Objective

2

To investigate the current status of hearing equipment monitoring for hearing-impaired children and explore methods to enhance their self-monitoring capabilities of hearing equipment.

Methods

2

This study targeted 427 parents of hearing-impaired children and 64 rehabilitation teachers for hearing-impaired children as respondents. Through face-to-face interviews or remote telephone interviews

we surveyed the abilities of hardware monitoring of the hearing devices of the users

monitoring effectiveness

and investigated rehabilitation teachers' expectations regarding the age at which hearing-impaired children can acquire the ability to self-monitor their hearing devices.

Results

2

Among the surveyed hearing-impaired children

52.66% could check their hearing devices together with their parents

32.79% could independently check the appearance of their hearing devices

and 32.33% could independently check hearing devices battery levels. 53.54% of families were able to simultaneously use monitoring headphones and the Ling's six-sounds test to monitor hearing equipment effectiveness

with 16.07% doing so daily with headphones and 41.30% performing the Ling's six-sounds daily. 48.88% of families recorded their monitoring results promptly after completing the hearing equipment effectiveness monitoring. For self-monitoring capabilities

80.60% of hearing-impaired children could promptly provide feedback when they noticed changes in sound quality

but only 8.78% could independently use the Ling's six-sounds test to monitor hearing equipment effectiveness. There were no significant age di

fferences when the children conducted checks with parents (

t

=1.06

P

>

0.05). The age for beginning to independently checked hearing equipment appearance was

Z

=1.41

P

>

0.05; The age for beginning to independentlycheck hearing equipment batteries was

t

=1.31

P

>

0.05. The age for beginning to actively inform parents about hearing equipment malfunctions was

Z

=1.97

P

=0.05.

Conclusion

2

We should continue to strengthen training in hearing equipment monitoring capabilities in rehabilitation practice. Rehabilitation teachers should enhance their guidance in helping hearing-impaired children acquire the ability to self-check their hearing equipments

pay attention to parents' implementation in terms of hearing equipmen monitoring with headphones

Ling's six-sounds testing

and result recording. For hearing-impaired children entering elementary school

rehabilitation teachers should develop plans to gradually guide them in using the Ling's six-sounds test independently to monitor hearing equipments effectiveness.