Behind-the-Ear (BTE) Hearing Aids

The microphone on the top of the hearing aid picks ups sound and voices close by. The sound then in turn gets amplified and sent out to the eardrum, middle ear and inner ear and ultimately up to the brain through the ear hook of the hearing aid.

For behind the ear models, there is an earmold that attaches to the ear hook and the signals are sent through the earmold, which sits in the ear canal (the “hole” in the ear). Most earmolds are custom made so that it fits exactly to the size and shape of the outer ear and ear canal. Some earmolds can fill the entire outer ear, though some are very small and only fill a small portion of the canal of the ear. Typically, hearing aids that are more powerful require a larger earmold so that feedback is not heard from the hearing aid.

Most hearing aids do not have an off/switch or a volume control. They turn on and off by opening and closing the battery door. Most hearing aids have batteries that need to changed every few days. Newer hearing aids have batteries that are built in and are rechargeable.

Students who wear hearing aids have hearing levels that cannot be improved upon by medical or surgical interventions. Their outer and middle ears work well but their inner ears (which includes the cochlea and auditory nerve) need sounds to be louder to be able to detect and send the sounds to the brain. This is called a sensorineural hearing loss.

Students may have hearing loss in the mild up to severe hearing range. They may have the hearing loss in one ear (which is called unilateral hearing loss) or in both ears (which is called bilateral hearing loss). The hearing loss may be the same or different for both ears. Although these hearing aids allow students to hear well, it is important to keep in mind that they are listening through a microphone.

For classroom settings, or noisier or larger listening situations, the student will require a remote mic system so that the teacher’s or speaker’s voice can be heard clearly and easily.