Whether back-to-school season is exciting or nerve-wracking for your child, it’s important to help them feel prepared to face the new year. This is especially true if they have hearing loss and wear hearing aids. Below is a back-to-school checklist to help your child get ready for the school year.
Get an Updated Audiogram
You child should have their hearing retested at the start of each school year to monitor any changes, reprogram their devices as needed and upgrade if necessary. An audiologist at LeMay Hearing & Balance can administer these tests, the results of which will be plotted on an audiogram, a visual representation of their hearing loss.
Communicate with Teachers & Coaches
Reaching out to your child’s teachers and coaches at Washoe County School District to educate them about your child’s hearing loss and communication needs is crucial for their success during the school year. You should also teach them how their hearing aids work, how to do some basic troubleshooting and how any assistive listening devices can be used to boost their hearing in the classroom. This should be done before the first day of school.
Stock their Backpack
Not only will your child need new pencils, sharpeners and erasers, they could also benefit from having the following with them during the school day:
- Extra batteries. The last thing you want is for your child’s hearing aid batteries to die part way through the day, leaving them unable to hear their teacher and friends.
- Cleaning tools. While cleaning should happen night, if their hearing aids become dirty on the playground or impacted with earwax during the day, they may need to do an additional cleaning to improve sound quality.
- Lanyard. Hearing aid lanyards clip your child’s hearing aids to their clothes, preventing them from getting lost or stepped on during gym class.
- Basic manual. If your child’s hearing aids aren’t working properly, some instructions can help their teacher or aide fix the problem right away.
- Notebook. If all else fails, a notebook can help your child communicate with their teacher, aide or friend.
For more information or to schedule an appointment, call LeMay Hearing & Balance today.