Possible Hearing Problem in My 4 Year Old.

My son failed 2 hearing tests miserably. We then went to an ENT and they decided to put in tubes--which didn't help him at all. But, we did find out through an ABR (auditory brainstem response test) that his hearing is perfect. He doesn't act like it, but we now know he really CAN hear, and we are probably dealing with a developmental issue, not a hearing issue. I suggest making an appointment with an ENT and go from there.

My son is 1 1/2 and I've already learned that as a parent, I can never be too concerned about him. I almost always go for a second opinion!

There is another type of hearing test that doesn't require her to respond to sounds. I can't remember what it's called but my daughter had to have it done when she was a baby. Basicly the machine sends sounds to the eardrum and it measures how the sound bounces back. Totally painless. Might be worth checking into.

S.

I'm with Martha. Do not wait on this. Go to an ENT and get her tested. They have different methods, one being in the sound proof booth and another that uses sound waves (kinda looks like an ear thermometer).

My middle daughter failed several hearing tests, but it turned out that her tubes were blocked with wax. She had to have several professional cleanings done by the ENT. She also had two ear infections that ruptured her ear drum so we had tubes put in. Fortunately, she didn't suffer any permanent damage.

I would say, why is it that you are waiting on this? I wouldn't wait at all. If your daughter has a suspected hearing issue, I would be making an appointment with an audiolgist and an ENT. Hearing is nothing to mess around waiting on, nor is any other developmental issue. You are lucky that she is not showing signs of being effected by a hearing loss, but imagine where she might be if she had no issue at all? Evaluation is a win win. You either walk out the door knowing that you have no issue at all, or you walk out the door knowing what to do to help you child, and if you really need to "wait and see" you know that this is the right thing to do. I just can't imagine waiting when my child failed a screening test desinged to give me a referal.

M.

I'm with the others that you should go ahead and call an ENT. They can set up a hearing test. My daughter failed the hearing test at the ped. She had already had a set of tubes so we knew she has some ear problems. After the hearing test with the specialist at the ENT, we learned she had slight hearing loss. We had a second set of tubes to try and clear up the blocked fluid. She does have slight hearing loss that has not affected her speech development but she does have trouble hearing some sounds. This is not to scare you, just to let you know that it is a good idea to get it checked out. The test is painless and very informative. Good luck.

My son said he could not hear one beep at the peds office test. He insisted upon this. I had the nurse put the headphones on herself and see if she could hear anything, and she said she could. So we made an appointment the ENT, and they do a great job there. They are equipped to do a thorough and accurate diagnosis. Before the test, the nurse noted his speech was fine.Turns out my son's hearing is EXCELLENT. It could be the headphones didn't fit him well enough originally. Though you have to follow up on this, don't worry!

Well - don't wait. You didn't know the hearing test would go like this, and you don't know why there were difficulties, so why not get it checked out right now? If the doctor says there's nothing to worry about, you've saved yourselves a couple of months of worry. If there is a problem, small or large, it's better to know and get working on it.

If you're delaying because you're concerned there might indeed be a problem (I do this with medical issues that dig themselves into my imagination), remember that the time to detect and correct a problem is when its smaller and easier.

Doctors do cost money (oh, you've noticed?) but we need to keep them in business when there's a need, and there's a need here.

Hope the result is a happy one!

The same thing happened with my daughter at that age. She hadn't really had a cold even, but there was maybe a little fluid in there. Alergies maybe? But the next time they tested her, it was fine. I'm sure the same thing will happen for you.

I have no advice as of yet but I am wondering the same about my 2 yr old. take her to an audiologist and have them test her they can tell you if there is fluid there. my oldest had that and got tubes and it went away. my 2 yr old has tubes and still acts like he cant hear. good luck your not alone but find an audioligist the sooner the better if you wait. it will take her longer to recover. just my experience.