Hearing Aids?

[Duckyiam71]

My DS 5 was just diagnosed with severe sensorineural hearing loss. We have to get him a hearing aid. I am not worried about the cost but I was wondering how your child adapted to the aid? I know all children are different and they adapt differently. Just wondering how hard or easy was the transition? Thanks for any help.

 

[golfgal]

They are like glasses, if a child really needs them, they will wear them. The hardest part is getting them to fit properly and with a 5 year old that may be even more difficult since they aren't often able to tell you what doesn't feel right. They have some fun colors for the ear molds for kids so they are more appealing to the kids.

Ease him into wearing them, a couple hours at a time. Everything will be hyper-amplified until his brain adjusts-he will hear everything until his brain learns to filter things out. Don't let him wear them for the first time in the car home if it is raining---not a good idea .

Hearing aids are SO much better now then when I started wearing mine 15 years ago. The new ones are bluetooth capable even .

Check with your ENT because your state our county might have some funds that help pay for kids' hearing aids. They will cost in the neighborhood of $6000 and most likely no insurance coverage. Since kids grow you will probably have to replace them yearly at least .

 

[Duckyiam71]

Thanks Golfgal...there are state programs that help with the expense and our insurance will actually pay for them as well. I did not even think about things being amplified...dogs barking is already bad for us non hearing impaired. This is definitely a learning experience for our family as well.

 

[piglet too]

I don't have any advice, but wanted to wish you well. I got my first hearing aids when I was 3 years old. I can still remember that first car ride home, hearing all these new sounds.

How did he get the hearing loss? Mine was from meningitis when I was 2 yrs old. How severe is it? I explain to people that I only have 20% hearing in one ear and about 25% in the other. How is his speech? I went through speech classes until high school. They also worked with my on lip reading, which I rely on so much.

 

[daughtersrus]

Thanks Golfgal...there are state programs that help with the expense and our insurance will actually pay for them as well. I did not even think about things being amplified...dogs barking is already bad for us non hearing impaired. This is definitely a learning experience for our family as well.

You're very lucky. My DD has had hearing aids since she was 1 yo (she's 15 now). Our insurance only covers $600 every 3 years including testing, mold and equipment. They determined that they are "a patient convenience" and not "medically necessary. " IL is really bad about providing help for the disabled so we're not able to get any assistance from the state.

As has already been mentioned, everything is amplified so it might be difficult for him to adjust. Have you talked to anyone at school to set up and IEP or 504 meeting? My DD has a Hearing Itinerant teacher that helps the classroom staff. My DD uses a FM system at school. It really seems to help. The FM has "boots" that go on to the hearing aids. There is also a microphone that the teacher, aid or classmates talk into. This amplifies the voice over all of the background noise. This could be especially helpful for your son if he's in a assembly or a large group.

DD picked out cool purple hearing aids last time. She doesn't grow fast so her ear molds generally last about a year. The last ones are clear with pink and purple glitter. Everyone comments on how cool they are. The aids themselves last a few years. You may want to look into insurance on them as well. Even if your health insurance covers them, it may only be every few years. If they get lost or broken you may have to pay out of pocket for the repairs or replacement if you don't purchase the separate insurance on them.

The first two sets of aids that she had were Phonak and the last set is Octicon.

The one thing that you may want to think about is to request a battery lock. I don't know if your son would ever play with them or even put them in his mouth but this is a safety feature that we've come to ask for with each new set.

 

[bean]

SLP here with a specialty in working with children who use HAs or cochlear implants. Is this a unilateral loss or bilateral? How often will you be seeing your audiologist? I would keep a close eye on things to make sure that his hearing loss isn't progressive. Also good advice about setting up your 504 meeting with the school. Is he going to kindergarten next year? FM systems are terrific and really can make a world of difference in the classroom. The new molds come in some cool colors (tie dye etc) and lots of kids love this. As a practical tip, if you're getting a lot of feedback (lots of squealing) as he outgrows his molds you can rub a little KY jelly on the earmold to get some good suction. You could buy otoease which is expensive but KY works great Good luck! I've found that most kids adjust pretty quickly. It just takes a while to get used to troubleshooting equipment. Make sure you have a good dry aid kit!

