Possible hearing loss - what does this mean?

amother

Olive

Mon, Nov 06 2017, 8:31 pm

I just took dd to the doctor, (she's 4), because I was worried that she wasn't repeating the songs from playgroup properly. I knew that she wasn't hearing as well as she should be, and we put in tubes last year. She seemed to be doing better after the tubes, but now it was a few months later and I was worried.

The doctor did a quick screening test, and it showed mild hearing loss. He did not give me any information as to what this is caused by, or how to treat it - he just said - go to an ENT. Does anyone have any experience with this? What does this mean? What will an ENT do?

TYIA

seeker

Mon, Nov 06 2017, 8:40 pm

An ENT is just a specialist who will be able to answer those questions more specifically. All it means is that it's beyond your pediatrician's scope of expertise to judge whether the current hearing deficit is related to the tubes or something else, and whether anything needs to be done about it.

shirachadasha

Mon, Nov 06 2017, 8:42 pm

A hearing screen is designed to identify people who need a hearing evaluation. You shouldn't draw any conclusions from the screen beyond the need to get a formal audiology exam.

21young

Mon, Nov 06 2017, 8:57 pm

Mom of a hearing impaired child here. As others have said, your doctor just did a preliminary screening, it doesn’t mean much. The ENT will check that the tubes are in place and that everything is okay. To check if there is true hearing loss you will then be referred to an audiologist. The audiologist does a thorough screening called an ABR. Children with frequent fluid and infections sometimes have conductive hearing loss which can be mild to moderate, and is usually reversible with tubes, etc. Hang in there, sending you to an ENT is standard procedure.

amother

Olive

Mon, Nov 06 2017, 8:58 pm

21young wrote:

She already has tubes, and the pediatrician said that the tubes are in place, and functional, that is why I am worried. And the preliminary screening showed mild hearing loss, which is my feeling from living with her, as well.

How worried should I be?

L K

Mon, Nov 06 2017, 9:11 pm

I'm sorry you're going through this and I wish that it turns out your dd is ok.

Try to take one step at a time. First off, ent will check her ears. A simple thing like wax buildup (that is removed fully by an ent) can easily result in reduced hearing during a test.

After ent checks for wax, fluid etc you may be able to get a proper hearing test. And only then, knowing the results, take it from there.

21young

Mon, Nov 06 2017, 9:13 pm

amother wrote:

It’s impossible to say for sure, but you shouldn’t be very worried. Mild hearing loss is common in children who have lots of fluid, and even if the tubes are in place it can take time for her ears to clear fully. I would go into this cautiously optimistic; hopefully it’s just associated with fluid build up, but brace yourself in case the diagnosis is not good. Hope you hear good things!

amother

Olive

Mon, Nov 06 2017, 9:16 pm

21young wrote:

No, her tubes were in place for a while, and her ears were clear, no build up.

Is mild hearing loss something that just happens?

Thanks for responding, I AM very worried!

seeker

Mon, Nov 06 2017, 9:16 pm

Not any more worried than you were before asking the doctor about this in the first place. You still have the same concerns, he's just sending you to someone else to answer them.