Any experience w/ BAER hearing test - please help me!

[lisams]

Today we went to DD's 6 month appointment and I expressed concerns about her not babbling as often as other babies her age. She babbles - buh, cuh, guh, uu, gah - but just not alot. She also doesn't always turn to me when I say her name (usually when she's really focused on something). She does respond to all kinds of noises, but when she's really focused on something she seems to tune everything else out, including me calling her name. The dr wants us to have a BAER hearing test done just to rule out any hearing problems. I think it's a good idea, but I guess it really hit me that something could be wrong. Now I'm really worried and scared.

Does anyone have experiences with this test. She has to be lightly sedated and that REALLY scares me. How long is it? Are there any side effects from the sedation? What do they do to her?

He also mentioned that it could just be her temperament and that she could just be a more tactile baby, which she does seem to be. Does anyone elses baby ignore their name being called when they are focused on something else?

Sorry this got so long, I'm just a little shocked and worried. I really hope everything is okay and would appreciate any stories/experience with this!

Thanks so much!
Lisa

[August Mom]

Lisa,

I had a similar experience with DS. At his 6-month well care visit I expressed concern that he wasn't turning toward the sound of my voice (or DH's voice). I was really posing the question as a developmental one rather than thinking that there was a physiological problem, but we were referred for a hearing test. As the hearing test approached, I was a little nervous, thinking that maybe DS really did have a hearing problem, although I was confident that it was not total hearing loss because he did react to other noises around him. He quieted to certain songs and tunes, startled when there was a loud noice, etc. Sometimes he would look at us when we spoke to him, but usually he ignored us. We had the hearing test and everything was great. This reassured me. DS still doesn't always look at us when we speak to him or call his name. The audiologist just thinks it's a personality thing.

About the hearing test, I think I would see if there is some place in your area where you can get one that doesn't require sedation. I learned that there are different types of hearing tests for babies of this age and that the type of test you get depends on the equipment that your medical facility has. We had DS's hearing tested at Children's Hospital. There was no sedation. He just sat on my lap, a probe was inserted into each ear, one ear at a time, and a computer ran a program that tested his response to different generated sounds at different frequencies. The test took about a minute in each ear. It was painless. The sedation would concern me a bit, especially if there are other tests that can be given (which there are based on my DS) that don't require sedation. HTH Good luck.

[nitaghei]

Lisa,

We have no experience with the hearing test, but I wanted to reassure about the sedation. DS was sedated for an MRI when he was 3 months old. The Dr. put a gas mask on him first, and then an IV drip. I held him when they put the mask on. They kicked us out before doing the IV, because they wanted to do it FAST - and keep him sedated for as short a time as possible.

It was scary, but he came through just fine. He seemed nauseous, and didn't want to nurse and was cranky for that afternoon - but was back to his happy self the next day. I imagine any sedation for a hearing test would be much lighter, and so will the after-effects.

I would also recommend getting any procedure that requires sedation at a Children's Hospital (we went to Children's in DC). The staff is much more experienced with treating babies - and nervous, over-wrought parents.

Good luck - I do hope everything turns up fine.

Nita

[COElizabeth]

Lisa,

I know it's impossible not to worry, but it sounds like she is most likely just fine. I am very grateful that our state requires hearing tests at birth, because if it hadn't already been checked I would probably be worrying about James' hearing a lot. There are plenty of times when he ignores us, but then other times he reacts to his name and other sounds. I think they are already old enough to be more interested in other things sometimes! Also, I have read that babbling actually decreases for a while before babies start to talk. What's Going on in There?, a book about infant brain development, describes the process, and it goes something like this: a baby starts out (after a few weeks) making all kinds of sounds, and this is called pre-speech. During the first few months, you can almost have a "conversation" with the baby. But then the baby stops babbling for a while in order to prune out the sounds that aren't needed for his or her language and then eventually starts making sounds that are or resemble the words he or she hears spoken every day. I know James doesn't have those "conversations" like he used to, so now I am waiting for the first real words! I hope all goes well with the hearing test. Let us know!

