Baby failed hearing test

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amother

Pink

Mon, Mar 14 2016, 10:39 am

So my baby failed his hearing test three times in the hospital before discharge and we went back for a 2 week follow up today and he failed again. We have an appt for an audiologist set up for two weeks from now- but I am such a nervous wreck. Has anyone been thru this or something similar and have some words of chizzuk for me? Thank you so much!!!

amother

Seagreen

Mon, Mar 14 2016, 10:52 am

My ADHD kid tuned everything out and didn't even startle as a newborn, he was tested many times, we were sure he was deaf until he started talking.
My friends kid failed multiple hearing tests too.
Both These kids are teenagers now with no hearing issues at all.

mommy100

Mon, Mar 14 2016, 10:55 am

If you live in NY call Strivright they area jewish agency and school that specializes in children with hearing lost. They have a onsite audiology center that does all the testing as well.

amother

Periwinkle

Mon, Mar 14 2016, 11:13 am

Two of my babies failed the hearing screening in the hospital and then again failed at the pediatrician. It's important to note that these are screenings not tests. I took them to the audiologist and bh they passed the test. The first time it happened, I was also a nervous wreck.

madys

Mon, Mar 14 2016, 11:14 am

Hi! I was in the exact same boat as you 12 years ago.

My son failed the test in the hospital, and again at the 2 week follow up. After that, I was a wreck because it was pass/fail and he failed.

They then gave him an ABR (I forget what it stands for, but it tests the brain's response to sound) They determined that my son has a mild/moderate hearing loss. I couldn't believe it.

B'h he received hearing aids at 6 months and lots of speech therapy.

He is now 12 and you would never know that he has hearing loss.

He is learning the layning for his bar-mitzvah and doing amazing at it. He is smart and doing well in school. b'h he has NEVER been teased for his hearing aids.

Please let me know if you have any questions through this process.

amother

Pink

Mon, Mar 14 2016, 12:31 pm

thank you so much everyone for your replies... I am just trying to sort this all out... he is my first baby and this is after a very stressful pregnancy and traumatic birth via emergency c and 2 nicu stays... bh he is now healthy in all other aspects.. and to me he really does seem like he is hearing... he startles at loud noises when hes sleeping and looks at me when im singing to him and it calms him down... but I just dont know what to think anymore... Sad

wish I can get an audiology appt for sooner...

amother

Amber

Mon, Mar 14 2016, 12:46 pm

Hi,
Don't worry so much! Even if your baby has a hearing loss, it's not the end of the world. My 7 year old daughter has a hearing loss, and is BH doing so well, you would never know.... Her classroom has an FM unit which is helping the other students as well. With all the help available for the hearing impaired, it's barely noticeable in children who are otherwise healthy. Hatzlacha!

the world's best mom

Mon, Mar 14 2016, 1:13 pm

If he startles from loud noises, then I don't think you should worry. The newborn screening hearing tests are not always so accurate.

However, I do think you should see the audiologist, sooner rather than later. There is still a small chance that there is a hearing problem, and there's so much that can be done for that nowadays. The younger the kid is when receiving intervention, the better off he will be. And I agree with the other poster who recommended strive right- they are amazing.

finallyamommy

Mon, Mar 14 2016, 1:59 pm

I agree with all of the above - and no experience with kids yet but I myself have moderate/severe hearing loss and I do fine :smile:

amother

Emerald

Mon, Mar 14 2016, 4:15 pm

First of all, mazel tov on your new baby!

I am a specialist in this area (Auditory Verbal Therapist -- there are a few of us who are frum so I'm going anon as to not out my screen name), so here is my two cents:

First of all, hooray for you for following up! People will pull out stories of their brother's sister's cousin's uncle who failed a million screens and never had any problems or their little sister who never talked until she was five and now is a genius, but those are the exception, not the rule. You will never know until you get a full diagnostic ABR with a qualified pediatric audiologist. A pediatric audiologist is key. Testing children is not like testing adults, and the strip mall hearing aid center won't do.

It's also great to keep note of times and noises you feel your baby responds to and or not. But remember, just because the baby responds to a sound doesn't mean he's heard it completely or clearly. For example, I can turn my head because a heard someone talking in the hallway, but I may not be able to make out the message. A full hearing test will make sure that your baby is hearing sounds at all different loudness levels and pitches so that his brain is getting complete, clear information. Right now, his brain is forming connections that will help him learn language, so we want the information going in to be crystal clear. If not, the output (his speech and language) will not be clear. Good signal in, good signal out.

