Northwestern University pediatric audiologist Jennifer Phelan can comment on the pros and cons of both approaches. Phelan specializes in the evaluation, diagnosis and treatment of hearing loss in children at the Center for Audiology, Speech, Language, and Learning. She has a particular interest in serving people with special needs. She can be reached at [email protected].
“In a quiet room, children often pick the appropriate volume, but if someone is banging pots and pans in the kitchen, the television is on, and several people start talking, that’s when they often want to turn the volume up,” Phelan said.
In addition to volume-limiting headphones, parents also can turn down the sound by using adaptors placed between the device and the headphones, Phelan said. “At the end of the day, it is really about helping kids understand that constant exposure to loud noises can affect their hearing," Phelan said. “Volume-limiting headphones can keep them from developing a bad habit of increasing the volume to a level that is too loud. Hopefully this will transfer to their listening behavior later in life.”
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