Will hearing aids AND a personal FM system maximize our 4-month old infant's chances of hearing and learning language/speech? His ENT thinks he may be a good candidate for a cochlear implant but in the meantime, we want to do everything we can for him. Thank you for your time.

Dear Mrs. Candall,
I'm impressed with how you and Lee's audiologist are providing amplification for your little son. Lee is only four months old, and he already has hearing aids and an FM system. Naturally you want to know how much benefit he will obtain from them.
You wrote that Lee has a profound hearing loss, so hearing aids will probably enable him to hear your voice, but not easily understand the sounds of speech. For example, he will be aware of a murmur that is Mommy talking to him, and as he grows older (around 7 or 8 months old) he might turn when he hears that sound of your voice. But he probably is not easily able to hear individual sounds of speech such as /s/ or /th/. These sounds are very difficult for a person with a profound hearing loss and they carry a lot of meaning in the English language.
So we know that with hearing aids, Lee probably is aware of your voice although we're not exactly sure what speech sounds he hears. What will an FM system do for him? This system will bring your voice close to his ear no matter where you are standing. If he is happily in his carseat while you drive, your voice will sound as though you are holding him in your arms. The farther away we are from a person, the softer our voices become, so with an FM system, distance no longer becomes a factor in Lee's ability to hear you. Will an FM system provide Lee with the ability to hear speech sounds that his hearing aids cannot amplify? Probably not. But the benefit it provides is significant and important.
So until Lee is old enough to receive a cochler implant, you are providing the best help possible for him. And since you are in our Correspondence Course, you will want to take advantage of the Games and Activities in the lessons to help him develop his listening skills. Play them with him every day and have fun together!
And please write again if you have further questions or need more information.
Sincerely,
Kathleen Sutherland