Setting children up for success: How Junior mode supports best practice in pediatric fittings

When working with children, hearing care professionals balance two essential goals: delivering personalized care and maintaining clinical efficiency. For many clinicians, that means constantly asking, “Am I following best practice, and how can I be sure?”

Phonak’s Junior Mode in Phonak Target fitting software offers both reassurance and a practical advantage. By applying age-appropriate defaults that reflect evidence-based pediatric principles, Junior Mode can help clinicians save time, streamline their workflow, and ensure that every child starts with a fitting aligned with current best practice.

Why best practice matters and how we know

Decades of longitudinal research, including the Outcomes of Children with Hearing Loss (OCHL)¹ and Longitudinal Outcomes of Children with Hearing Impairment (LOCHI)² studies, have shown that successful outcomes depend on early, accurate, and verified fittings that ensure optimal audibility and consistent device use.

Phonak’s Target Track Big Data³ analysis connects these research findings to real-world practice. Over 68,000 pediatric fittings from clinics in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand were analyzed between August 2024 and August 2025.

The results show that the majority of pediatric fittings already reflect evidence-based choices, while also highlighting opportunities for greater efficiency and consistency, especially through the use of Junior Mode.

Junior Mode: Streamlined, age-appropriate, and evidence-based

Junior Mode automatically applies pediatric-validated fitting formulas (DSL v5 Pediatrics or NAL-NL2) and age-specific defaults across four developmental categories (Baby, Child, Pre-teen, and Teenager). Clinicians can also adjust these settings based on developmental, not just chronological, age.

In practice, 81% of pediatric fittings used the Junior Mode defaults, confirming widespread adoption. Yet, the data also revealed that some younger children were fitted in Standard (adult) mode, often requiring manual adjustments to achieve pediatric-appropriate gain through the selected fitting formula and directionality.

Switching to Junior Mode from the start saves time by eliminating these extra steps while ensuring children receive verified, age-appropriate amplification.

Efficiency in action:
Using Junior Mode means quicker access to pediatric settings, fewer manual changes, and more consistent fittings, all while maintaining audibility and comfort.

Comfort counts: How Junior Mode supports listening ease

Children experience a wide range of listening environments, from quiet classrooms to noisy playgrounds. Junior Mode integrates noise management settings such as NoiseBlock, SoundRelax, and microphone directionality optimized for pediatric use.

For the youngest listeners (ages 0–3 years), Real Ear Sound is the default directionality setting in both quiet (Calm situation) and noisy environments (Speech in Noise), helping toddlers overhear important speech from multiple directions, a key part of language development.

Big Data findings show that:

• 84% of fittings for 0–3-year-olds use the default noise management settings
• When changes occur, they typically make the NoiseBlock settings stronger, providing additional comfort in noise (29% for Calm situation, 26% for Speech in Noise)

These trends confirm that clinicians are using Junior Mode to enhance listening comfort without compromising access to speech.

Big Data, real-world confidence

The combination of longitudinal research and real-world data gives clinicians a unique opportunity for self-reflection.

By comparing your own fitting practices with insights from more than 68,000 real-world pediatric fittings, you can confidently confirm that your approach aligns with best practice or identify small adjustments that could make your fittings even more efficient and effective.

What’s in it for you?

• Reassurance that you’re following evidence-based protocols
• Practical guidance to enhance workflow efficiency
• Confidence that every fitting supports both audibility and comfort

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In summary

• Junior Mode simplifies pediatric fittings while ensuring age-appropriate defaults grounded in research
• DSL v5 Pediatrics or NAL-NL2 remain the recommended fitting prescriptions for children
• Noise management and directionality defaults in Junior Mode enhance comfort and audibility for young listeners
• AutoSense Sky OS supports children’s dynamic listening environments and fosters consistent device use
• Big Data allows clinicians to benchmark practice patterns and continuously improve outcomes

Together, these tools empower clinicians to feel confident that their fittings are not only efficient but also exceptional.

To learn more, please read the full Phonak Insight. Link

References:

1. McCreery, R. W., Walker, E. A., Spratford, M., Bentler, R., Holte, L., Roush, P., Oleson, J., Van Buren, J., & Moeller, M. P. (2015). Longitudinal predictors of aided speech audibility in infants and children. Ear and Hearing, 36(Suppl 1), 24S–37S. https://doi.org/10.1097/AUD.0000000000000211
   
   
2. Ching, T. Y. C., Dillon, H., Leigh, G., & Cupples, L. (2018). Learning from the longitudinal outcomes of children with hearing impairment (LOCHI) study: Summary of 5-year findings and implications. International Journal of Audiology, 57(sup2), S105–S111. https://doi.org/10.1080/14992027.2017.1385865
    
3. Nelson, J. (2025). Pediatric TargetTrack 2025. Phonak Insight. Retrieved from https://www.phonak.com/evidence. Accessed January 2026.
   
   

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Co-author

Lisa Bacic, Manager of Audiology Thought Leadership at Phonak HQ

As Global Manager of Audiology Thought Leadership and Chief Editor of the Audiology Blog, Lisa oversees content development and helps clinicians keep up to date on best practices by giving experts in the hearing industry a platform to share their knowledge. Lisa holds a Master’s degree in Speech Pathology and Audiology.