Just found out my toddler cant hear high frequency sounds - she needs a hearing aid. Any one give advice please?

[Gilliana1]

My toddler had hearing tests today and they found she cannot hear any high frequency sounds. She is 21 months and can't say any words or babble normally hence the alarm bells ringing and the test. She is also very insular, throws a lot of tantrums, hand leads around our house and ignores us a lot.

Would really appreciate some support from other Mums that have been through the whole hearing aid experiences, did their child ever learn to speak etc. Do I need to learn sign language (how?). Will she need special school? Will the NHS cover teaching her to sign/speech therapy?

Gilliana, goodness me. Looks like you have found your answer there. What did the audiologist say to you at the appointment? Presumably she does have a fair amount of hearing? Perhaps the hearing aid will make up for the rest? That's a total guess, btw, I really have no clue. In any case, this is a very very positive thing that you have caught this now. I do know that for some children it isn't until they have been in school a while that this sort of thing is detected. Good luck. xx

Hi there. I've been in the same sort of situation - though my poor daughter wasn't diagnosed until age 3 when she finally had a proper hearing test in an audiology dept. Like your dd she had loads of tantrums at that same age and the 2s were a nightmare that I'd rather forget. I know now that her behaviour then was all down to communication problems and sheer frustration. My dd had only a few words at age 2.
Hearing aids made a big big difference. The day she first wore them she babbled non-stop, stomping down the hospital corridor to hear the sound of her feet on the floor, turning on the taps in the toilet to hear the water, and then standing for ages in the garden at home to listen to the birds. Wonderful.
You haven't said the extent of your dds hearing loss (mild/moderate/severe?). I too thought about BSL so did a level 1 course, though in the end we dont use it as dd can hear quite well with her aids and can talk perfectly clearly. Her behaviour has completely changed (5 now) and never tantrums anymore. It's not all roses - she does have some language problems which may be due an additional difficulty she has rather than hearing related (though no-one knows for sure yet). One thing I can say for sure is that my dds hearing loss doesn't hold her back. She's independant, out-going, sociable and an absolute angel.
Wishing you well x
ps my dd is in mainstream school.

Child in my DDs class has quite severe hearing loss, however hears quite well with hearing aids. He certainly speaks and is doing absolutely fine at school.

There will probably also be a school in your borough with a deaf unit.

Hi Gilliana, just to let you know that I am 33 and have just had a hearing test as I realised that my ds's thermometer made a beeping sound thatbeverybody heard other than me. It turns out that I cannot hear any very high frequency sounds. There is no sound at all on the highest frequency.
I am having a hearing aid fitting next month and I am so exited as I have probably been like this all my life and never known.

Also my ds never babbled or spoke until he was 3 (completely different reasons) - but he now speaks very well (he's 7 now).

Try not to worry too much! - good luck x

Have you been onto the NDCS yet, they're very good and would strongly recommend them.

Have you been referred to the sensory impairment team in your area, if you haven't, ask next time you're at audiology, a teacher of the deaf could be some use and would asnswer a lot of your questions. The NHS will cover speech therapy and usually for dcs with hearing loss is relatively easy to get.

Learning sign language isn't a must but is always a useful skill to have. Learning to sign is not generally funded by the NHS although some colleges give discounts to families with a deaf family member and some leas will run free courses for families, depends on where you live. A teacher of the deaf for your area would know the details or a family officer from the NDCS.

As others have said it total depends on how severe the loss is. Ds got a hearing aid last week due to glue ear though and it has gone really smoothly so far. He is happy to wear it and forgets about it once in. He was really excited when he saw his great granny wearing one too. He starts school in a few weeks and hope no kids try to take it. Apparently someone from audiology will visit the school. He is talking louder which is helpful as his speech is unclear and stamping his feet a the time. Are you seeing a salt x