It’s officially back to school season, and even during the “new normal,” now is an excellent time to gather the supplies needed to help make the new school year a success. However, stocking up on notebooks and pens aren’t the only things you should think about. A child’s ability to hear can make or break their school year and can even have an effect on their social life. However, following this helpful back to school hearing loss checklist can help ensure you are on the right track when it comes to your child’s hearing health for the new school year.

Ensure that your child gets off on the right foot this school year by checking off items on our helpful back to school hearing loss checklist.

• Now is the time to ensure that your child’s device is in good working condition, and if they aren’t, get them corrected as soon as possible. Your child can not perform to the best of their ability if they can’t hear properly.

• Create a backup plan, if you don’t already have one if your child wears a device to help them hear. Things happen, especially with young children, so have a backup plan in place in case something happens to your child’s device during school.

• If your child has a cochlear implant or a hearing aid, make sure you send your child or provide their teacher with accessories in case something goes wrong. Accessories such as maintenance tools, sport accessories, and batteries are beneficial if something goes wrong during the day, or to help keep the device safe during extracurricular activities.

• Make a “cheat sheet” or give your teachers instructions and the necessary information about your child’s hearing aid or cochlear implant. Things can go awry during the day, and if you cannot be on call for assistance, give your child’s teacher and school nurse the information they need to handle a situation if something happens with your child’s device.

• Talk to your child’s teachers and other necessary members of the school staff about your child’s situation to ensure that your child can get the most out of the learning environment. The school might even have hearing assistive technology available for their hard of hearing students, so be sure to set up a meeting to discuss your child’s needs and possible solutions.