DD failed hearing test at school 2xs!

[ADisneyQueen]

The school nurse talked to me yesterday, DD5 failed hearing test 2xs on 2 different days. Let me back up the story to this spring. Dh and I and my mother all wondered if DD couldn't hear sometimes. If she is in a crowd she doesn't hear us, uses a loud voice, but her speech is perfect. Preschool teacher last year had some problems with her listening. DD complained of her ears being clogged and not hearing well and ear popping We took her to the Dr. and he said it was her allergies and to give her Claritan. I did in the spring and fall, but she seemed better , so I quite giving it to her a month ago. I just don't like her being on medication for so long.
Nurse did the testing on her and said DD5 said she didn't hear anything, not one sound. But, nurse says, while DD had the headphones on she heard nurse say " Did you hear anything?" and DD reponded no. I talked to her about the sound she would hear, that it wouldn't be voices or music, but i just don't know if she really heard anything. I am taking her to a new pediatrican Mon. ( we moved a few months ago).
Does anyone have any advice/experience? Thanks. I am worried that it is not allergies and has been going on for so long.

 

[NotUrsula]

My advice is not to mess around with a pediatrician. If you suspect a hearing problem, go to an otolaryngologist, one who has a practice that includes children. Your local hospital should have a physician referral service that can give you some names, or you can call your nearest medical school, they also should be able to give you a name or two in your area. If your insurance insists on a physician referral, get the ped. to give you one -- this really is a job for a specialist.

I'm hard-of-hearing, and my doctor is wonderful. He treats a LOT of kids, and has a nationally known reputation. His office has two f/t audiologists and a proper testing booth. (You really cannot get an accurate measure of hearing loss if you don't do the testing in a proper booth.) You want a place that is familiar with treating children, because kids are tested using slightly different methods than adults are.

I would advise you to get the testing done before the end of the year. The reason for this is that if she needs hearing aids, it is extremely unlikely that insurance will pay for them, and they are likely to cost at least $2K, and possibly twice that much. They are eligible for Flexible Spending Account payment, though, so if you know how much you need before January, you might be able to at least use an FSA and get a tax benefit.

BTW: I should tell you that hearing loss is on a spectrum that varies with the frequency of the sounds; it isn't usually as simple as just raising volume across the board. My loss is in the low ranges. I can usually hear female voices just fine, but some male voices and machine sounds go right past me, and ambient noise gives me real problems in understanding. I'm normally fine in one-to-one conversation, but I need my aids to hear a lecture or a concert properly. Whispering voices drive me insane--too much sibilance.

 

[sskem96]

My dd7 has the same kind of problem. We thought she might be having a little trouble hearing, and then when we got to Disney (this was about 18 mos. ago), the problem was definitely more pronounced. We thought maybe it had something to do with the plane ride.

We had missed the preschool hearing test while we were on vacation, so when we got home, we took her to the audiologist and the pediatric ENT. Her ears were so full of fluid that her eardrums had no movement at all, so that's why she couldn't hear. They said it's unusual to happen at that age, usually it's younger kids still drinking a bottle, so they thought it was allergy related. We also knew she didn't have the problem when she was younger because her speech was fine.

She had ear tubes put in and they put her on Claritin. Her hearing was restored to normal as soon as the problem was corrected, and as long as she takes the claritin, she's fine. She just had her tubes removed a couple weeks ago. Sometimes if she gets congested with a cold or something, we add Sudafed and Mucinex to keep the fluid from building up.

It sounds like your daughter may have a very similar problem.

 

[NotUrsula]

Just to add; the underlying reason that I have hearing loss is also related to fluid; I have a condition called Meniere's Disease that causes fluid buildup in the inner ear. (Not the middle ear, which is the area affected by the usual childhood ear infection.) Meniere's is a type of vestibular disorder, and it also causes me to become dizzy easily. Left untreated over time, as mine was, it can result in hearing loss, as mine has. My loss is about 25%; I didn't get a true diagnosis until I was in my 20's, though I had the symptoms from childhood -- this is why I recommend going to a specialist. Not that I think your daughter has Meniere's -- it is very rare in kids -- but my point is that if you want a good diagnosis, you really need to ask the right kind of doctor, which in this case is an ENT.

