Development Paediatrician + Hearing

[Badmood]

Hi

Call me a fool - but what exactly would one of these do?

Also, can you (a child) suffer from Glue ear in one ear?

When did your child get support if they were beleived to have "mild" hearing difficulties

Might seem a little ramdom - but trying to get my head around something

Thanks

[IrisGirl]

a shamelss bump here i'm afraid.....
my daughter (2.4) has just been diagnosed with "dull ear drums" which apparently indicates fluid behind the ears...that's all we were told at the appointment!! we have been given a decongestant for her to take for 3 weeks and then go back for a check to see if its cleared, if not then a referral will be made to the ENT.
as i have concerns about her speech (or lack thereof) we also seen the HV who is doing an assessment on her in a couple weeks to gauge where she is language wise, i have a feeling that a speech therapist referral is going to happen as well :( xx

[Badmood]

It was the HV at the 2yr 2mth check who suggested he may have delayed speach due to hearing issue, and then proceeded to say he may suffer from glue ear given his breathing patterns. This was why he had the audiology appointment.

I thought he was just a bit "lazy" as it appears he can talk when he wants to, and babbles away but the hearing difficulty does make sense given other factors.

I was suprise at the mention of the Dev. Pead. as HV is seeing him again 3 months after the 2yr 2 month check to check up on his speach, so not sure why the audiologist would involve anyone else at this stage.

Also, from the way the 1st person (we had 2 in there at the end) made a comment "its only in one ear" re the fluid, it made me wonder if they think its related to Glue ear, or just one of those things/him coming down with a cold etc.

It just has me worrying as I thought it was all in hand, and other than being a lazy talker I am not concerned at all for development - but that said he is my 1st so maybe I missed something...

[DeWe]

I believe glue ear can be just in one ear. Not sure why that would happen though.

However I don't think they do anything unless both ears are effected. Ds had his hearing test in January (glue ear) and one of his ears was badly effected, but the other was above the baseline for hearing so they weren't going to do anything at that time.

[IrisGirl]

certainly sounds quite similar to my DD, she does appear to be able to talk when she feels like it, and appears to hear us quite well, but i have had a niggling feeling that sometimes she doesn't seem to pick up certain tones. her understanding is unbelievable and she gets whatever we say to her, and, like you, i have no other concerns about her development at all!!!

i took her to the doctors 4-5 months ago to have her ears checked to address my concerns and was told her ears were clear . she doesn't suffer with colds but has had 4 bouts of tonsillitis over last 6 months which may be a factor??

what are his breathing patterns like, does he snore a lot?? my DD tends to snore like a good one, but i can't say i've noticed anything untoward with breathing...other than she is totally unable to breath through her nose (which i totally forgot to mention to the doctor when he asked about her sounding nasally???) he seemed to be leaning towards her adenoids being a problem rather than throat as apparently this can cause quite a few problems as well??

my DD is my first as well, so i'm probably being neurotic but where i'm in a turmoil is where is the line between being a late bloomer with talk and there being a problem with talking??

Hope all goes well with your little one, its nice to know that we are not alone in our concerns and worries xx

[IrisGirl]

@ DeWe...how long did it take to get the hearing test, was he evaluated by HV or anything first regarding speech/did it have any affect on his speech at all??

sorry for the questions...stressing quite badly about my lil DD xx

[insanityscratching]

I'm wondering if the HV or audiologist has spotted other concerns. When you say he is lazy and can talk when he wants what do you mean? How does he communicate his wants and needs? Does he have difficult behaviours?

[Badmood]

Thanks for commenting -

Breathing - Snoring a lot, regardless of whether he has a cold or not, and constant colds/runny nose.

He hasn't been to the GP's that often, but he has had fluid each time in one or both ears - however he was ill when going to the GPs, so not sure if this has any relevance or shows a pattern.

He is lazy in that he wont always "use his words" - ie I know he can say things like banana/juice, often he points and makes a noise. I have stopped doing things without him "trying" to speak first but when he asks for a drink and he would rather go without then speak some days its hard to be consistent.
He does the odd sentance, but things like "where are you (name or object)" when I ask him to look for something/someone followed by eg. "oh, heres mummys car" when we look for the car. He is fully understanding and can follow instructions.

Mobility no problem I can see. He has a better physical ability than some children of the same age.

I half think its because he looks older due to height he is expected to be further along but he definately doesn't speak in proper words as much as other children can.

He is strong willed, but I think that is partly learned behaviour/genetic from my side of the family, and partly PFD syndrome...
He can behave/follow instruction, and throwing a strop is no worse than other children of a similar age, but thankfully it doesn't seem to happen to often. He gets "time out" and made to say sorry when appropriate and appears to learn from "mistakes" as once he has been told no for something such as snatching a toy from his cousin, he wont try to snatch the toy again, but he is strong willed if he has decided he wants to watch a DVD and is made to wait or told no, we get a strop, followed by time out, followed by him following you around with the DVD saying please followed by making the noise like please for a good couple of minutes.

He always babbles when asking, and joins in babbling with the odd word if I am talking to someone else - but the actual clarity of words isn't always great.

Have got the appointment for May, so guess its a case of sitting tight until then - I will report back as I find it annoying when you read about people having similar concerns to your own, but they don't report back what happened in their situation so end up none the wiser!

[Badmood]

Ok - long post, filled with typos and not clear...

PFD = PFB

By making him speak, I mean if he makes a noise and points, I ask him to use words until I hear an attempt - but if he points only, I personally can't say no to giving him a drink if its clear he wanted one when he doesn't say "juice" after I have asked him to say it a couple of times. I do keep asking when its things like passing him a toy or playing in the garden etc, which is why the approach isn't constant

[awwwwmannnn]

May will be here before you know it and hopefully you will get the answers you want....(by the way i've changed my NN, i used to be IrisGirl).

your DS sounds so much like my DD its unreal. like you, what frustrates/annoys/worries/upsets me is i know she can say these words. its like sometimes she has a look on her face as if to say ha i know what you want me to do but i'm not going to do it

lets hope after visits, tests and whatever else, we both get what we want and our little ones will be talking up a storm and we'll be telling them to shut up just for 5 minutes lol

big hugs, hope all goes well for you and your little one xx

[Badmood]

Just updating in case of use to anyone else -

Hearing test again today. Same tests given and they have confirmed a moderate hearing loss (in the 50's, normal is around 0-20's).

We will pick up his hearing aids in a couple of weeks hopefully. They are not worried about glue ear so it is "just" a hearing loss

They are not concerned with development and said his speach isn't of concern however will improve with the hearing aids as he will be able to hear properly to allow him to copy the sounds

I am grateful this was all dealt with quite quickly as it shouldn't hold him back at all

[awwwwmannnn]

@badmood - that is fantastic news that this has been caught so early and quickly.

i bet when the little man has his hearing aids in there'll be no stopping him

really pleased for you x

[cathpip]

My ds has a moderate hearing loss (50db in the mid and high frequency) he was diagnosed at 10 months so we have not seen a delay in speech, just for info when my ds has a cold his hearing drops by a further 20db, oh and did you know that you can get different coloured ear moulds, my ds is sporting bright green ones at the moment:)