Bone Anchored Hearing Aids (BAHA)

BAHA stands for bone anchored hearing aid. This type of device can be attached to a soft band (or head band), snapped into a surgically implanted post or snap, or held in place with a magnet. The device is typically worn behind the ear.

The microphone on the BAHA is on the side of the device, which picks up sounds and voices close by. The amplifier in the device increases the volume and sends the sound via the transducer, which allows the transfer of sound to a functioning cochlea (or inner ear). It by-passes the outer and middle ears so that sound can be heard by the functioning cochlea.

It has an on/off switch on the top, and a battery door to allow regular changing of the battery. Sometimes the battery door is locked for safety reasons. The battery is typically changed every few days, depending on how often the device is used.

Students who use this device have a type of hearing loss called conductive hearing loss, which means that sound cannot be conducted well through the air via the outer or middle ears to the functioning cochlea. They require sound to be conducted via the bones in the head i.e. the skull, which houses the cochlea in the bone directly behind the ear.

Students who use this device may have a closed ear canal, or middle ear bones that do not function well, or chronic fluid in the middle ear space. These students typically have hearing loss in the mild to moderate range. Once the BAHA device amplifies and conducts the sound directly to the functioning cochlea, the sounds are heard within the normal hearing range.

Although these devices allow students to hear quite well, it is important to keep in mind that they are listening through a microphone and not through a typical hearing system. 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.