I think my DS is hearing impaired

[MMEand1]

When my DS was a little guy, the docs had some concern for hearing impairment. We had him tested and he was "within normal limits". We decided to start signing with him even though he was "normal". Fast-forward a few years and we are still having trouble with him hearing us. We took him to another specialist and we are once again told that he is "within normal limits".

So here's my question: What constitutes "normal limits"? My DS CANNOT hear. It's not that he just does not want to hear, its that he is constantly asking us to repeat ourselves, and then he will say something totally different from what we said. We will even make eye contact when we speak to him and he still can't hear us ("What did you say mom?", "I can't hear you", etc).

What do I do if everyone says he is within normal limits, but he still cannot hear us? I am so frustrated having to repeat everything 2 and 3 times...HELP!

[o_mom]

Who did the evaluation? If it was just audiology, then he could have something else going on. I think a SLP evaluation would be a little better at picking up something that is other than hearing loss.

I would talk to the doctor that did the evaluation and tell them that even though he is within normal limits, he is having functional difficulties with his hearing that are impacting his daily life.

[MMEand1]

Who did the evaluation? If it was just audiology, then he could have something else going on. I think a SLP evaluation would be a little better at picking up something that is other than hearing loss.

I would talk to the doctor that did the evaluation and tell them that even though he is within normal limits, he is having functional difficulties with his hearing that are impacting his daily life.


Yes, it was an audiologist. My DS sat in the little booth and pushed the button when he heard something and then repeated words back that she said to him through the headset. I will talk to his doc and see what other avenues we can take. Thanks!

[Gena]

Have you considered an Auditory Processing Disorder (APD)? kids with APD have "normal hearing", but their ears and their brains aren't fully coordinated to make sense out of what they hear.

Here's some info:
http://kidshealth.org/parent/medical/ears/central_auditory.html

It is difficult to fully test and diagnose APD before age 7 or so. But if you think it might be APD there are things you can do to help your child even before an official diagnosis.

[JTsMom]

Have you considered an Auditory Processing Disorder (APD)? kids with APD have "normal hearing", but their ears and their brains aren't fully coordinated to make sense out of what they hear.

Here's some info:
http://kidshealth.org/parent/medical/ears/central_auditory.html

It is difficult to fully test and diagnose APD before age 7 or so. But if you think it might be APD there are things you can do to help your child even before an official diagnosis.

:yeahthat: This is what came to my mind immediately. Hope you get it all figured out.

[lmintzer]

Don't panic yet! It could be something more simple. My older son was experiencing hearing loss at age 4, and it was due to fluid in his ears. A set of tubes, and he could hear perfectly. People think "tubes" and they think kids with chronic ear infections. My son had never had an ear infection in his life. He had non-infectious fluid due to the angle of his eustachian tubes. In some kids, they are too flat and not sloped enough, and the fluid doesn't drain. Definitely have an ENT take a look.

[ohiomom1121]

An audiologist should have done enough testing with him to determine if there were any conductive components showing up (the kind of loss that comes from fluid in the ear). This can be done in two ways. They can conduct a test using a bone oscillator placed behind one of the ears. If the hearing is better when tested behind the ear, rather than through the ear (using insert earphones or regular headphones) then something in the middle ear is causing a conductive problem. When testing a child they should have done a tympanogram too which tests the way the middle ear is functioning. Were you at a pediatric audiologist? "Normal Limits" for an adult is 0-25dB, but for a child is 0-15bB. I would definitely get some more testing done. Also, does he have any wax issues? Wax can plug the ear up and actually cause a hearing loss. The audiologist would have taken care of removing it for the test, but if he has wax issues it could have plugged back up.
BTW, did you get a copy of the testing they did? Also, I definitely think CAPD is a good thing to check into, but an Audiologist would be the one to do that testing. Another test that would be a good idea is speech testing in background noise. Some kids can hear the beeps easily and therefore test "normal" but when they are presented with speech in noise, have a very hard time.
I'm an Audiologist, but haven't worked for a while....so I'll try and answer any other questions you have!

[bubbaray]

WHen he was dealing with HSP, was he on any IV antibiotics? In particular, vancomycin?? It (and possibly others) has a risk of hearing loss. I would ask your dr's about that, though that could be difficult with your change in location/doctors.

Wishing you all the best -- sending P&PT your way!!

[bnme]

I would have him rechecked and try and find one that specializes in kids. Maybe contact EI in your area for a specialist. When my DS was evaluated for speech they had his hearing checked and also tested for APD.

My other DS just failed an OAE test at the ped, although his hearing seems fine. He is going to an audiologist in a few weeks.

Sorry to hijack with another question, but ohiomom1121, do you know anything about this type of test and what would cause a failure?

[trales]

I am always tested within the "normal range" of hearing, but I have what I think is a fairly significant impairment, it comes and goes, but more often than not I am guessing what people are saying, reading lips and saying pardon on the phone all the time. My otolaryngoloist and I have been discussing hearing aides now. While we can't find anything wrong, I just can't always hear, esp in noisy situations.

These things can be really hard to figure out. Keep up with the signing and good luck.

[ohiomom1121]

My other DS just failed an OAE test at the ped, although his hearing seems fine. He is going to an audiologist in a few weeks.

Sorry to hijack with another question, but ohiomom1121, do you know anything about this type of test and what would cause a failure?

Here's a good link to what an OAE is actually testing. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otoacoustic_emissions Basically the cochlea (inner ear) will emit a sound in response to a stimulus when the ear is healthy. So the screeners will send in a sound through the ear canal and see if there is a response back. When the inner ear is damaged there is not a response back, and indicative of a hearing loss. BUT the sound has to pass through the middle ear to get to the inner ear, and middle ear problems like fluid can effect the test. Biggest reason for a referral is if they have conductive issues. Maybe the day of the OAE he had a little fluid or some Eustacian tube issues. Also, if the person doing the test is not that experienced, they might not have gotten the seal right...it'll test, but refer them. I would wait a couple weeks, make sure he is "healthy", and redo it in a nice quiet environment with a good seal. I asked a friend who tests kids regularly and they've had kids fail because Pediatricians down the hall had a baby crying! Parents usually know if there's a loss, and since you're not noticing it, there was probably an error in the test. Does your son tend to have middle ear issues like infections?

[MMEand1]

My DS actually does have very waxy ears. We have to take him about every 2-3 months to have his ears washed out. When he watches movies, I notice that he turns up the tv really loud and sits really close, but even right after his ears get cleaned out, he still asks us to repeat ourselves.

I know that it's not just because he is not listening because we can say something like "Who wants to go to the park?" (which he LOVES) and we get no response whatsoever, so its not like he just doesn't want to respond, you know?

Thanks for all the advice. I am going to make a appointment with the ped to get a referral.

[bnme]

Parents usually know if there's a loss, and since you're not noticing it, there was probably an error in the test. Does your son tend to have middle ear issues like infections?

Thanks for the detailed info. DS rarely has ear issues, has maybe one ear infection per year or less. But he was sick with fever/slight congestion/sore throat 1 week prior.

Interesting, because DH has a conductive hearing loss due to a defect in the bone covering his inner ear structure (superior canal dehiscence). I fear it could be related, but know it's more likely a false-positive. It is an extremely rare condition and most ENT's aren't familiar with it.

Our appointment is a few weeks away.