Radio aids – optimising listening opportunities: Guide

Supporting children with listening difficulties

There are some CYP who do not have a measurable hearing loss, but find listening to and processing information difficult.  Radio aids can be a useful tool for these CYP.  The research below gives examples.

This video shows how hearing aids and a radio aid helped a girl with auditory neuropathy

Bantwal, A. R. and J. W. Hall Iii (2011). "Pediatric speech perception in noise." Current Pediatric Reviews 7(3): 214-226 © 2011 Bentham Science Publishers Ltd

Bantwal, A. R. and J. W. Hall Iii (2011) in their study of pediatric speech perception in noise state that ‘an acceptable acoustical environment is necessary for effective communication and listening’.  They conclude that children with normal hearing sensitivity, whose performance on tests using competing acoustic signals is below normal, can benefit from specific intervention and the use of signal enhancing devices such as FM (or Radio Aid) systems’

Hanschmann, H., et al. (2010). "Speech perception in noise with and without FM technology." HNO 58(7): 674-679.

A study showing the benefit of using Radio Aid systems in the classroom with those with Auditory Processing Disorder Hornickel, J., et al. (2012). "Assistive listening devices drive neuroplasticity in children with dyslexia." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 109(41): 16731-16736.  This study showed an improvement in the the neural representation of speech and impact reading-related skills by enhancing acoustic clarity and attention, reducing variability in auditory processing, by those children who used a Radio Aid system.

Rance, G. (2014). "Wireless technology for children with autism spectrum disorder." Seminars in Hearing 35(3): 217-226.