Hearing Loss in Children

"Significant hearing loss detected"

This is what I read in the reports from the hearing center regarding my granddaughter's hearing tests.

So now it's been determined that she doesn't hear very well, she's almost 3 and doesn't speak.

She will have speech therapy once a week starting within a few weeks and we were told that we need to enroll her in a special needs pre-school.

Should I be looking into learning sign language? I'm so lost... Lost and sad.

Does anyone have any experience, knowledge or words of advice?

Hi there.

You have to do what is right for you- but I would strongly suggest keeping her in an oral program with supports (not going to a deaf only or sign language school)

Research shows that children with hearing impairments perform much better when they are included with their hearing peers and follow the same curriculum with proper supports, especially with writing and language production.

She might be able to use an FM system, or have a cochlear implant in the future.

I will PM you some more information.

Oh MG, I'm sorry.

Perhaps you could learn sign language as a way to communicate with her...perhaps have her learning it at such a young age would be beneficial.

I'm really in your corner on this one.

some of the geniuses of the world started out late with that type of stuff. does she respond when you call her and such?

I'm sorry metro

Does he have plans to get her some type of hearing aid to improve her hearing? Will she be able to hear and speak at some point? I don't think sign language would hurt. If you both learned it and she could still speak, you could both at the very least be able to talk to deaf people.

I'm sorry to hear this, Metro.

I'm with BellaDonna on the preference for normalcy where possible, though it's a controversial within the deaf community.

The first and most obvious question, though, which would influence anything else that I could say, would be: what is the nature and extent of the hearing loss? It may be slight, it may be operable, it may be in one ear only etc.. Before we start talking about sign language and deaf schools, it's important to know the details.

Hi there.

 

You have to do what is right for you- but I would strongly suggest keeping her in an oral program with supports (not going to a deaf only or sign language school)

 

Research shows that children with hearing impairments perform much better when they are included with their hearing peers and follow the same curriculum with proper supports, especially with writing and language production.

 

She might be able to use an FM system, or have a cochlear implant in the future.

 

I will PM you some more information.

Thank you, any info that you could pass along would be great appreciated. I am very much in unfamiliar territory here. I did think initially that she would be better in a more mainstreamed type of preschool as opposed to a special needs only school.

some of the geniuses of the world started out late with that type of stuff. does she respond when you call her and such?

No, not really. I have to get her attention by tapping her, which as you can imagine becomes difficult when she is doing something that she shouldn't be and when I call her name to tell her to stop, I have to run over to her.

I'm sorry metro

 

Does he have plans to get her some type of hearing aid to improve her hearing? Will she be able to hear and speak at some point? I don't think sign language would hurt. If you both learned it and she could still speak, you could both at the very least be able to talk to deaf people.

I think the doctor's appointment Friday is to go over some of the options available for her.

She does try to communicate with me by pointing to food and then pointing to her mouth as if to eat. We have developed a couple of signals so she can tell me when she wants to nap, eat, drink. She's smart as a whip and extremely independent, just not vocal.

I actually wouldn't mind learning sign language.

Poor baby. All this time she just couldn't hear.

Let us know how the appointment goes. She'll be OK

Metro, my son uses an FM system. While he is not hearing impaired, his brain does not interpret correctly what he hears. This helps me him a lot. I also take his face in my hands and have him look at me when we talk. They understand much better when looking at you. Sign language would be good and she will learn to read lips as well. I would encourage too that she spends as much time with hearing peers.

Metro, my son uses an FM system. While he is not hearing impaired, his brain does not interpret correctly what he hears. This helps me him a lot. I also take his face in my hands and have him look at me when we talk. They understand much better when looking at you. Sign language would be good and she will learn to read lips as well. I would encourage too that she spends as much time with hearing peers.

What is an FM system, like a radio type of thing? She looks at peoples mouths when they speak. It's cute, she'll look at my mouth when I say something and she tries to mimic what I am saying. She does try and I think she will be eager to learn.

She's not completely deaf, is she? Do they know the extent of her hearing loss yet?

His teacher uses a microphone and he has a speaker close to him so he can hear the teacher more clearly. Basically it brings the sound closer to him so he has a greater chance of understanding what he hears. If there is too much noise he can not distinguish at all what is being said and he becomes distressed.

Do they know why she has hearing loss?? My step sister's daughter also has hearing loss, they did not discover she had severe hearing loss until she was 6. She had a fluid filled ear. She has tubes in her ears and has recovered all her speech. My father went partially deaf as a child but only lost all hearing in one ear.

Sign language is good for all children to learn, hearing , and hearing impaired alike. It helps with language development.

But most hearing impaired children do far better in an oral program where they can learn to speak effectively. It takes support though- inclusion has to be done properly (i.e. with the right accomodations) for the child to get the best out of it.

I would suggest looking into an inclusive preschool with supports. Also, now that she has the formal diagnosis- she is entitled to certian things under the law. For example, if she is in the U.S. she has protection under Section 504( IDEA) of the law from age 3-21- and the schools MUST provide the supports that she needs to accommodate the disability.

If you want, PM me her location and I will see what I can come up with for you. One of my good friends is a mom of a teenage girl who is hearing impaired and who has received education only in an oral program. I will ask her to send me some online resources so I can pass them on to you.

