No! My Hearing Aid!

Last week, I was visiting a preschool classroom where there is a little boy with a moderate low frequency hearing loss. He wears hearing aids in both ears. He usually has no problem keeping them in and seems to not mind them. What we are currently working on is having him name them hearing aids, rather than point at them and call them "Nuh! Nuh! Nah!" whenever he has a problem with them or if the battery goes out.

I played with him and his friends for a bit this morning. We fought some intense battles using plastic knight figurines.

In the middle of slaying an imaginary dragon, I asked him what those things are in his ears and he yelled, "Hearing aids!"

Then he smiled and pointed at mine and said, "Hearing aid."

I responded, "Yes, that is right this is my hearing aid. But, I only have one."

He looked at my other ear and said, "No," shaking his head.

I responded, "That's right, I do not wear a hearing aid in my left ear."  

Then I asked him if I could look at one of his hearing aids. I explained to him that I was going to listen to his hearing aid using a hearing aid stethoscope to see if it is working OK. He reluctantly let me take his right hearing aid and he watched me as I took out my hearing aid and put the stethoscope's ear piece in my ear and placed the "head" on the hearing aid's ear mold to listen. I felt as if I was a doctor listening to the tiny hearing aid's heart beating.

I looked at him with a serious look and said, "I think he will live."

His teacher laughed, while he continued to stand there looking at me, wondering what the heck I was doing.

It was so interesting because his hearing aid only amplifies the lower frequencies. Because I have a moderate-severe hearing loss in the high frequencies, I could not hear much in the high frequency areas. Speech sounds were quieter and the ringing toy nearby became silent. It was very uncomfortable for me because I have typical hearing in the lower frequencies in my right ear, which his hearing aid amplifies.

But, nevertheless, it sounded as if this hearing aid was working properly and I quickly cleaned his ear mold and then the stethoscope. Then I put his hearing aid back on and he took off to play with his friends.

As I was leaving the classroom, when it was time for me to go, I waved goodbye to him.

He frowned, waved his little finger at me, and cried, "No! My hearing aid!" "Mine!"

"Yes! They are your hearing aids!" I assured him, smiling.

I went over and explained to him that I will not do that again, unless any problems develop with his hearing aids that requires me or his teacher to listen to them.

He smiled and pointed at my hearing aid, "Mine! My hearing aid!"

Then he busted up in a fit of laughter and I laughed with him at his little joke.

I love my job. :) 

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