is to create content – be it in printed, digital or even radio format. What does she love about Pediatrics? Being able to make an impact on children’s lives through her work.