Anyone taken their toddler to get hearing checked?

[waitingforgodot]

My DS will be 3 in a few weeks and I wonder if he is hearing me. I whispered to him this morning "Lets go and have breakfast" and I don't think he heard me. His speech is slightly delayed too so wondering if I should get his hearing checked. He is not the most cooperative so wondered what the procedure actually is? Do I need to see a doctor or can the Health Visitor do it?
Anyone?

my dd1 has had a few hearing tests.

she had the standard distraction tests with hv (at 9 months, i think, and at about 8 months). they did another one when she was 2 because she kept failing the distractio tests, or only just scraping through.

she got referred for a "proper" hearng test, which she had at 2.6, but she didn't co-operate.

she re-took the test at 3.6 ish (memory fails!) and passed.

the tests are not difficult, but do need a certain amount of co operation. dd1 is ASD, so co-ooperation isn't her strongest point.

in dd1's test, they got her playing with various things, then played a range of noises/frequencies/pitches behind herand noted when she noticed them.

they also did a pulse test - similar to the ones newborns have now, where a tone is played down the ear canal and the echo response measured (this is the bit she wouldn't co-operate for, as she had to wear something similar to in the ear headphones)

hth

thanks Silverfrog.
I will call and see what they say. I don't think he would even play in a doctor's surgery though. Hmm, will worry about that nearer the time. Thanks x

My HV referred my DS for a routine hearing test prior to a SALT assessment when he was around 2.5. He was grumpy with a cold on the day and was crying as we went into the room but luckily he still managed to calm down enough to concentrate.

The Dr stood either side of him and played a noise though a speaker at different frequencies/levels, at which point DS had to place a wooden figure in a toy boat. He soon got the idea of the game and seemed to enjoy it - all done and dusted in 5 mins.

that sounds good. thanks for that !

I would see the GP.
We had to go private with our son as the HV refused to test him.

MuffinBaker why did they refuse?

I went to my Gp who referred us to ENT at the hospital.
DS is just over 3 years.
He had echo test and also did the wooden men in boat game too.

"Didn't do it anymore"

The GP was furious and very cross we had gone private and not gone back to tell him.

DD had one when she was quite young. There was nothing wrong, she had pretended she couldn't hear but it was selective hearing. She fooled the nursery staff though, so we were sent to ENT. DD behaved absolutely appallingly, totally uncooperative, screaming, refusing to sit down, running about. Oh it was awful. Even the doctor was shocked and made disparaging comments.

When we finally got out dd admitted that her hearing was fine, she just didn't always want to listen (generally, actually!)