Auditory Outreach
Provincial Resource Program

​​We'll be updating the FAQs soon.

Please contact info@auditoryoutreach.ca with any questions, concerns and suggestions. Thank you.​​

​What is the best way to wear the iLapel microphone? 

The signal heard by your student will be clearest when the microphone is located closest to your mouth, at the midline of your body (not off to one side). The microphone has two microphone ports; you will see two 'holes' or two felt patches. It is a directional microphone and it needs to be worn vertically; straight up-and-down, the top microphone port pointing at your mouth, with the two ports facing out. 


What is dynamic FM?  

Dynamic FM automatically adjusts your voice to be louder than the background noise, as the background noise volume fluctuates, to provide a consistent signal-to-noise ratio that allows your student to hear you just as well in noisier classrooms. Traditional FM systems have a pre-determined signal-to-noise ratio, regardless of the background noise, so it becomes harder for the student to hear your voice if the background noise becomes louder.


Can I still benefit from dynamic FM if I patch the dynamic transmitter to the classroom soundfield system?

No. You cannot benefit from dynamic FM when patching into a soundfield. Because the microphone which has two ports (one for the speaker's voice and one for environmental sound) is needed to ​allow the dynamic feature to work, the dynamic feature is lost by patching. PLEASE ensure the student's audiologist has been consulted before use of the soundfield is undertaken. 


Is there something wrong with my monitor earphones, because they stop working so often when I'm listening to a cochlear implant?

The Freedom CI processor's earphones automatically shut off after about 90 seconds to save power. Just press any button on the cochlear implant processor to re-activate the earphones. The N5 processor does not shut off.


What is the difference between practicing specific targeted speech sounds and practising speech through reading?

Targeted speech sound practice is useful when a person has difficulty producing segmentals (such as consonants or vowels), or suprasegmentals (such as rhythm, stress, intonation of speech). These skills need to be practiced before moving onto conversational speech. Only through developing 'motor memory' and  producing correct sounds will students develop into achieving successful  conversational speech.

Typically, reading aloud will not improve sound production for the student. Reading aloud, when practicing with a helper, will help with awareness of volume, phrasing, expression, as well as fluency and rate of speech - also important aspects of conversational speech.


I've plugged in the Freedom CI monitoring ea​rphones and can't hear any sounds--is something wrong with the earbuds?

The Freedom CI will not recognize any External Accessories unless it is switched off first. It needs to "boot up" (turn on) with the earbuds (or any External Accessory) attached. Alternatively, you can cycle through the inputs by pressing simultaneously the +/- buttons together to cycle through a display of "T" (telecoil), then "M" (processor mic only), and then "EA" (the "EA" flashes briefly oh the display but does not remain on display--an "M" remains on display). The easiest way is to switch off the processor, plug in the monitoring earphones, and then turn on the processor to listen through the earbuds.