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Remote microphones, the Ling sounds, Erber's hierarchy and questionnaires for children
The most effective way to improve the signal-to-noise ratio is to bring the microphone close to the talker's mouth — a remote microphone. Around amplification, auditory rehabilitation works like this: check daily that the child hears the whole speech range (the Ling sounds), climb the levels of Erber's hierarchy, and follow progress with questionnaires.
Why it matters in the exam
A remote microphone system (FM or digital) puts a microphone near the talker's mouth and sends the signal straight to the aid or implant; it bypasses distance, noise and reverberation and improves the signal-to-noise ratio a great deal — more than any directional microphone or noise reduction. In class, for a child with a bilateral moderate-to-severe loss, the basis is two aids plus a remote microphone. For a child with an implant and a hearing aid (bimodal), one transmitter can feed both (through receivers or a neckloop to the telecoil). An aid for children should be robust, with a tamper-proof battery door, and paired with a remote microphone — the priority is always SNR.
The six Ling sounds — /a/, /u/, /i/, /m/, /ʃ/ and /s/ — span the frequency range of speech, from low (/m/, /u/) to high (/s/), and serve as a quick daily check of detection and identification. Erber's levels run from detection (is there a sound), through discrimination (same or different) and identification (choosing the matching picture for a heard word), up to comprehension (answering a question, getting a joke or an absurdity — a child who laughs at "do you beat a monkey?" instead of "a drum" has understood). The LittlEARS questionnaire is a parent questionnaire of 35 yes/no items that tracks early auditory development. Auditory training can be analytic (small units such as sounds) or synthetic (meaning and context), and in the auditory-verbal approach parents are the main partners.
Key points
- Remote microphone — the largest SNR gain.
- Class: two aids and a remote microphone.
- Ling: six sounds spanning /m/ to /s/.
- Erber: detection, discrimination, identification, comprehension.
- LittlEARS: 35 items, early auditory development.
Summary table
| Tool | What it is | What is asked |
|---|---|---|
| Remote microphone | Microphone near the talker's mouth, direct transmission | The largest SNR gain; bypasses distance and reverberation |
| In class | Two aids plus a remote microphone | For a bilateral moderate-to-severe loss |
| Bimodal | One transmitter for implant and aid | Through receivers or the telecoil |
| Ling sounds | Six sounds from /m/ and /u/ up to /s/ | /s/ is the highest; a daily check |
| Erber's hierarchy | Detection, discrimination, identification, comprehension | Choosing a picture — identification; getting an absurdity — comprehension |
| LittlEARS | Parent questionnaire, 35 yes/no items | Early auditory development |
A free exam question
What is a remote microphone system?
- A. A RIC hearing aid in which the microphone is far from the speaker
- B. An array of two microphones 8 mm apart
- C. A system that streams phone calls directly to the aid wirelessly
- D. A system in which the talker wears a microphone that transmits directly to the listener's hearing aid
In the full version for subscribers
- A simple algorithm
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- Exam traps
- 5 review cards
- What matters for the exam
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Sources
- American Academy of Audiology, 2011 — Clinical Practice Guidelines: Remote Microphone Hearing Assistance Technologies for Children and Youth from Birth to 21 Years
- Erber, Auditory Training, 1982 — Detection, discrimination, identification, comprehension
- Ling, Speech and the Hearing-Impaired Child, 2nd edition (2002) — The six-sound test
Sources are given for further reading; the text is written afresh and not copied from them.
Reviewed by the Examqo AI Professor · 2026-11-02. The text may contain errors; when in doubt, check the source.