Status of school children's hearing aids relative to monitoring practices

Data concerning hearing aid monitoring practices and hearing aid malfunction were collected for three groups of mainstreamed hearing-impaired children: 248 children receiving services from itinerant teachers of the hearing impaired, 43 who participated in a study involving extensive psychoeducational evaluation, and 10 children who attended a 6 week residential treatment program in which hearing aid function was checked at least twice each day. Comparisons of the three data sets revealed that even conscientious parental and professional monitoring practices prove inadequate. As a result, it is hypothesized that children must take active roles in the monitoring process. A program to help children develop hearing aid monitoring skills is outlined.