Pediatric hearing solutions for every age
Children are unique. Thanks to a broad Phonak pediatric portfolio of hearing aids and accessories, there is a solution for every child.
As parents of children with hearing loss, it is important to understand that children of different ages have different needs, but the need to maximize quantity and quality of sound is important at every age.
Phonak takes a holistic approach to help the social, emotional and cognitive development of children with hearing loss from the moment they begin their hearing journey. Responsive relationships and language-rich experiences for young children help build a strong foundation for later success in school and beyond.1 Our products aim to make the most of every interaction while being easy to use, high performing and reliable solutions at the same time.
“Serve and return” interactions help infants and toddlers navigate the world and grow. When children communicate, what is returned to them through physical, visual and audio cues helps develop and shape their minds.
Hearing aids for infants and toddlers help maximize these “serve and return” interactions by bringing greater clarity to sounds children make and what they hear in return. These “serve and return” interactions then further develop linguistics skills and strengthen bonds and relationships, growing a child’s understanding of home and outside environments in the process.
Hearing aids for children, which are designed to be worn all day, help further maximize available “serve and return” interactions, by extending the time sound is available to a child.
If you’re a parent and interested in learning more, please see this article.
Do you have questions about hearing solutions for your children? Learn more here.
School-aged children
Hearing aids for kids in the classroom
Modern classrooms are dynamic and interactive — and ever increasingly so. Once a child begins attending school, their hearing needs become more complex. They must process information in many forms and from many sources. They participate in activities and exercises. They take instruction, respond to questions, socialize and make new friends.
The majority of interactions in school occur verbally, and a great deal of information is presented to children through sound and spoken words. For this reason, hearing loss can be a challenge to a child’s participation, understanding, learning and growth in academic environments.
Hearing aids for school are a vital first step in ascertaining the right hearing solutions for a growing child’s needs. They contribute in school environments in many ways — by increasing independence, bolstering confidence, encouraging interaction, opening new situations and even affecting where children with hearing loss can comfortably sit, go, play and learn.
Though hearing aids are an important key to successful learning, the best hearing solution for a child may be a combination of hearing aids, wireless solutions and accessories.
Phonak offers a portfolio of hearing aids for children along with a line of related products which open learning environments and improve what is available there.
If you’re a parent and interested in learning more, please read this article.
To explore some use cases of improving understanding in the classroom see this article.
Teens and young adults face challenges of transition. They move from primary schools to high schools, and from high schools to universities. Many enter the workforce. They bridge the gap between childhood and adulthood in countless ways.
For teens, hearing loss can impact different aspects of their lives, including recreation and sports, confidence, and social activities. Hearing aids help teens with hearing loss stay in the conversation, live in the moment, and hear the world their way.
To help them on this path, Phonak has designed a line of solutions with comprehensive functions, designed for modern streaming and advanced connectivity.
If you’re a parent interested in learning more, this link can help.
For more information on how you, as a parent, can support your teen, please see our planning guide for teens.
Hearing solutions for children and teens
Advanced hearing aids and devices for all ages
Access to words and conversations is vital in the development of children and teens. Conversations with loved ones — at dinner, at the park, in the car — are among the most essential ingredients in shaping language development.
Building a language rich environment for children with hearing loss means maximizing every opportunity for interaction, and hearing aids for kids designed to be worn comfortably all-day help children and teens with hearing loss maximize the “serve and return” interactions available to them through a stream of ever-changing situations.
When they are comfortable, reliable and safe to wear for extended durations, hearing aids provide children with the confidence to participate fully, regardless of the situation. Hearing aids that can adapt and provide greater clarity and richness of sound are even more beneficial.
Phonak Sky™ — Hearing aids for infants, toddlers, school-age children and teens, Phonak Sky enables children to build strong bonds by offering clear, rich sound and access to more words and conversations every day. These close relationships are essential for a child’s social, emotional and cognitive development1.
Learn more about Phonak Sky here.
Phonak Sky™ Link M — Hearing aids for kids designed especially for children on the pathway to receiving cochlear implants, Phonak Sky Link M helps a very specific group of children to access speech and important sounds in everyday life.
Learn more about Phonak Sky Link M here.
Phonak Marvel™ — A hearing aid for teens, Marvel offers direct connectivity to iOS®, Android™ and Bluetooth®-enabled phones. It also seamlessly connects to numerous everyday electronics. Better still, Marvel can replicate wireless stereo headphones — so music, videos and calls stream directly to the hearing aids.
Learn more about Phonak Marvel here.
Roger™ technology — It is important for all children to hear well at school, especially those with hearing difficulties. The Roger line of microphones provides children with the clarity they need to participate fully in dynamic environments, such as classrooms. The Roger line can help children hear teachers, classmates and even stream multimedia presentations. It’s important to hear well at school, and with Roger for Education there is a solution for every situation.
How to handle hearing aids for children
Tips and techniques
Using hearing aids daily does take some acclimation, especially for babies and toddlers. Below are some tips for helping both you and your child get comfortable with new hearing aids.
Important first steps include:
- Set expectations
- Help improve speech
- Encourage your child
- Build focus
Set expectations — It’s important to understand what hearing aids can and cannot do for children with hearing loss. No hearing aid can restore hearing completely. But hearing aids can help compensate for sound lost at every level across the frequency range.
Help improve speech — There are many ways you can help develop a child’s linguistic capabilities as they grow. Both speech and language therapists, as well as early intervention providers can offer tips and exercises to help in this process.
Encourage your child — When a child is first fit with a hearing aid, the initial reaction is surprise. The second natural reaction is a desire to remove the hearing aids immediately. Taking the time to adjust (and readjust) the volume levels will help a child get comfortable, and not want to remove the hearing aids.
Build focus — Reducing distracting background noise — like TVs and radios — makes wearing hearing aids easier for a child. Staying close to a baby or toddler while you’re talking also helps the child build focus.
Hearing aids have multiple components, and each part of the amplification system should be properly cared for and maintained. The best place to learn about this is with a hearing care professional, during an appointment for a fitting.
However, if you encounter problems above and beyond the recommended cleaning and maintenance you should contact your hearing care professional as soon as possible.
You can also check out this troubleshooting guide for more. It includes important steps you can take to ascertain some common problems, and in some cases remedy them yourself.
Daily care ensures that hearing aids and hearing devices work smoothly, and proper regular maintenance increases life expectancy. To that end, Phonak has also designed a Pediatric Care Kit which makes the maintenance of hearing devices child’s play.
After the initial fitting, parents, guardians and caregivers generally have the most influence about how hearing devices are used, handled, stored, and maintained. They are also essential in teaching a child how to handle devices, and in tracking progress and growth.
The Phonak Pediatric Care Kit contains everything a parent needs to properly care for a child’s hearing devices, and it also comes with a handy user guide.
Resources
1 Center on the Developing Child. (2020.) Connecting the Brain to the Rest of the Body: Early Childhood Development and Lifelong Health Are Deeply Intertwined. Retrieved from https://46y5eh11fhgw3ve3ytpwxt9r-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/wp15_health_FINALv2.pdf, accessed March 3, 2021.