It is important to understand that fluid buildup in the inner ear doesn't come from outside (like getting water in the ears while swimming, for example) -- it is created by the body. As long as the underlying condition that creates too much fluid remains present, the only way to prevent the buildup is by regularly using medication. When the condition affects the inner ear, the meds are normally more-or-less a permanent thing, at least on an as-needed-basis when the condition flares. (I have 3 that I have to carry at all times, though I don't necessarily need to take every one of them every day.) Be prepared for the possibility that she may need to take meds long-term to keep the problem under control.

 

[disnut1149]

The school nurse talked to me yesterday, DD5 failed hearing test 2xs on 2 different days. Let me back up the story to this spring. Dh and I and my mother all wondered if DD couldn't hear sometimes. If she is in a crowd she doesn't hear us, uses a loud voice, but her speech is perfect. Preschool teacher last year had some problems with her listening. DD complained of her ears being clogged and not hearing well and ear popping We took her to the Dr. and he said it was her allergies and to give her Claritan. I did in the spring and fall, but she seemed better , so I quite giving it to her a month ago. I just don't like her being on medication for so long.
Nurse did the testing on her and said DD5 said she didn't hear anything, not one sound. But, nurse says, while DD had the headphones on she heard nurse say " Did you hear anything?" and DD reponded no. I talked to her about the sound she would hear, that it wouldn't be voices or music, but i just don't know if she really heard anything. I am taking her to a new pediatrican Mon. ( we moved a few months ago).
Does anyone have any advice/experience? Thanks. I am worried that it is not allergies and has been going on for so long.

Hi
My son was 2 and he hardly talked. So I had him tested with an ENT doctor at Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia and he had fluid in his ears so that it sounded like we were talking under water. They had a test for children where I sat in a room with him, held him on my lap, and there were birds and animals around the room that would make a noise. If he heard the sound, he would look at it. They had someone also observing him. It was very good the way they could tell how much he was hearing. They put tubes in his ears and it really made a huge difference. So this might be something you would want to look into. My son is now 22 years old, and he did catch up with all the kids his same age in school with his speech. He is presently attending Villanova Law School. Good luck with you daughter!!!

 

[belle&beast]

I am a preschool speech pathologist and I conduct the screenings your daughter has failed. Our recommendation after 2 failed screenings is for the parent to take the child to the doctor. Usually parents start at the pediatrician who will refer to the ENT, but if you do not need a referral, I would go directly to an ENT. My DS2.5 had chronic ear infections and I overstepped my pediatrician (I actually ended up switching pediatricians) and went to the ENT with him, had his hearing evaluated and although he did not need tubes, we were able to be infection free for a year now. If you have a pediatric specialist or children's hospital I would recommend that as well. They just know better how to work with children and parents. I wish you lots of luck and urge you not to wait it out- get it checked as soon as possible.

 

[Allison]

I agree with others that you need to go to an ENT. My son has battled this since he was a few months old and has had tubes several times. He is 13 now. He has permanent hearing loss but does fine except for having the television way too loud.

 

[marathonmommy]

My DD failed 2x as well. Went to the audiologist and had an additional test done. Detected MILD hearing loss in one ear. Went to the ENT - they said it was nothing and that the audiologist can often find things that are very minor. There was nothing we needed to do. I would go to the ENT as well and save money but skipping the audiologist test unless the ENT recommends it.

 

[Nicolepa]

Don't waste your time w/your pediatrician. I've been going round and round w/mine for 4 years. They wouldn't send me to an ent or an audiologist because my son hadn't had several ear infections since he was 2. I knew he couldn't hear, his speech, at 4 was not understandable by people that see him on a regular basis.

Then my 6 yo daughter started having hearing problems after a very severe ear infection and they kept telling me to wait it out. In the meantime my very articulate daughter started mumbling and becoming hard to understand. After about 4 months of that I found an audiologist and took them both in. At conversation level they both failed! So then my son got a speech evaluation and they said he was definitly behind and he needed to be seen 3x a week.

So we went to the ENT, fortunatly my daughters ears cleared up w/flonase during that time. My son on the other hand was still full of fluid. The ENT was great. He said at this time of year we should see no fluid and that if his speech was being affected then he should have tubes immediatly.

A week later he got tubes and started speech therapy. I have to say w/in a day he was a totally different boy. He no longer freaks out in noisy/chaotic situations, he socializes more and he finally goes to preschool w/o pitching a fit every day! His speech has improved immensly already as well. The poor thing could not hear out of one ear. He should have had tubes at 1 year like I'd asked (and been asking for the next 3).