If your baby's audiological exam does show hearing loss, it's okay to grieve. Yes, there is so much that can be done and yes, your son can learn to listen and talk and attend mainstream school and thrive, but this is still an unexpected bump in the road, so be kind to yourself. And then... spring into action! Early amplification and intervention is key to getting the best outcomes. If you are in NY, I will add my vote to the chorus praising StrivRight (718-531-1800). They are exceptional at helping families teach their children to listen and talk. If you are outside of NYC, search for a Listening and Spoken Language Specialist, Certified Auditory Verbal Therapist in your area. Professionals with this training can coach you to help your son learn to listen and talk if that is what you desire.

If you would like to chat more or would like more information, I'm happy to figure out a way for us to connect.

Writergirl

Mon, Mar 14 2016, 4:19 pm

Oh! I've just been there...my 6 month old baby has hearing loss...gosh, I went through all of the devastation and pain but we are in such a good place right now, both with our baby and with our handling of it.

Please feel free to PM me anytime

amother

Teal

Mon, Mar 14 2016, 5:11 pm

I would say go with your guy feeling to soothe your anxiety for now. My baby failed even the audiologist tests (he's special needs though) but I never had a doubt that he could hear ....we just confirmed that he can...he's almost 2 .
Good luck

amother

Firebrick

Mon, Mar 14 2016, 6:05 pm

amother wrote:

Out of curiosity: why was he not implanted? Don't they usually implant younger than a year?

amother

Linen

Tue, Mar 15 2016, 12:48 am

My baby also failed his first two or maybe three hearing tests. We took him to the audiologist and got the ABR done and bh he passed that one. My baby just didnt react to the loud sounds. Maybe he was used to it? From hearing it's big brothers scream the whole day Dont know

they scared the kishkes out of me, because we do have some hearing issues in our family, and I was worried it was genetic.

Good Luck OP, may Hash-em give you strength whatever the result is.

amother

Pink

Wed, Mar 30 2016, 8:19 am

OP here.

I just got back from the audiologist... and they did a screening and unfortunately saw they he does in fact have some hearing loss... he is not profoundly deaf though BH. We wont know to any extents until our full diagnostic appt which is in 2 weeks. I am such a wreck Sad

FranticFrummie

Wed, Mar 30 2016, 8:37 am

Reach out to your local Lion's Club for the Deaf. They have tons of resources, and are amazing and wonderful people. My mother was a sign language interpreter, and I have profound hearing loss. I practically grew up in the Lion's Club.

Don't let anyone tell you that there is one RIGHT way to communicate. Sign language, lip reading, speech therapy, it all works together, or whatever style is most effective for you and your child. Some people are very emotionally attached to their particular communication mode, and can be very strident about it, unfortunately.

abound

Wed, Mar 30 2016, 8:43 am

amother wrote:

I don't want to hijack this thread, I would have PMd you but you are amother. Many children that are diagnosed with ADHD are really sensory which manifests itself as ADHD or they have both combined. People can go through life thinking they are ADHD when they really should be getting therapy for Sensory Processing Disorder. Tuning out or if a child seems blind is more of an indication of SPD than ADHD. Even if they are almost adults it is worth checking this out.

amother

Dodgerblue

Wed, Mar 30 2016, 8:54 am

amother wrote:

I went through this with my newborn child 18 months ago. A wonderful chassidishe lady saw me crying in the doctors waiting room and kept repeating " it's not a death sentence". At the time, and for many months after, I really did despair (my child appeared to have other delays and health issues, but BH those have cleared up).
Now at 18 months old and implanted, my child is an absolute delight. Bright, clever, responsive, charming, and beautiful...sometimes, I can't even remember why I was in such despair and mourning for so many months...

madys

Wed, Mar 30 2016, 9:02 am

I was wondering about you and how the follow-up went. First, I'm so sorry for you. I understand exactly how you are feeling.

Just to give you some chizuk, your baby will be fine! It's just like needing glasses, except it's hearing instead of vision.

The hearing aids today work so well.

B'H it was caught early, and with early intervention, your son will be fine.

amother

Pink

Wed, Mar 30 2016, 9:03 am

amother wrote:

Thank you so much for writing that to me. I am definitely feeling that despair you felt then. Stupid question but does implanted mean has hearing aids?

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