Cody Wilcox

EDU 214 - 1006

11/24/14

Closing the Hearing Gap

During the formative years of adolescence proper and consistent hearing is vital for the
development of speech and language development. This places children who suffer from hearing loss at
an extreme disadvantage in a classroom environment. Classrooms can be noisy environments. With
chatter amongst students, activity in the hallways, the shuffling of papers, pencil sharpeners, etc. there
is no shortage of noise to distract students from listening to their teacher. The major obstacle to tackle
isn't the level of noise in the classroom, but rather the signal-to-noise ratio. This means the teacher's
speech signal must be stronger than the noise level of the classroom. For the typical student the ideal
signal-to-noise ratio is at least 15+ dB. However, for children with hearing loss this ratio must be raised
to at least 20+ dB (Nelson).
There are several ways to combat the noise level of the classroom and bring the educator's voice
to the forefront. Most people are already familiar with amplification technologies such as hearing aids
and cochlear implants; however, there are additional devices that can further assist children with
hearing loss. Sound-field or personal frequency modulated systems are effective at improving the
signal-to-noise ratio and speech perception in noise for children with hearing loss (Nelson). Sound-field
amplification systems utilize a wireless microphone transmitter that broadcasts the speaker's frequency
across a series of speakers mounted in either or both the ceiling and walls of the classroom. This always
the teacher to better project what they are saying without straining their voice. Desktop sound-field
systems are similar device; however, rather than the speakers being placed in the walls or ceiling, there
is a personal speaker that rests on each student's individual desk. The advantage of these devices is their

portability.
While both standard sound-field amplification systems and their desktop resting counterparts
are effective technologies that can improve the ability of students, with or without hearing loss,
improve their listening, speech, and language skills the most effective devices for students with hearing
loss are frequency modulated (or FM for short) systems. A personal FM system is utilized in a
classroom setting by the teacher wearing a low-power radio transmitter, a small microphone either
attached to a headpiece, clipped to the collar of a shirt, or anywhere close to the speaker's mouth, that
sends FM radio signals to the student's miniature receiver which is coupled to their personal hearing aid
or cochlear implant (Nelson). A personal FM system helps students with hearing loss tremendously by
weakening or even canceling out competing background noise.
The development of hearing assistive technologies have been a blessing for the many students
who suffer from hearing loss who in the past would have been left behind because of their unfortunate
disadvantage. Many studies have reported the benefits of sound-field and personal FM systems in the
classroom. One can only hope these devices become more readily available, especially children in their
early ages where the development of linguistic skills is most critical. Hopefully, one day children with
hearing loss will no longer be considered disabled or disadvantaged as technology allows educators to
close the hearing gap.

Works cited:
Nelson, Lauri H., Bridget Poole, and Karen Muoz. "Preschool Teachers' Perception and Use of
Hearing Assistive Technology in Educational Settings." Ed. Marilyn Nippold and Sheila Pratt. Language,
Speech & Hearing Services in Schools 44.3 (2013). Preschool Teachers' Perception and Use of Hearing
Assistive Technology in Educational Settings By: Nelson, Lauri H., Poole, Bridget, Munoz, Karen, Language,
Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 01611461, 20130701, Vol. 44, Issue 3. Web. 24 Nov. 2014.

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