Junior Fitting Mode - Frequently Asked Questions
Why do we need a pediatric fitting mode?
Taking into account that the needs of children vary with their age and degree of hearing loss, in 2006 Phonak pioneered the industry’s first dedicated pediatric fitting mode. Depending on the age of a child, fitting may require a different workflow and hearing instrument configuration. The highlights of the Junior Mode are the following: evidence-based software defaults for children aged 0-4, 5-8 and 9-18 years; FM+M as the start-up program; an extensive help section as well as printable, tailored material for parents, caregivers, teachers and the children themselves.
What are the benefits of the Junior Mode for your pediatric fittings?
Due to its unique, evidence based default settings for each age group, the Junior Mode offers more accurate and efficient pediatric fittings.This leaves you with more time for counseling and testing and provides for an enhanced quality of life for children and their families. You can also customize default settings to fit your individual fitting preferences.
Why are the Junior Mode default settings so reliable?
The Junior Mode is based on scientific evidence, the input of the international pediatric community and the Phonak Pediatric Advisory Board as well as published research. The appropriate Junior Mode is automatically selected based on a child’s date of birth. If the developmental age of the child differs, the Junior Mode can easily be changed to suit the child’s needs. Our software allows you to access all default settings and customize them where appropriate. You can also change the default fitting formula. All Junior Mode defaults vary with the features of the selected hearing instrument.
Can I change the Junior defaults?
All defaults can be customized to match your fitting needs. Dollaghan (2007) points out that evidence-based practice should encompass not only external resources, such as peer-reviewed research but should also be based on the clinician’s experience and expertise combined with the preferences of an informed parent or family member. In an article on pediatric hearing aid verification (2008), McCreery states that sometimes there is limited availability of research evidence. This is due to the heterogeneity of hearing impaired children using hearing instruments and the fast pace of technological development. For this reason, all of the Junior Mode defaults are easily customizable within the iPFG software.
The purpose of the Junior reports is to facilitate your work and empower children, families, caregivers and teachers. Junior reports provide individualized information on the child’s hearing loss, the settings and special features of the hearing system and more. Furthermore, the Junior reports give in-depth information on a wide range of relevant topics such as everyday communication tips and hearing aid maintenance.
How can you support parents, teachers and children with the Junior reports?
Parents, caregivers and teachers often express the need for handouts, they appreciate being able to review certain topics while at home or at school. Therefore, separate reports for parents, teachers and children are available on a variety of highly relevant topics. The reports facilitate the dialogue in a child's ongoing multidisciplinary re-/habilitation process and everyday support.
How does the Junior Mode stay up-to-date?
The Junior Mode was first available in 2006 with iPFG 2.0 and is the industry’s benchmark pediatric fitting mode. New features have been added with each iPFG release to respond to new research and clinicians’ reported needs. The Junior Mode continues to grow and with each new release, new features are added. We are already working on future developments to make the software even more user-friendly and valuable. Your input, ideas and wishes are always welcome: contact us
