Child hearing assessments go digital with launch of C.H.A.T.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., June 26, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Phonak today launches the Child Hearing Assessment Toolkit (C.H.A.T.) at the EAA Summer Conference 2013. This new web-based tool allows hearing care professionals working in education, such as the educational audiologists attending EAA, to go digital—selecting, filling out and managing their patient assessments on any laptop, desktop PC or tablet device.

C.H.A.T. is located at www.chatbyphonak.com and loads in any web browser, just like a regular web site. However, as soon as the tool has been used once when connected to the internet, it can subsequently be accessed—on the same device—without the need for an internet connection (offline). Therefore if a school does not offer visitors access to the internet, a hearing care professional can still access C.H.A.T. to fill out new assessments and view previous results.

C.H.A.T. spans five categories of hearing assessment and related functions —Listening, Communication Access, Placement, Self-Advocacy, and Educational Performance—and currently features more than ten assessments. These include: The Functional Listening Evaluation by Cheryl DeConde Johnson; the Children's Auditory Performance Scale (C.H.A.P.S.) by Smoski, Brunt and Tannahill; and the Classroom Participation Questionnaire by Stinson, Long, Reed, Kreimeyer, Sabers and Antia.

Free & fully featured

The most complete collection of pediatric hearing assessments available online, C.H.A.T. is completely free to use and includes numerous useful features:

• Auto-Save
  Assessment data are saved automatically
• Click-To-Score
  Assessment scores are calculated at the click of a button—no calculator required
• Print/Create PDF
  Completed assessments can be printed and downloaded as PDF files
• Share
  Individual assessments can easily be shared—just click to create a unique assessment link, then email this to a parent/child to have them input their answers (all other data remain private)
• Work Offline
  Select and fill out assessments without the need for an internet connection
• Manage
  Add new assessments under an existing child's name, edit previous assessments, view a child's assessment history, and create patient profiles (including audiogram results)

"C.H.A.T. is a readily accessible tool that I'm sure will benefit educational audiologists and teachers of the deaf. It is convenient to use and with its wide range of assessments covers a broad range of scenarios," says Cheryl DeConde Johnson, Ed.D., The ADEvantage Consulting, Adjunct Assistant Professor, University of Arizona, and Graduate Lecturer, University of Colorado, University of Northern Colorado.

Maarten Barmentlo, Group Vice President Marketing for Phonak adds, "Since we work closely with these professionals every day, we know that many of them find dealing with paper assessments a hassle. We developed C.H.A.T. to ease this pain, automating many of today's time-consuming tasks, such as organizing assessments and calculating scores, and allowing professionals to focus on what's really important—helping students with hearing difficulties enjoy the most successful educations possible."

Try C.H.A.T. today at www.chatbyphonak.com

About Phonak
Headquartered near Zurich, Switzerland, Phonak, a member of the Sonova Group, has developed, produced and globally distributed state-of-the-art hearing systems and wireless devices for more than 60 years. The combination of expertise in hearing technology, mastery in acoustics and strong cooperation with hearing care professionals allows Phonak to significantly improve people's hearing ability and speech understanding and therefore their quality of life.

Phonak offers a complete range of digital hearing instruments, along with complementary wireless communication systems. With a worldwide presence, Phonak drives innovation and sets new industry benchmarks regarding miniaturization and performance.

For more information, please visit www.phonakpro.com and www.phonak.com

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SOURCE Phonak