So Long story I know, but please, please don't waste your time with the pediatrician. Even if she has fine speech now, if there is a problem her speech may decline, not to mention the frustration the lack of hearing will cause!

 

[louise']

My son also did not pass the school hearing exam. I immediately took him to my ENT doctor for a hearing test and he did also did not pass. He had an ear infection and was placed on antibotics. He had another hearing exam shortly after he finished the medicine and he passed the hearing exam.

I have an ENT doctor because I suffer from undiagnosed veritigo. I have had several different tests with ENT, neurologists and cardiologists to find the cause of my veritigo. I am now on medicine from the ENT to reduce fluid in the ears and rule out Meniere's diease.

 

[Disneydreaming6]

I just went thru this with my dd, and now with ds5. He failed the hearing test a few times. I just had my son tested at the school for the deaf, he came thru fine. I agree, alot has to do with the amount of fluid build up. but as they also explained to me, they could have just a small amount of build up and that would affect their hearing. and that small amt could fluctuate from day to day. as far as paying for the hearing tests with an audiologist, In RI we don't have to pay for school age children to be tested. It is provided free at the school for the deaf.

 

[grlpwrd]

My good friend's dh is an otolaryngologist and he always stresses early intervention. I also have a neighbor whose 2 sons had hearing problems and got them resolved with tubes and she is glad she consulted a specialist.

Please seek help from an otolaryngologist.

 

[alicenwonder99]

Add my son to the list.

He failed his hearing test in preschool 2x's. We took him to the dr. who prescribed antibiotics for the fluid in his ears (he didn't have an ear infection). The dr. tested him later on and he was fine. However, our school district sent him to a hearing place (sorry...not sure what exactly this "place" was, but they did testing on my son). The school district paid for it. They did tests and said my ds "failed" some of it. Back to dr. and he gave him more antibiotics. Tested ds again, and he "passed".

Seems it is allergies that cause this fluid build-up.

HTH

Mary

 

[NotUrsula]

We took him to the dr. who prescribed antibiotics for the fluid in his ears (he didn't have an ear infection).

Why on earth would a responsible physician put a child on antibiotics when no infection was present?

Antibiotics are entirely the WRONG treatment for allergy-related or vestibular-disease-related fluid buildup. Normal meds given in cases like these would possibly include antihistamines, decongestants or Guiafenesin, or diuretics, but *not* antibiotics.

Oh, and a PS for Allison: have your son use the Closed Captions on the TV. That is why they are there. (And they can be pretty hilarious on live TV, too -- added comic relief.)

 

[MASIGNS4U]

HI!! I am a mom of a deaf child and a hoh child. I was reading some of the post and it could be fluid build up, but be careful of the fluid build up because it can cause damage to the cochlear inside of the ear. My son is going for a cochlear implant he is 15 (this is what he wants) when he was diagnose when he was 2 we had no idea because through the years his speech was going and going. He went to to a ENT and suggested that he have his tonsils and adenoids and tubes put in his ears for the fluid drainage. It help some but later we found out after all that he had a profound hearing loss in both ears...for the cochlear implant he had a ct scan which suggested he had LVAS(large vestibular adequducts) in both ears which means both bones in both ears continued to grow in adult form when he was young which when the fluid would drain it didn't drain properly and damaged the cochlear. So see if they can do a ct scan and check the inner ear. The doctors know that from having large vestibular adequducts in both ears is due to a genetic defect. So we are going to go through testing for genetic testing for the gene. They already know which gene but for further purpose to have it done.

So if you have any questions you would like to ask me feel free to email me...
mom2signs@wowway.com Good Luck!!

 

[DisneyMama27]

BTW: I should tell you that hearing loss is on a spectrum that varies with the frequency of the sounds; it isn't usually as simple as just raising volume across the board. My loss is in the low ranges. I can usually hear female voices just fine, but some male voices and machine sounds go right past me, and ambient noise gives me real problems in understanding. I'm normally fine in one-to-one conversation, but I need my aids to hear a lecture or a concert properly. Whispering voices drive me insane--too much sibilance.

My hearing loss is the same, and my audiologist said that 1 in 11 people have some hearing loss. If she needed glasses, you wouldn't hesitate (or go to pediatrician) so go to an ENT or Audiologist ASAP. My cousin had hearing aids as a child - there are such advancements now. Be sure to ask about what to do at WDW on rides and such, if she does need hearing aids. They cannot get wet, and I imagine it would be a pain for a child to take them out like I had to do!