audiology assessment - what should I expect?

[bluebear]

ds (2 and a half) is having an audiology assessment on Thursday. I don't think there's a problem with his hearing but it's part of the work-up for his speech therapy.
Anyone know what sort of things they will do to assess him so I can prepare him for it... he can be difficult if he isn't prepared for new situations.
Thanks.

[prettycandles]

Snap! Ds also (on Friday) - I was about to post the same question.

[bluebear]

But why your ds PC? He's a chatterbox!

[luchar]

HI. My DS2 has had a few of these as he has mild to moderate hearing loss but no firm diagnosis as yet. The test we do is done by 2 audiologists (As). DS2 sits on my knee in front of a table and one A distracts him with a toy on the table and the other A stands behinds me and makes various noises in his ear and measures the level he responds at. There are also two boxes, one on each side of the room with dolls in that move and they are turned on occasionally to see if he turns around. It feels quiet unscientific compared to the sort of hearing test an adult would have. The As also look in his ears and measure thier internal pressure with a little probe.

The problems we've had with the test are that DS2 ignores the noises as he wants to play with the toys and also gets very irritated about having to sit still. We've had four tests now and are waiting for another to try to find out how much hearing loss he has. Hope that helps. Hope it goes OK. Luchar x

[bluebear]

Thanks luchar - it doesn't sound promising for my ds then..He failed the 8 month distraction test because he didn't want to look at our health visitor even though he could hear her making noises. I'm sure there's nothing wrong with his hearing, just hope he can convince the audiologists so we don't have to keep taking the test again and again.

[Bozza]

My DS had hearing tests as described by lurchar with similar drawbacks. I was supposed to hold DS on the edge of my lap. But he knew that the A had a box of toys under the table from which she would produce one to gain his attention but he just kept trying to scramble off my knee and get to the box. Pressure test can pick up glue ear/fluid as in my DS's case.

[luchar]

Hi again. My DS2 is also two and a half and seeing a SALT for his lack of speech. The SALT wants to get to the bottom of his hearing problems first though! A bit tricky really!

The audiologist has said that DS2 is extremely 'visual' and that it can be a sign of hearing loss as one sense compensates for another. We do know DS2 can hear though so I'm not too worried, it might be that he needs grommits or a hearing aid in time but at least he's not totally deaf.

We just have to keep going back every six months to see if he will fully complete the test - until then he won't be discharged. Going around in cicles a bit - hope you get things sorted out too!

[bluebear]

I hope your ds2 gets through it soon...does he not talk at all?
My ds gabbles and has sound substitutions..didn't really talk much until he was 2. Wouldn't talk to the SALT so couldn't be assessed last time we went.

[Thomcat]

Hiya, my DD's hearing test was very different from that. She has had 2 and was testes becaue she has Down's syndrome.

Furst we were put in a sound proff room and a basic test done to get a reading and they looked in her ears.

The second part meant she had to be asleep (I wasn't told about this and it would have been helpful to know). Anyway they put electrodes on her temples and forehead which were wired up to a mnitor in another room and then she had huge headphones put on and sounds were fed to her while she was asleep and they took reading.

From this they dicovered she has glue ear but she passed with regard to the hearing test and she has something like 60% which is meant to be quite good?

Hope ypur test isn't like that, the sleeping thing is not easy to get around. I'm dreading the next one as i don't know how we'll mamage to get it done properly.

Good luck and let us know how he gets on.

[prettycandles]

BB, since we had that period of ill-health in November, ds keeps saying 'What did you say', and seems to have difficulty hearing us, especially when there's background noise.

If the tests are like Luchar and Bozza describe, then, yup, we may have problems - I don't see either of our ds's tolerating being kept still when there's an interesting toy around!

[2under2]

bluebear, depending on your ds's development they might also do a test where he has to throw a brick in a bucket/place a figure in a boat/whatever when he hears a sound. My older daughter had that kind of hearing test at 3.5 yrs old. They're usually very good at audiology depts and have plenty of experience with children.

[bluebear]

2under2 - it was as you described - put the toy in the box when you hear a sound - he behaved perfectly.....unfortunately he has got hearing loss due to glue ear

[bluebear]

PRETTYCANDLES - how did it go?

[luchar]

Hi again everyone. DS2 had yet another hearing test on Tuesday and now has a diagnosis of glue ear which I am quite relevied about really. I feel that at least we are getting somewhere. We saw a different pair of audiologists this time and he had the 'put the toy in the box' type test this time now he is 2 and a half and it seemed to work well enough fro them to diagnose. He is now being referred to the ENT at St Mary's (Manchester) but I've no idea how long that will take. I'll go and read the 'glue ear' thread now! Just thought you might like to know - perhaps we can comapre notes bluebear as our DSs go throught this? Luchar x

[bluebear]

Hi Luchar, glad that you have a diagnosis at last! Since finding out about ds's hearing we have noticed him having good days and bad days with hearing..it's so obvious now we know.
He had a children's clinic appointment this morning, referred because of his continual drooling rather than speech/hearing...an inital assessment has found that his tonsils are enormous (the doctor actually gasped when she saw them), and the implication is that his adenoids are also enlarged. He has been put on the urgent list for a ENT consultant (still quite a time to wait though), and has been prescribed nasal drops to help him breathe in the meantime.
They also think that he has sleep apnoea (sp?)..stops breathing when asleep and wakes himself up..so he has to be monitored overnight to check this out. It will explain his atrocious sleeping habits for the last 2 years!
Can't believe that in a few months time he might have tonsils and adenoids out, and grommits in, and we might have a happy little boy at last!

[luchar]

Hi - gosh your poor boy. It sounds like he's got quite a lot to contend with at the moment. Thank goodness he's getting an 'urgent' appointment. I am going to give it a couple of weeks and then make a few phone calls to try and hurry things along a bit if I can. DS2 will start in the nursery part of the local primary in January and it will be much better for him if he has caught up a bit with his talking.

I really hope your DS gets his sleeping sorted out - surely that will make a huge difference to him all around. Are you feeling OK about all of this? Hope you get your appointment soon.

[bluebear]

Luchar - how are things with you?
I have made an appointment for ds to see an ENT consultant (private) on Monday - I just couldn't take the waiting anymore. His speech is really bad at the moment and it's such hard work dealing with him.