directional mics for kids?

[Guest guest]

I have a 4 year old w/ bilateral mild to moderate loss. He was diagnosed in

Sept 2005 at 3 1/2 years and fitted with Phonak Maxx 211 aids in October. He

has adapted better than we could have ever hoped and his articulation is

improving rapidly. He is in classes for speech/hearing impaired 2 mornings a

week and then does regular pre-school 1day/week.

We have an opportunity to upgrade his aids (at no cost) to the Phonak Eleva 211

dAZ which have the directional mics plus some other bells/whistles that his

current aids don't have.

Does anyone else's pre-schooler have aids w/ the directional mics? Does anyone

else have the ELEVA aids? What do you like / not like about them?

I know there is some controversy as to whether or not young kids should have

them. My audiologist (who we love!) indicated that the AAA postion papers

regarding directional mics are out of date w/ the new technology. She thinks

these would be great for my son but I wanted to get some feedback about the

directional mics before I commit.

Thanks for your advice. I'm filing away all the IEP information regarding

Kindergarten for next year! I am amazed at the wealth of knowledge and support

from this list!

Thanks,