 

[Duckyiam71]

Thanks for the advice. It appears he was born with the hearing loss. He has always had a speech impediment. He had tongue surgery because he was tongue tied. We were getting him speech therapy in the school system and they did a hearing test. That is when it was discovered that he had hearing loss in the right ear. He is in kindergarten. We are starting to work with a pediatric audiologist to start the hearing aid process this week. The speech therapist has been instrumental in guiding us throught the process. Our first visit to another audiologist was not so good...they suggested we wait 6 months for a hearing aid. I came home and did some research and found out this type of hearing loss is permanent. So I called the speech therapist and got her opinion and she called a friend of hers. Her friend is the pediatric audiologist. Everything is falling into place now. We are going to start using the FM system in the classroom until he is fitted with the HA. I appreciate all the advice here in the DISboards. Thank you so much..

 

[daughtersrus]

Thanks for the advice. It appears he was born with the hearing loss. He has always had a speech impediment. He had tongue surgery because he was tongue tied. We were getting him speech therapy in the school system and they did a hearing test. That is when it was discovered that he had hearing loss in the right ear. He is in kindergarten. We are starting to work with a pediatric audiologist to start the hearing aid process this week. The speech therapist has been instrumental in guiding us throught the process. Our first visit to another audiologist was not so good...they suggested we wait 6 months for a hearing aid. I came home and did some research and found out this type of hearing loss is permanent. So I called the speech therapist and got her opinion and she called a friend of hers. Her friend is the pediatric audiologist. Everything is falling into place now. We are going to start using the FM system in the classroom until he is fitted with the HA. I appreciate all the advice here in the DISboards. Thank you so much..

It sounds like things are falling into place for you.

I just wanted to add that my DD uses the FM system with her hearing aids. This way the sound of the speaker with the microphone is amplified over all of the background noise that the microphone on the hearing aid is picking up. I'm sure that I'm not explaining it correctly so maybe one of the SLPs here can do a better job. I just wanted you to know that your son may benefit from the use of the FM system with his hearing aid.

 

[merryweather20]

That reminded me the other day, I was shopping and Build A Bear has plush hearing aids for the bears:

http://www.buildabear.com/shop/prod...=Health+and+Beauty&CallingPage=ProductSummary

 

[barkley]

just a suggestion-

when i went searching for hearing aids due to permanant hearing loss with one of my strokes i ran accross one type that had a feature you might want to look at.

since i did theatre at the time i was concerned that wearing an aid that would amplify enough for me to hear the other actors would also cause me to get an overload of sound from backstage and the audience, i spoke to the hearing specialist, and she suggested one that had some sort of adjustment feature on it that allowed for amplification within a certain distance range but somehow cut down on background noise. she said that she had patients who realy appreciated them for using in classroom settings as well as when they played sports (could hear coach's instructions while not being overwhelmed by the sound of the crowd). she mentioned they were also helpful when people went to say a public place like a mall or a fair, they could hear the conversation of those they were walking with but did'nt get overwhelmed with amplified sound from their surroundings.

since kids are more prone to be in group settings for learning and extracurriculars this might be a feature that could be beneficial.

 

[golfgal]

It sounds like things are falling into place for you.

I just wanted to add that my DD uses the FM system with her hearing aids. This way the sound of the speaker with the microphone is amplified over all of the background noise that the microphone on the hearing aid is picking up. I'm sure that I'm not explaining it correctly so maybe one of the SLPs here can do a better job. I just wanted you to know that your son may benefit from the use of the FM system with his hearing aid.

I agree with the FM system for school. If there is a fan going in the room or any other kind of background noise it will still be difficult to understand what the teacher is saying.

just a suggestion-

when i went searching for hearing aids due to permanant hearing loss with one of my strokes i ran accross one type that had a feature you might want to look at.

since i did theatre at the time i was concerned that wearing an aid that would amplify enough for me to hear the other actors would also cause me to get an overload of sound from backstage and the audience, i spoke to the hearing specialist, and she suggested one that had some sort of adjustment feature on it that allowed for amplification within a certain distance range but somehow cut down on background noise. she said that she had patients who realy appreciated them for using in classroom settings as well as when they played sports (could hear coach's instructions while not being overwhelmed by the sound of the crowd). she mentioned they were also helpful when people went to say a public place like a mall or a fair, they could hear the conversation of those they were walking with but did'nt get overwhelmed with amplified sound from their surroundings.

since kids are more prone to be in group settings for learning and extracurriculars this might be a feature that could be beneficial.

You can get a switch on your hearing aid that will turn off noise from behind so you hear only what is said in front of you. When I looked into those you had to have the kind that went behind your ear to get that feature.It has been a while since I looked into that so it might have changed since then.

If they ask about the telecoil in the hearing aid, don't bother. I have one in mine and while it works it turns the hearing aid down so low I can't hear on the phone (it is designed so you don't get feedback while holding a phone to your ear).

