The Ling six sound check is a quick and effective tool that should be administered a minimum of once daily to students who listen through devices. The Ling sounds (ah, oo, ee, sh, s, m, written phonetically as /a, u, i, ∫, s, m/) cover the range of frequencies, from low to high, commonly used in speech. If a student can identify these sounds through their hearing device/s when presented at a normal conversational level, they are likely accessing all frequencies of speech, which is desired if the student is learning/using spoken language. In addition to the six sounds, CID uses a silence prompt. The silence prompt teaches the student to identify when sound is not present and also helps track and prevent false positives.
The Ling six sound check should be performed both at home and school to ensure a student is ready to listen through their device/s. At school, the check is ideally done by a consistent person in the morning, before speech and auditory training tasks and any time devices are removed then put back on (nap time). A good point person for daily sound checks is the school nurse, first-hour teacher, speech-language pathologist or teacher of the deaf. Before completing a Ling six sound check, check the student’s device/s to ensure they are powered on, clean, have working batteries and are functioning properly. Then complete the sound check with the student using one device at a time. Watch the video below to see how to perform the Ling six sound check. Download the procedures to share with parents or other school staff.
Keep track of the student’s responses, which should be consistent each time. Note any inconsistencies in responses. If you have completed effective device troubleshooting and see the same error(s) for 2 to 3 days in a row, report the issue to the caregivers and audiologist. Error patterns could indicate an ear infection, a shift in hearing levels or the need for updated cochlear implant mapping. A person never outgrows the usefulness of a Ling six sound check!
Jennifer Manley was a teacher of the deaf and associate coordinator of the Emerson Center for Professional Development at Central Institute for the Deaf- CID. Ms. Manley is co-author of the CID SPICE for Life auditory learning curriculum and author of the 2nd Edition CID SPICE auditory training curriculum.
