Comparison of FM auditory trainers, CROS aids, and personal amplification in unilaterally hearing impaired children.

Abstract

The effectiveness of FM auditory trainers, conventional hearing aids, and CROS aids in six children with varying degrees of unilateral hearing loss was compared. Word recognition unaided and with each of the forms of amplification was evaluated both in quiet and in noise in a classroom. With the conventional hearing aid and CROS aid fittings, word recognition actually decreased in noise. With the FM trainer, word recognition improved significantly in both quiet and noise. All six unilaterally hearing impaired (UHI) children experienced significantly better performance with the FM trainer. The children with the most loss derived the greatest benefit.