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Toddlers: 24 Months+
Toddler with hearing loss?
Do any of you have a toddler that has a degree of hearing loss? My son was tested as an infant and failed the initial screening, but passed the follow up screening. We just had him screened for speech therapy b/c some of his sounds aren't as clear as I think they should be and he does need therapy. We had to take him to an audiologist and they just tested him again and said that he has permanent mild to moderate hearing loss. I feel like I got kicked in the gut because I really didn't expect that at all. He is being tested again and if it says the same thing, he will be taken to an ENT for evaluation and to go over hearing aids, etc.
I know there are worse things out there, obviously, and I am thankful he is a healthy little boy, but I have been worrying non-stop (my 7mo failed the hearing test twice as an infant before passing it too - so now I worry about him). Do any of your kids have hearing aids? Are they hard for a 3YO to get used to, use, etc. I don't want his speech to suffer, or his confidence to suffer as a result, but I just feel lost and upset right now because we feel like this came out of nowhere, don't know what caused it, want to protect our kids (from anything that will hurt them/their self esteem), etc.
Any feedback you can give me will be appreciated. Thank you.
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Re: Toddler with hearing loss?
I don't have a toddler with hearing loss but, I can give you the perspective of someone who WAS a toddler with hearing loss. Ultimately, the cause of my hearing loss was correctible while it's not perfect today, it's good enough to get by.
The only thing about the experience that damaged my self esteem was my mother acting like it was the end of the world. It was scary having the world go silent around me. Young children, when they don't know how to react to something, model their reactions after their parents. I my mom had been accepting of the situation and been able to act like it was okay, I would have been okay with it. Instead, she was crying or wishing it were different or anxious about it in subtile but, noticeable ways. If I had had support and reassurance instead of constant validation of the idea that it was a scary, upsetting problem, I would have done much better.
Little kids can get used to anything if you give them half a fighting chance. Make sure trips to the doctor and speech therapist are fun adventures that he gets to do not, anxiety riddled things you two have to do because he has a "problem." Make accommodations for him and make them fun. Start learning sign language as a family, make a game of it and at whatever cost, keep that sad heartbroken look off your face when you need to help him with things.
If he doesn't see it as a problem and is able to accept himself, when he gets out into the world, if other kids do try and tease him about it, he'll be able to deal with it. If you set up the idea that this is a problem then, other kids teasing will really hit home.
I'm a mother myself and I know this must be ripping your heart out. Expressing your sadness and fear in any way to your child won't help. He won't see it for what it is, a sign of how totally and completely you love and care for him and want everything to be perfect for him, he will see it as a sign that something IS wrong with him.
Looking back on it now, I can be sympathetic to where my mom was coming from but really, moms need to suck it up for the sake of their kids sometimes and, while I know now that my mom cared about me and had my best interest in mind, I really would have come through it a lot better if I had someone in my life besides Linda on Sesame Street who didn't think my problem was the end of the world.
My best advice to you is treat this as an adventure and sometimes a challenge that you all work at together. Don't treat it like a "problem." Really, at that age, nothing is a problem unless you make it one. I can definitely tell you from experience, being deaf ISN'T a problem, it's every one's reaction to it that's a problem.
Good luck
I'm glad I was able to help. A good speech therapist will make the experience of therapy fun too. I had a great one and always came home with stickers
Sending you big hugs.
Hi-
My DD is 2.5 and has moderate unilateral hearing loss. She has been wearing a hearing aid since she was 11 months. There are quite a few other moms on the Special Needs board who have kids with hearing loss. If you have any specific questions you can ask over there.
I understand how hard it is to know that your child may have to work harder at things, might have troubles in school and with friends, etc. As hard as it is, I know you also want what is best for your child too. I think wearing the hearing aids will actually help him develop confidence and give him the ability to learn all that he can. As he gets older if he did not wear the hearing aids, he would miss out on a lot of conversations between his friends and he might feel left out that way too.
My DD adjusted pretty well to wearing the hearing aids and at this point she has no clue that not everyone wears one. Her friend even asked her parents if she could have a hearing aid too because she thought my DD's pink sparkly one was so cute.
It is a little scary to have your 3 yo in charge of $6000+ worth of equipment. We lost ours once in a ball pit (found it later) and took a bath with it on before too. I think our biggest challenge with the actual hearing aids is the fear of losing/breaking them. 
Are you going to do the ABR test? I would also make sure that you see a pediatric ENT and audiologist as hearing loss in children is different than with old people, etc.
My DD receives IE through our school system. We go to a parent/child class one morning a week. She also has a deaf/hard of hearing teacher who comes to our house to work with her once a month. She has a speech teacher, but she doesn't qualify for many services, so she only sees her 4x year. Once you get the hearing aids, etc. I am sure your audiologist can refer you to similar services in your state. My DD is on track and will attend regular preschool and kindergarten. With all the help your son will get through speech and the new technologies of hearing aids, I am sure he will have the same.
Let me know if you have any more specific questions. Or you can ask on the Special Needs board too. Good luck!
Thank you very much. We plan to get the baby tested next week as well and am going to talk to our pediatrician about the ABR test, as we had a friend highly recommend it to us.
What signs did you notice with your daughter that caused you to take her to get her hearing tested?
Thanks again!