User guide

A
N EDUCATOR’S GUIDE
57
The chart below illustrates the improvements in
signal-to-noise ratio aided by use of a FM system,
use of a hearing aid on the opposite ear, or use of
both. Using FM on the child’s implanted side
added more than 13 decibels to the SNR while a
bilateral fitting with FM on both ears provided the
best possible performance in a typical noisy class-
room environment.
FM Technology and Federal Law
There are a number of Federal laws that support
the provision of FM systems for children with hear-
ing loss in school settings. For a child with an IEP
under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
(IDEA), FM technology is an eligible accommoda-
tion. Some children with cochlear implants have
been excluded from receiving services under IDEA
because they are performing at an age appropriate
level and have been determined to not have an
“educationally significant disability. Without
attempting to argue the appropriateness of such
exclusions, other disability laws remain in effect that
require provision of an FM for a child with a
cochlear implant. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation
Act of 1973 requires that any program receiving
Federal funds must be accessible to individuals with
disabilities. Hence, children in public school settings
would be covered by this provision even if they did
not have an IEP
While children in private schools are not covered
by either the IDEA or Section 504, they are
covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act
(ADA). The ADA mandates that every public
facility pro
vide communication access if necessary,
unless doing so w
ould impose an undue burden.
Since FM systems are relativ
ely inexpensive, a
purchase would not be considered burdensome
and provision of FM would almost al
ways be
required.
In addition to pro
viding FM amplification,
the
classroom acoustical environment should be
evaluated and, where needed, improvements
should be made
.
A poor acoustical environment
can interfere with the proper function of an FM
system, so provision of FM and acoustics are not
an
“either/or”
proposition—both accommodations
need to be evaluated and, where appropriate,
provided for the child with a cochlear implant.
Acoustical needs in the classroom are discussed
in Chapter 5 of this guide.
Bilateral/Bimodal Study
Schafer and Thibodeau (2005)
FM input to first or both sides allowed for best speech recognition in noise performance!
Improvements in speech recognition relative to CI Alone!
CI Alone
= 1.1 dB = 13.3 dB = 13.9 dB = 4.6 dB = 16.2 dB
CI+FM
CI+FM
CI+FM
2nd+FM
2nd+FM
C
I
2nd
CI
2nd