 

[NC State]

It sounds like things are falling into place for you.

I just wanted to add that my DD uses the FM system with her hearing aids. This way the sound of the speaker with the microphone is amplified over all of the background noise that the microphone on the hearing aid is picking up. I'm sure that I'm not explaining it correctly so maybe one of the SLPs here can do a better job. I just wanted you to know that your son may benefit from the use of the FM system with his hearing aid.

My daughter used the same system when she was attending school. Let's just hope that the teacher takes it off when they go to the bathroom!....she has the best storys about her teachers.

 

[momw/2princesses]

We went through this just before my DD started K. She is in 1st now and has adapted tremendously well. Like PPs said, ease them into wearing them. Start with a few hours and gradually increase it. She picked out the color(pink) and I feel that really gave her ownership in what she was doing. Also, once she realized that she was hearing better, she wanted to wear them longer. Our health insurance didn't cover any of the expense, but in our audiologist's office all follow ups for fittings, etc were included in the original price. I think they were $2,600. The hearing aids themselves will last for several years. The moldings will have to be replaced as he grows. My DD has an open fit, so no moldings for her.

Also, check with your insurance agent about your homeowner's policy. Our policy will cover loss or damage.

I hope this process will be easy for you and your child!

Andrea

 

[golfgal]

We went through this just before my DD started K. She is in 1st now and has adapted tremendously well. Like PPs said, ease them into wearing them. Start with a few hours and gradually increase it. She picked out the color(pink) and I feel that really gave her ownership in what she was doing. Also, once she realized that she was hearing better, she wanted to wear them longer. Our health insurance didn't cover any of the expense, but in our audiologist's office all follow ups for fittings, etc were included in the original price. I think they were $2,600. The hearing aids themselves will last for several years. The moldings will have to be replaced as he grows. My DD has an open fit, so no moldings for her.

Also, check with your insurance agent about your homeowner's policy. Our policy will cover loss or damage.

I hope this process will be easy for you and your child!

Andrea

Double check that--you may be subject to your deductible so if you have a $1000 deductible, they won't cover very much AND you then have a chargeable claim against your homeowner's policy which will increase your rates which might end up costing you more than the hearing aids themselves. You can get them scheduled out on a policy and not have to pay a deductible but when I checked into that for mine it was going to be about $500/year PER AID (I checked with 2 different insurance companies) so as long as I kept my hearing aids for 2 1/2 years, I was ok. It is still a chargeable claim so your homeowners policy will go up if you file a claim. I could get insurance from my ENT for $100/aid that covered them for 2 years-it was a MUCH better deal.

 

[Val]

My DD12 has mild/moderate fluctuating bilateral mixed (both sensorineural and conductive) loss....she wasn't diagnosed until kindergarten either. She has no problems wearing her aids, even now that she is in junior high....and she PREFERS funky colors. We are just about to order a new pair and she wants red aids with blue ear molds. Her current aids are hot pink with purple molds. They ARE expensive. We, too, are in IL and our insurance pays nothing, so we will be spending about $5K for her "new ears".

A great resource is http://www.listen-up.org/, and they have a terrific moms listserve group. I have been a member since DD was diagnosed, and it is nice to discuss with other moms/dads issues of hearing loss and just general kid issues.

Also, Illinois Hands and Voices, http://ilhandsandvoices.wordpress.com/, is a terrific resource for those of us in IL. They will be having their mom's night out (think all moms of kids who are deaf/hard of hearing, a hotel, chocolate and massages- fun, great discussions, and camaraderie!). I can't go this year, as it is nationals for AAU track for my DS14 , but hopefully next year.

It all seems so tough and overwhelming at first, navigating all the technology and evaluations....but in the end our kids do well in spite of our shortcomings. DD12 had a tough time academically until the teachers, TOD (Teacher of the Deaf) and audi's got a handle on things.....she is now a straight A student, sings in the choir (but orchestra didn't work), and has lots of friends and even her first "boyfriend"! She is a typical middle school 6th grader who just happens to be hard of hearing. Hearing loss does not define her, it is just another part of her. Still, I can tell if she has her aids in simply by the volume of Hannah Montana or Wizards of Waverly Place. There ought to be a law against those shows at high volume!

Good luck and God Bless! And DD12 says don't worry.....it will be okay!

 

[Duckyiam71]

I sincerely want to thank everyone. You all have brought up points that I would have never even thought about. I do a lot of research on things so you have also saved me time. I did not know about home owners insurance. Thank you so much and I will definitely check out the websites suggested. I will probably have more questions as we get the HA.. Thanks you again