Baby with hearing problem - anyone have experience of baby with hearing aid?

[mm22bys]

Hi,

my DS1 is coming up to turning 1, and he has a moderate hearing loss. They don't know yet if it is due to glue ear, or an inner ear problem. They are going to try to do an ABR test next week. We have been told that if it is glue ear it may resolve itself, but he has delays almost globally, so we don't really want to wait for this to possibly sort itself out.

They told us today that we could consider hearing aids, as if it's not just glue ear grommets won't help.

Does anyone have any experience of youngish babies having hearing aids? Are they always external ones? Did they help your baby to hear, babble, and eventually talk?

Thx

Hi

Sorry to hear about your DS - hope they get to the bottom of the hearing loss as that is really important in how to treat it.

My nephew has profound hearing loss since birth and has worn hearing aids since about 5 weeks old. He's now 18 months. They are behind the ear aids and as I understand it this is necessary in children to enable their ears to grow properly and for new moulds to be provided regularly so they fit and feedback (whistling) is limited. Although my DN is not as advanced vocally as his twin he is definitely progressing and he also receives one-on-one attention from a special teacher for the deaf. The aim is that he will learn to talk and he will attend a mainstream school.

Hopefully someone with more direct experience will come along to advise, but didn't want to leave your post unanswered. I also have hearing loss and wear aids so have some experience.

Hiya

I'm profoundly deaf and have worn hearing aids since I was two years old. I don't have any experience of babies with hearing aids so not able to help you in that respect, but did want to offer my support and let you know I'm happy to answer any questions if I can

Hi
I don't have direct experience either but at the audiology dept I know about they fit behind the ear (BTE) aids for small kids and consider in the ear (ITE - sits completely in the ear canal) once they reach secondary school.
Hope the abr provides some more information.

Thx for your responses. I hope they get a result from the ABR - I don't want to rush into either grommets or hearing aids, so I would love for the ABR to definitively show one way or another exactly what his hearing issue is. He did pass his newborn hearing test but I don't know how important that is.

Will let you know result of next week, thx in the meantime...