18m old speach delay... "mild" hearing loss... glue ear no ear infections what next??

[Ronsmummu]

New here! hopefully this is in the right place :)

My son failed his newborn screening and went on to have another test a month or two later where they said he had glue ear, since then hes had 4 or 5 distraction hearing tests each time they have had a similar result of a mild hearing loss and glue ear in both ears. Altho my son has never had an ear infection that im aware of.
We have another hearing test in a few days and finally in a ENT app in a couple weeks. I want to make sure these appointments are the beggining of taking important steps forward rather than just monitoring.

My son has no words yet and myself and my hv agree some action needs to be taken to prevent any further delays. I have an app with her after the ENT to discuss and look into speach therapy?

I wondered if anyone with similar experieneces can tell me what happens next.. no one has mentioned grommits? but im assuming (from google!) this is an option. will i be sent away until hes older for these as i dont want him slipping behind anymore.
Should i even get my hopes up they are going to do anything?
I feel so unaware of what is happening, like im being lied to every time, they insist my son is fine its only mild. but we are being called back for further testing so there must be a problem. We only go a ENT app on a wim it wasnt until we left the hearing test i got an answer phone message 30 mins later explaining after discussions we should go to an ENT app. Why could they not have involved me the parent in this discussion. And as this was a voicemail i couldnt even ask anything, i only know what an ENT app is cause i googled it!

I really hope someone can shed some light so i can go into this appointments armed with a load more information and get my word in!

My ds had glue in both ears his speech was delayed unfortunately he suffered with recurring ear infections. My ds had grommets put in and his hearing and speech improved dramatically it's definitely worth considering it as an option also he never had an ear infection since

Also he was referred to SALT where they wanted to teach him a form of sign language I wasn't keen on this idea although he was a bit older he was 2.5 referred to SALT and 3.5 when he had grommets

thanks for replying :) Can i ask did specifically make you wait until he was 3?
It seems alot of children are having them around 3 yrs old and im worried thats an awful long time for my boy to be missing out on hearing properly.

My hv is already pressuring the sign language and we are doing sign and rythme classes just to encourge listening. My son has already stopped trying to listen, he rarely turns his head when people speak to him. Its like he cant understand anyway so whats the point in trying. I know iv got to get his eye contact but this is becoming so difficult im having to get right in his face and that just annoys him.
Hopefully we will find out soon what path we will be taking soon.

I can't really remember why it took so long to be honest maybe sometimes it can get better as they are growing or maybe grommets aren't suitable in someone so small or maybe even that's how long the waiting list was..........sorry that wasn't much help

It was said to me that glue ear means that when they hear it's as if they've got their head under water so it's all muffled. I never bothered with the sign language and by the time he had his grommets he was definitely talking well enough to be able to communicate and get along. 18m is still very young I'd say to be worrying too much about speech delay it will come in time when he has more need/want to communicate for himself.

It sounds as if the sooner you get the grommits in the better. Ds had similar hearing problems (only impacted wax that took forever and a day to get sorted, same effects as glue ear). Speech therapy was no use at all until his hearing was sorted. Now he's having to relearn all the sounds and words he has been saying wrong (due to muffled hearing). His pronounciaton of new words is fantastic, because he's hearing them right and prouncing them right first time. We still have a long way to go, but he's making really good steady progress. So angry at gp for giving me the run around for so long, and being messed about in various ways (lost referals etc). It's frustrating but keep at them!

In the meantime, try to have lots of direct face to face interaction him. Sit him facing you on your lap and make loud sounds, such as mama dada and blow raspberries and try to get him to imitate you - if he imitates you, praise him loads. Make loud noises when you play with him - car sounds, airplane sounds, animal noises, etc. Speak in simple short sentences and emphasise on one easy word and repeat it often. And also praise if he makes noises and sounds. Let him see your face when you speak. Some children with glue ear will have good speech just a little bit late at talking, others will have deeper issues.

Partly they sometimes leave grommets until later because a lot of children grow out of glue ear, especially if it is mild, so don't need any intervention.

My DS had severe glue ear and hearing loss and bad grommets at 2.5 and 3.5 (first set didn't work). His hearing still fluctuates a bit but the second set of grommets made a world of difference. He was speeh delayed but it is gradually sorting itself out - his hearing was virtually non existent though. My consultant acted unusually quickly in our case because he was my consultant when I was younger and had severe glue ear myself so he thought that the genetic link made it unlikely DS would grow out of it.

Hope you find someone to give you some answers soon

thankyou for all your kind responses. I was really starting to worry about him getting left behind,its good to hear your little ones caught up in time.

Im greatful tho hes already got his first ENT app at 18m this is an advantage to finding out much later. Thats if it comes of something and we dont get sent away for another year or two!

He has one word and its bye but he doesnt say bye he makes a sqeaky noise when he waves, theres no 'b' sound of an 'eye' sound just an 'eee'. This makes me worry that because he hearing like his heads underwater hes struggleing to get any idea of pronouncation.
we do the sounds alot, He loves row row the boat so i sing this everyday and we go to sign and rythme as singing is supposed to encourage talking. so far he hasnt tried any singing with me but he does try to copy the dinasour 'raw' but even this comes out a 'sshh' noise? bizarre

also he im sure hes not holding back words, because he doesnt understand a thing. if you say 'go get your shoes' or 'dinners ready' things iv been making sure iv been saying for months loud and clear he doesnt repond. if you show him a dinner plate he goes to his chair and if you show him his shoes he trys to put them on. If his cousins call him from another room he doesnt go find them, but when he sees them he screams with delight... i could go on, this doesnt fill me with confidence tbh.

I struggled with hearing and ear infections as a child, in the end i was diagnosed a processing disorder. But it made school really difficult as i was diagnosed late by then i was so behind i never properly caught up. which is why i really dont want him getting left behind.

We will be making sure we continue with lots of songs, chattering and repeating words and at some point its got to pay off. Heres to hanging on in there!