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Failed hearing test...now what?
Apollo failed his hearing test in the hospital, and they said they'd like us to make an audiologist/ENT appt. by his one month birthday. They really didn't give us any more than to tell us he didn't pass; what should we be doing? Are there things we can do to 'judge' if he hears us?
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Re: Failed hearing test...now what?
Hi there,
My daughter also failed her newborn hearing screening. Most of the time, babies that fail do not have any problem with their hearing. They just have some fluid in their ears from birth. Friends of mine had babies that failed and have perfect hearing. My daughter, however, is profoundly deaf. We were not worried about her hearing because it seemed like she was responding to our voices. She didn't always respond to a loud noise with a startle reflex though. Sometimes she did, but it was probably from feeling the air from our hands clapping.
At our follow-up they repeated the OAE test they do in the hospital. He'll need to be asleep for this. When she failed that they checked her ears for fluid and to see if her eardrum was working properly (it was). They then did an auditory brainstem response test. They wanted to schedule this for a later date but I demanded they do the ABR that same day. I wanted to know what was going on with my kid. She showed no response to the highest level they test (90dB) so then they did a conductive hearing test. She still did not respond to sound, which means her loss is sensorineural.
Anyway, we were shocked and devastated when we found out she was deaf. I really thought everything we had dreamed for her was no longer a possibility. I was so wrong. She is such a wonderful, happy baby. We are planning to get cochlear implants for her (she has shown no sound awareness with hearing aids) and it's amazing what this technology can do. Very rarely, individuals cannot get CIs because they don't have a cochlea or auditory nerve. I hope she can get the CIs, but even if she's deaf forever I know she'll still have a great life. I just wanted to let you know that even if your son does have a problem with his hearing, he's perfect! It's also normal to feel sad. You can check out my blog if you'd like to read more about our story (www.cochlearimplantjourney.blogspot.com). Best of luck to your family!
My DD was a c-section baby and passed her hearing test in the hospital but on one side they had to repeat the test. I remember the lady stating that it is very common for c-section babies to fail the test since they did not go through the canal which helps get all the junk cleared out. I am not sure what the next step is but I just thought I woudl add what I was told.
GL to you and your lil one.
HI, This is my first post on this board. I have been struggling with my DD's hearing loss for 7 months now. My DD was also born via csection and failed her newborn hearing screen. Everyone told us it was just because she was a csection baby and she had fluid in her ears. She then failed her OAE at 6 weeks and again at 3 months. Then an ABR at 4 months indicated mild-moderate hearing loss (40dB in the left and 30dBin the right). I was still in denial as my DH and I as well as out entire families can't tell that she has hearing loss (because it is mild). We finally got her hearing aids this week and she is continuing to do well with them. (she was oing well before but sounds are defnitely amplified for her now and she smiles even more than usual).
I hope that your LO's 6 week OAE turns out just fine, but I wanted to give you another end of the spectrum as far as hearing loss (as opposed to no hearing loss and profound).
All of out LO's will have a world full of oppurtunity despite any level of hearing loss. Good luck and keep us updated!
Sorry! I forgot to mention...don't worry about it until you know for sure. There are so many possibilities from "normal" hearing to profound deafness and in any case there are plent of options and endless possibilities.
GL!
Please do not take the advice that "if your LO was a c-section baby then everything is probably fine"
This advice is irresponsible for anyone to give-especially medical professsionals! Unfortunately it is given to alot of parents, including my DH and I as we checked out of the hospital. Many parents then decide not to follow-up with additional testing and their child does end up having a hearing issue. This pushes back interventions by months and will delay your childs development even further. This exact scenario happened to one of the parents in our local School for the Deaf's parent group. Her daughter was over a year old before she got any aids or CI's.
Nate was a c-section baby. He reffered (i.e. failed) his hearing hospital test. We followed up at 6 weeks old and he was fitted with hearing aids at 3 months old. Being deaf or hard of hearing is NOT the end of the world. There are a lot of interventions out there.
I recommend going to a pediatric Ear Nose and Throat doctor, or you can see if your local school for the deaf has testing services at reduced prices. Many schools can also get discounts for their students on ordering hearing aids. I wish we would have done this because we probaby would have saved about 800-1000 bucks. Good Luck at your followup!