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Hearing better in school

During pre-school and primary school years, many children suffer middle ear infections, Otitis Media and mild hearing loss. Otitis Media is even more common among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.

Many school aged children who have ear disease will also have a hearing loss. Often a hearing aid cannot help children with ear infections. An ear infection can make a child's hearing change from normal to mild hearing loss in a short time. If the child is wearing a hearing device, sounds will seem just right at times and too loud or soft at other times. Some children with Otitis Media may have runny ears and blocking the ear with a hearing aid can make this worse.

Many classrooms are noisy because of traffic or children in the playground. A soundfield amplification system can make it easier to hear if it is noisy. Talk to Australian Hearing to find out more about this equipment.

What is soundfield amplification?

A soundfield amplification system makes the teacher's voice louder and easier to hear for all students in a classroom.

The teacher wears a small microphone and the teacher's voice is transmitted to speakers in the corners of the classroom. Children can hear the teacher's voice no matter where they are sitting.

The system has a second microphone which an assistant can use or the children can pass around when they're talking to the rest of the class.