Poor Hearing

[signet]

DS's teachers told me they thought he wasn't hearing properly when he was in nursery last year. I took him to the doctor who said he had glue ear in both ears and fluid behind the ear drum so he referred him to the audiology department at the hospital.

Finally got my appointment yesterday after several months of waiting and the registrar said his glue ear had cleared up (hooray) but his hearing was very poor despite him no longer having glue ear. I was really shocked to hear it. I really expected it to be nothing or just treatable glue ear but it seems he actually has hearing problems not related to glue ear.

He is right on the borderline of needing a hearing aid and I didn't notice :-( He's in reception (just turned 4) and struggles with his speech anyway as his pronunciation is poor (no doubt all related to his hearing) and now I'm just worried and concerned as to how he is going to cope. His teachers have already said it is very noticeable (he has to have a partner in pe for example to copy as he can't hear the teacher's instructions during p.e.) and he can't properly do his phonics as he can't pronounce things.

I just feel sad for him. It looks like he has a long hard slog ahead of him just to keep up with his classmates. He has to go back to hospital in january to have another test but if things stay as they are, he basically has to just cope hearing less than everyone else as he doesn't qualify for a hearing aid.

I know it'll all be ok, but right now I just feel sad for him and concerned about how he's going to keep up with his friends as they learn to read etc.

[CarGirl]

My dd4 had poor hearing but it was due to APD which we didn't know until we tried johansen sound therapy. Basically after 6 weeks of listening to the cd's her hearing had improved loads which means we knew it was an APD (brain part of hearing) issue rather than a pyhsical problem. Dd had previously had glue ear too which does affect the "brain" part of hearing too as the brain has to learn how to hear again.

www.johansenias.com/

All of her high frequency sounds were just a few decibels of 40 (ie hearing impaired) and she started reception with severe speech delay and an IEP. After 9 months she has virtual perfect hearing in all frequencies and is off her IEP and only has a couple of minor speech problems.

Worth looking into?

[signet]

Hmm possibly CarGirl, although I'm led to believe it is a physical problem. The registrar was saying that when they did the pressure test into the ear, there was a problem with that. It's all a bit confusing and I was in a bit of a daze so I can't remember clearly (roll on January when I can get proper answers) but, he said something about the eardrum being flat (I think!!!!). I will engage my brain before his next appointment to ask more questions, I was just taken by surprise so didn't ask the questions I should have done.

[CarGirl]

Sadly the NHS told me her hearing was fine because it wasn't bad enough, they didn't even call us for a 6 month check up!

[kissingfrogs]

did they mean a retracted eardrum - pressure thing due to effects of glue? If so don't worry too much, it can recover. Dd2 had terrible glue and both eardrums retracted and even perforated. They healed and are fine now.

Did they mention sensorineural hearing loss or cochlea not working properly?

Don't feel bad about not recognising hearing loss. My dd2 was diagnosed with moderate/severe loss and nobody recognised that until her language didn't develop by age 3.5.

If by chance speech becomes an on-going issue and he is diagnosed with mild loss but no aids then I'd be pushing hard for further investigations and possibly trying aids.
Try the NDCS website (parents forum) for advice.

[Scubes]

Hi Signet, I'm a teacher of the deaf so may be able to answer some of your questions.

The pressure test is the test for glue ear, when the registrar said it was flat he meant the result was a flat line rather than the eardrum being flat. If there is glue behind the eardrum then the eardrum cannot vibrate properly so you get a flat trace on the test ie no or little vibration. In order for sound to be transmitted to the inner ear (cochlea) the eardrum needs to vibrat freely and push the sound through. Glue stops this from happening, it's like having your fingers in your ears - everything sounds dull.

January seems like a long time to wait but glue ear can clear up on it's own. If there is an underlying problem separate from the glue ear then it is probably a sensori neural hearing loss maybe of a mild or moderate degree.

Don't feel guilty children have an amazing way of devloping other strategies and he's probably been picking up on visual clues. If there is an underlying sensori neural loss then he may need hearing aids which will improve access to speech and you should be referred to a teacher of the deaf who can advise school staff and ensure your son gets the right support as well as helping you with hospital appointments and potential hearing aids.

Hope that makes things clearer, he will be fine and his speech should develop and pronunciation will improve. WIth the right diagnosis and support he will manage as well as his peers. Please ask if you have any other questions!