Our son, who just turned 2 at the end of March, just failed his second hearing test today. We have been referred to an ENT, but I'm a little wary as to what is going to happen at the visit. The test he has been given just include sticking a small probe in his ear and measuring the frequency of the sound waves. He has had a little fluid behind his eardrum (opposite ears each time) during both tests, but it doesn't seem like he should have failed it. I'm quite skeptical of this test and was wondering if anyone else had a similar experience. If so, what will the ENT suggest us do? He has never had an ear infection, however his allergies are running rampant right now. I'm open for suggestions!
My son had got ear tubes two months ago after lots of ear infections and after a pretty bad hearing test... We went to Dr. Mehendale. He is great and the procedure didn't last more than 10 minutes... My son has been talking a lot more since the surgery.
Good luck to you and your little boy!
i'm an audiologist and routinely test children's hearing in an ent setting. almost all the tests for your son's age group involve placing a tip into the ear and measuring a response. your level of worry depends on what type of test he had in the past at the pedi's office. if they did a simple tympanogram and he had fluid behind an eardrum, he would fail that test every single time. it measures how well the eardrum moves in response to air pressure put up against the eardrum. if there's fluid, the pressure behind the eardrum is too much and the eardrum doesn't move properly. that's not a big deal and can be taken care of with time, antibiotics, etc.
another much more advanced test is called an otoacoustic emission and this actually tests the hearing organ or cochlea. he would also have difficulty with this test if he had fluid behind an eardrum. it seems crazy that we can see how well your child hears without him doing anything, but this test is great!!
i would most definately NOT recommend waiting until he is three to get this checked out as it's probably something that can be easily treated with antibiotics or tubes. it is rare for a permanent hearing loss to exist in your son's case, but you would want to get it checked out to be sure. also, his speech development may be affected if he has chronic fluid.
best wishes and feel free to contact me should you have more questions.
M.
Shannon, before you do anymore invasive testing, have you considered taking him to a chiropractor? Chiropractic has very good results with ear infections. I, myself, treat a number of children for allergies in my office and have outstanding results. It sounds like the hearing difficulty may be a result of the fluid in his ears and the congestion. You'd be surprised to know that the very first chiropractic adjustment in history was to a man who regained his hearing with just one adjustment. There are gentle and safe types of adjustments that I am sure you'd be comfortable with. Best wishes for you and your child either way.
Shannon,
Our office doesn't even test until 3 years old since the kiddos have a hard time understanding how to respond when they hear a tone. Were they testing for hearing or were they doing a test to check for fluid (an impedance test- http://www.audioconsult.com/tymp.html)?
I would go ahead and keep the appointment w/ the ENT. If there is chronic fluid in the eustachian tubes he could need something to help clear them out. (Rescon GG is available "behind the counter" and works great if you want to start something now).
Has your Pedi tried something like a Nasonex or Rhinocort for allergies? We have had amazing luck w/ that in young kids.
Good luck!
D.
As a deaf ed teacher, I wouldn't wait. If he is hearing impaired, you would need to start intervention now. Get the fluid in his ears taken care of, & then re-test immediately.
Good luck!!
Hi Shannon. My friend's son also failed his hearing tests around the age of two, and they discovered that he was born profoundly deaf. But, he now has a Cochlear Implant, and can speak, hear AND sign. It's awesome. Good luck. - M. O.
