Assistive Devices for Classroom Listening

Abstract

FM systems are the most common assistive listening devices used in classrooms by students with hearing loss. The benefits provided by these devices have resulted in an expansion of their use to extend beyond individuals with severe-to-profound hearing loss to individuals with minimal, conductive, and fluctuating hearing loss, as well as individuals with normal hearing who have additional learning problems. The first section of this article addresses current needs of audiologists working with FM systems as classroom listening devices. The remainder focuses on electroacoustic implications of various design features and coupling configurations used with FM systems.