To ignore son's claims about not being able to hear?

[SpinningTopps]

Ds is 5 and has started to say he can't hear properly. He says he thinks he is deaf. But if I whisper he appears to hear everything I say. I think his hearing is fine.
I've looked into children's hearing tests and it seems you need a referral which seems a step too far.
AIBU to just assume all is fine or can you have hearing loss where you can hear whispers but other things are affected?

I work in GP surgery and see patients daily for ear checks. We check the anatomy of the ear and look for any obvious causes of problems including wax, perforations etc.
Just because he appears to be able to hear doesn't mean there may not be a problem with his ears. Get him checked out please.

I was going to suggest autism. I tell people I'm hard of hearing. I can hear perfectly fine, but I can't process language very well, especially in noisy environments or if I can't see their lips. It feels just the same as not being able to hear but is abit more complicated to explain.

I use lip reading and repeating what others say to help me. Watching TV I always have subtitles on. Being able to say "I can't hear you over the noise" to teachers is going to important for him.

It's not a big deal at all to be referred for an audiology test, it's routine for any kids with any form of speech delay etc so just get it done

YABU take him to a gp. We've been waiting on our ent referral for over a year. So act sooner.

My DS had this a few months ago and definitely had some kind of hearing loss as couldn't hear when we spoke quietly or when he couldn't see our mouths. It made him upset too.

He had recently been ill and I read this was a thing that can happen, so I waited it out before rushing off for a hearing test and after a few weeks he was better.

He has had his ears looked at each time we've been recently and other than the ear infection nothing mentioned about wax etc.

I'd read that children need specialist referrals so didn't want to waste an appointment. But I will ask for one now n

I've got adhd & bat-level hearing.

However, I can't hear people if there is a distraction like loud background noise.

Which is probably a processing issue.

Live with dh, who wears 2 hearing aids, just tried whispering at him, he can pick that up with no aids.

Hearing loss affects different frequencies, so older people hear someone mumbling but actually, they have lost their higher frequency hearing abilities.

Private hearing tests are quite quick and easy to come by if that's a possibility. We waited 9 months for an audiology referral, it never appeared, so fed up we went private and my DC was tested, diagnosed and treated within a 5 week span

I am a retired Reception teacher. I once spoke to a Mum about her child not seeming to 'get' certain sounds in phonics. She took him for a hearing check and a short while later he came in with hearing aids. Nobody had suspected anything before. It isn't always obvious.

Please get him checked. My son had a hearing test last year after I had concerns he couldn't hear in group settings. Transpires his hearing is fine but he doesn't always tune in to specific voices when there's lots going on. I'm glad I referred him - it's one of my jobs as his parent.

It is really important to check hearing in children. My son had glue ear and his hearing varied depending on the situation. He had a very ignorant teacher who shouted at him for not listening and this has affected his self esteem.

If he is deaf in one ear then he will be able to hear different things at different times, depending on which way he is facing.
It’s more likely to be glue ear though, especially if he’s been ill recently, up to 4 in 5 children have it at some point. It can have a huge impact on their schooling/behaviour if not recognised.

I was deaf as a child and it wasn't picked up until a hearing check, I was labelled the naughty child.
My lovely DM always felt guilty about it, she used to tell the story of talking to the GP where DM told the Dr I was always so naughty, never listened, didn't do what I was told.
The Dr replied "she isn't naughty Mrs X she just can't hear you"
Get him checked out, don't worry about being the worried mum, who's going to do the worrying if not you?
I was very isolated as a child, had a couple of operations then I was put into what they called the "special class" (awful terminology) at school as I couldn't read, write, tell the time etc and needed to catch up which I did.
This was the early 1970's

GPs don't always spot glue ear, all three of my DC have had it. For DC2 and DC3 the GPs couldn't tell whether they had glue ear but referred us to audiology because of hearing concerns and the family history. The audiology ladies took one look and identified glue ear, and the tests then confirmed hearing loss.

It's definitely worth going to the GP and starting the process going, as waiting lists can be long and there are a lot of steps. If it is glue ear, they don't do anything after a first test showing hearing loss - it's go back and see if it's cleared in 3 months as it mostly clears up by itself. Only if it doesnt clear do you get referred to the ENT wait list.

It's quite common for ALL children to have glue ear, it really isn't specific to autistic children.

I am like this too.

Never had anything diagnosed as when I was a kid no one ever seemed to care. I've learnt to live with it but it's been a difficult thing.

If a child says they have a problem, it really does need to be investigated.

GP might not see glue ear from looking. Best to get a referral, it's a straightforward process. It's perfectly possible for parents to not realise the extent of their children's hearing loss. It's also extremely common for children to turn up in Audiology with perfectly normal hearing despite reporting some issues.
Get a check!

I'd take him to the drs and ask for a hearing test.

I have high frequency hearing loss. I can hear whispers, but not other stuff.

The GP will refer him for a hearing test which is quick and easy.

I also believe specsavers do free hearing tests, but not sure if for children.

Please do this, its really miserable not being able to hear properly.

I always had hearing problems, was investigated a lot as a child but never diagnosed. I have begunto understand my own issues, I struggle at high frequencies and I struggle to separate noises. This means I can hear you if it's quiet but if the washing machine is on, or there's background music, or two people talking at the same time I struggle to separate the sounds. A check up is definitely worth doing.

I was going to suggest autism. I tell people I'm hard of hearing. I can hear perfectly fine, but I can't process language very well, especially in noisy environments or if I can't see their lips. It feels just the same as not being able to hear but is abit more complicated to explain.

Im the same.

Our little one has just had his hearing aids fitted because he has glue ear. He can also hear whispers so we were very surprised!
Do you still have access to a HV at age 4? My little one was referred after I rang the HV and we didn’t go through the GP at all. We rang because we had speech concerns and zero concerns about hearing!

This!

It's allergies season, dd looses up to 50% of her hearing unless she's on strong antihistamines from dr. Came on early this year

I'm so glad you're getting him tested. Apart from anything else, such as an auditory processing disorder, he could be missing certain frequencies due to glue ear.