Elizabeth
Mom to James
9-20-02

[twins r fun]

I only have about 10 seconds in which to write this so sorry if it doesn't make a lot of sense! A neonatologist reccomended that I take Jacob for a BAER a few months ago. After talking to a few people (audiologist, teacher from the county who services the boys for speech, speech pathologist, and a parent who had had one done for their child), I decided it was overkill. I definitely think you should get DD's hearing tested if you and the ped are concerned. I just think it is odd that they are reccomending the BAER. It's like an hour long test where they sedate yuor child and hook them up to electrodes and see if parts of the brain are being stimulated by sound. There are other ways to check a baby's hearing that are much easier, but less thorough I would guess. Since this is just a preliminary test, I would talk to your ped about doing it some other way (like August Mom described and I also talked about in a recent thread posted by Cara1). I'll write more later when I have time.

Nicole

[cara1]

I just came back from having DS's hearing tested this morning. Boy, am I sure glad I didn't send MIL to do it. First he had to sit on my lap with a probe in each ear. Definitely more than a minute, and he was squirming, trying to pull it out, and eventually screaming. This was for the tympanogram. Then they tried to elicit information about the stapedius reflex (a tiny muscle in the ear), but he wouldn't sit still. Then, we got in a soundproof booth for a while. Different sounds/lights/toys lighting up came up around us, and the audiologist looked to see if DS looked towards them. I was getting nervous, because there were many sounds that I heard that DS didn't respond to. But he passed just fine. There were just times I guess he didn't feel like turning his head. And supposedly he did look a the target with his eyes (which I couldn't see bec he was on my lap). Cute little guy, he kept clapping and waving to the audiologist through the window (which I think decreased his attention, but I guess it doesn't matter). The early intervention coordinator came to the house today, and we picked an agency to contact us to arrange his full eval, but everyone keeps telling me that it's too soon to worry DS doesn't talk. I don't think so; he doesn't say mama/dada or jargon at 15 mos.
Anyway, BAER's seem excessive to me. They are not a preliminary test. They can help localize the site of hearing loss of a deficit is found on other audiological tests (e.g., auditory nerve, brainstem, etc.), but I don't see why your ped would want you to start with this. Your baby is old enough to sit in the booth like I did (whereas a newborn who doesn't yet have the ability to turn its head to a sound stimulus could not).

Anyway, I wouldn't worry too much. (Now there's the pot calling the kettle black!) When DS is aborbed in something, he doesn't listen to me. But if that choo-choo train goes by outside, boy, he'll drop everything and make a bee line for the window!! Good luck.

[MommytoDylan]

I want to share my experience with you and hope it helps:) My son was born emergency c-section at 37 weeks and due to many complications was sent immediately via ambulance to a Children's hospital. He had a serious infection so they started him on I.V. antibiotics right away. We learned later that either the infection or the antibiotics caused some hearing loss in his right ear.

Before he was released from the hospital, they did the newborn hearing test. At first he didn't pass in either ear and then, when they retested, he only failed in his right ear. We were then referred to Providence Speech and Hearing for an ABR test. This sounds very similar to the BAER test as you described it.

About two months later, after all the referrals were made, we went in to have the test done. The audiologist had me nurse Dylan to sleep and then put an electrode on his forehead and one on each ear. Then she put little speaker-type things in each ear. A big computer emitted sounds into the speaker and measured how long it took for the sounds to be heard and the information travel up to the brain. The test took about 1 hour and could only be done while he slept. This enabled us to avoid sedation. Because he did not sleep long enough the first time, we came back again so she could finish the test another day.

We were told that this test is given only after a baby has failed two hearing tests. The purpose of the test is to find out exactly what sounds are heard. For example, Dylan can hear most sounds spoken at a conversation level but cannot hear a vacuum cleaner or whispering.

His other ear is fine, in fact they checked it again at the center and it only took a minute or so. At 6 months old, he is very vocal and babbles quite a bit. He also startles at loud noises, coughs, etc. The only thing I've noticed is that he has trouble localizing sounds and I need to get directly in his line of vision before talking. We would never have guessed he had hearing loss in one ear without the test. I am very grateful to the state for mandating newborn hearing screening.

Take care and keep us updated!

Meredith