Also, please don't be discouraged and tell her parents the same. Hearing impairment is a disability- but she still has many abilities, and great potential. With the right support, she will do well in school and be a high-functioning, happy little girl.

Was her hearing screened as a newborn? In most places it's mandatory for all infants.

My uncle is deaf too, I should mention that. He signs- but when he was a child oral programs for hearing impaired children were not mainstream yet.

I also worked with a lovely deaf woman when I was in dentistry. She was a dental hygenist and she spoke very well and learned to read lips. She was educated in an oral program as a kid. She lived a perfectly normal life and thrived both personally and professionally.

I'm sorry to hear this, Metro.

 

I'm with BellaDonna on the preference for normalcy where possible, though it's a controversial within the deaf community.

 

The first and most obvious question, though, which would influence anything else that I could say, would be: what is the nature and extent of the hearing loss? It may be slight, it may be operable, it may be in one ear only etc.. Before we start talking about sign language and deaf schools, it's important to know the details.

Not sure what caused the hearing loss. She did pass her newborn hearing test. At this point in time all I know is that she has significant hearing loss and currently the cause is unknown. I'm hoping someone will be able to tell me how it happened. I wish I had more answers for you but sadly I'm still in the dark.

I'm hoping to learn more on Friday.

Hmm... could it be chronic ear infections or fluid in the ear drum?

I hope they can tell you more soon, and what the overall prognosis is.

She's not completely deaf, is she? Do they know the extent of her hearing loss yet?

No, she's not completely deaf, that much I know. It appears that she can hear some frequency but I'm not sure how much of what she hears is clear to her.

When she went to her last hearing test, they had her in a sound proof room and they started off calling her name really low in a microphone and only when it was unbearable loud for a normal hearing person, did she respond.

No, she's not completely deaf, that much I know. It appears that she can hear some frequency but I'm not sure how much of what she hears is clear to her.

 

When she went to her last hearing test, they had her in a sound proof room and they started off calling her name really low in a microphone and only when it was unbearable loud for a normal hearing person, did she respond.

That is how they tested my son as well. Sounds in different frequencies and reading back things he heard, with different levels of background noise etc.....the whole thing took more than an hour. At least we found out he hears some sounds as the same sound.

hey metrogirl. sorry to hear this happen, but don't look down, she can definitely lead a fulfilling life.

one of my nephews is hearing impaired. he was always a quiet baby. his parents felt strange about it and got him tested. they found out that he was hearing impaired. i don't know the details i just know that there are 3 parts of the ear that are involved in our hearing and one of his does not work. so, when people yelled he could hear those sounds but not when somebody could speak. this was when he was about 1.5 years old.

his parents were given a counselor and he had hearing aids put in. it did help him a lot. he would go to speech therapy once or twice a week, he still does. after about two years of this, the therapy reports recommended that he get cochlear implants. so he got them implanted and has special magnetic hearing aids for them. he hears MUCH more with them that he could not with the simple hearing aids. for instance he could hear normal speech with the hearing aids, but with the cochlear implants he can now hear the ticking of the turn signals in a car.

he is a very smart kid and is very empathetic to other people. he is at and above his grade level. we understand every word he says when he speaks even though he speaks a little different. his quality of life is quite good. this is because his therapist, his parents, and all the other members of his family are committed to helping him be "normal". we don't treat him very differently. he has gone to preschool and still is, (he just turned 5) this helps him become social with other people.

metro i would suggest to be strong and explore your options with your daughter. from my limited experience i would say NOT to enroll in sign language, if your granddaughter can get hearing aids or cochlear implants. she is young and if you teach her how to sign language, she may not be receptive to verbal efforts and will just use the sign language. my nephew was recommended not to learn sign, because of this reason. they said that kids who sign, yet have the ability to hear through aides should not learn sign at a young age. it is better to be social and to be as normal a kid as they can. it will take a lot of work but these kids won't have as many limitations as we might think so

To everyone that took time to reply, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I just came back to work after being gone for a week and I wanted to give a brief update.

She is being referred to an ENT doctor for futher evaluation and testing. Initial testing indicated that she has moderate to severe hearing loss for at least the better ear. (That is how it was written on the paperwork).

She did have her first speech therapy session last week. She seemed to enjoy it and the therapist thinks she will do well since she is eager to imitate sounds.

As I know more, I will keep everyone updated.

To everyone that took time to reply, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I just came back to work after being gone for a week and I wanted to give a brief update.

 

She is being referred to an ENT doctor for futher evaluation and testing. Initial testing indicated that she has moderate to severe hearing loss for at least the better ear. (That is how it was written on the paperwork).

 

She did have her first speech therapy session last week. She seemed to enjoy it and the therapist thinks she will do well since she is eager to imitate sounds.

 

As I know more, I will keep everyone updated.

Know that you are in my thoughts girl.......

She did have her first speech therapy session last week. She seemed to enjoy it and the therapist thinks she will do well since she is eager to imitate sounds.

So glad to hear it.

This is really good Metro!

*Update*

She had her appointment with the ENT this past Friday. The doctor wants to repeat the hearing test one more time but stated that she would likely benefit from having tubes put in. He thinks that she will regain some hearing with the surgery.

Keeping my fingers crossed and will keep everyone posted here.

That might be a big help to her Metro! I know it helped my sister's daughter. She regained a lot of hearing and now speaks very well when before she not even descernable and she was 6. I hope it works!!