Headphones and hearing aids and Ipad apps

kingfisherblue

My son has one hearing aid, with his second to be fitted in the other ear on Friday. He also has numerous other disabilites as many on here will know.

Recently he received an Ipad via a charity, along with Proloquo2Go, a communication app that includes pictures, written words, and speech. He is also using other apps for learning games and for speech development. Someone kindly posted a link to a spreadsheet on here a few months ago, and I'm working my way through the list to see if any apps are suitable. I have also found this list to be useful, for anyone who might be interested:

http://www.netbuddy.org.uk/info-packs/apps-ipad/

Anyway, enough waffling (something that I excel at :rotfl:). My question is about using headphones with the Ipad, when wearing hearing aids. I did ask the audiologist, but she wasn't really helpful. She said that my son might get some feedback from the aids if he uses headphones.

Can anyone recommend suitable headphones please? I'm still learning about hearing loss and aids, and I'm very much a novice in this area. I'd like a decent product, 'over ear' style to fit over the aids. I would prefer an adjustable band over the head, as my son has a slightly odd shaped head, with low set ears. Some cheaper headphones have adjustable bands, but they tend to move about.

Obviously I want to avoid any whistling or other feedback from the hearing aids if possible.

A volume control might be useful, especially if anyone has any tips on how loud I should set it (presumably to a comfortable level for myself, as my son's aids are set to a level where he can hear sufficiently?).

I've probably not thought about other things that should be considered, so any hints would be appreciated.

My son is 14, but has a much lower mental, emotional, and educational age. He wants to be like his younger brother and wear headphones to listen to music. He does have some music on his Ipad - Queen is his favourite group

I'm happy to pay a reasonable amount for the right headphones, as a local charity donated a substantial sum of money to be used for apps and equipment for his Ipad.

I'm going to bed now - I need an early night - but I'll be online tomorrow in case anyone can help.

Thank you,

KFB x

brook2jack

You can get neckloops and hooks which stream music direct into hearing aid on a t setting. The I pad ones with adjustable volume are out of stock everywhere but my daughter uses these and they work really well
http://www.connevans.co.uk/store/viewProduct.do?id=4399864

They are hooks which just hook onto the ear like earphones Andvif you get them in White look like iPod earphones. This site also has earphones which are essentially silent but again stream via the t setting on hearing aids.

Richie-from-the-Boro

Forum here, it may help :

- general here : http://www.hearingaidforums.com/index.php?
- specific here : http://www.hearingaidforums.com/showthread.php?t=12263

I have no hearing problems, but have like other people have friends who do have issues, and because of the nature of my then job I've often wondered over the last 3 decades why they cost so much to the sufferer in general and to the NHS in particular.

brook2jack

These are more conventional looking headphones. They again use t setting on hearing aids and are essentially silent so you don't get feedback the sound is channeled direct into hearing aids.http://www.connevans.co.uk/store/viewProduct.do;jsessionid=1F40605A5DE0D1FB54AF0DF34172A758?id=1090

I gather,depending on degree of hearing loss, there are adaptations that can be made to the house such as a loop and other devices which you may be entitled to help with but others will be more knowledgable than me.Action for hearing loss RNID is another useful website with advice and a shop.

kingfisherblue

Thanks everyone, I'll spend some time looking through these links.

GlasweJen

Hi KFB,

I use the loops from connevans that I use with my aids and iPad.

They stream direct into the t- function on my aids so I dont need to adjust volume or anything, they look like over the ear head phones so fairly cool and I've never had any problems with feedback or whistles when wearing them and they get worn a lot!

kingfisherblue

Thanks Jen. I'm just a bit confused about the T function - what is this? And what is streaming - does this mean that the music goes straigh to the aids?

My son's aids are programmed to a specific volume, so even if he moves the volume button, it doesn't alter. There are no other buttons. I know that on some hearing aids there is a switch for using a loop system in public buildings, but my son's aid doesn't have this. To turn it off, I open the battery compartment. His new aid will be the same style as his old one.

Would the loops work with my son's aids? It sounds as though he would need an extra button on his aids for switching over.

GlasweJen

It's the T loop on the aids, one pair of mine dont have it so my hooks do nothing with them, not a sound until I put the other pair in. I'm fairly sure all NHS aids have a T induction loop installed but you can google the model to be sure.

ETA no they wouldn't work just noticed he doesn't have the loop for public buildings. Im not sure what would work with aids like that, maybe those big disc head phones so no air can whizz between the phones and the aids and cause feedback?

kingfisherblue

I was wondering about the big chunky headphones Jen. They will fit one his head quite snuggly, rather than drooping as smaller headphones seem to do. I'm going to try my other son's headphones on R today - M only bought them yesterday, so we haven't really had any time to try them on R.

These are the ones that M has:

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/9371132/Trail/searchtext%3ESKULL+CANDY+HEADPHONES.htm

Anubis_2

kingfisherblue wrote: »

I was wondering about the big chunky headphones Jen. They will fit one his head quite snuggly, rather than drooping as smaller headphones seem to do. I'm going to try my other son's headphones on R today - M only bought them yesterday, so we haven't really had any time to try them on R.

These are the ones that M has:

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/9371132/Trail/searchtext%3ESKULL+CANDY+HEADPHONES.htm

You would probably be much better with a full headphone rather than skullcandy and similar (skullcandy are very flimsy too.)

These are less than half price and are "cupped"
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/5145520/c_1/1|category_root|Home+entertainment+and+sat+nav|14419512/c_2/2|14419512|Headphones+and+earphones|14419643/c_3/3|cat_14419643|Over-ear+headphones|14419648.htm

I can vouch for the sound on these and they are a large - they are a decent headphone for the money regarding sound clarity http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/5344046/c_1/1|category_root|Home+entertainment+and+sat+nav|14419512/c_2/2|14419512|Headphones+and+earphones|14419643/c_3/3|cat_14419643|Over-ear+headphones|14419648.htm

kingfisherblue

Thanks Anubis. The Sony headphones were my younger son's second choice. We looked at both these and Skullcandy for him, and I preferred the Sony ones, but my son preferred the Skullcandy. Kids eh?

We've had a busy day, but I'm intending to sit my older son down with his Ipad and his brother's headphones for an hour later, so that he can try them out. If he is ok with them, I think I'll get him the Sony. I like the look of them, they have good reviews, seem to be a good, chunky set that will stay on his head - and best of all, a recommendation from a poster whom I like and respect.