UPDATED AGAIN: C failed her hearing test

[hermione]

At preschool. She's 3.5.  We now have a sheet of paper telling us to follow up with our doctor and that she cannot enroll in kindergarten without said follow up. We have an appointment for January 4th. I haven't seen the paper but my H says it has no additional information. Just that she failed.

Relevant info:

She almost failed her newborn hearing test but passed at the last minute.

I don't feel like this is something we have missed. Basically, she seems to hear fine to us.

She's had some sort of cold for months - maybe congestion was a factor?

I guess I'm wondering if anyone else's kid failed a hearing test and it turned out to be nothing?


UPDATE: I sent H to pick up with some questions for her teacher. Before he even said a word, she said, "Hearing test questions?" It turns out 17/20 kids in her class failed the test. The teacher said it requires so many actions by the kids that most just can't/won't/don't pass. She didn't want her asst to pass out the results until she had attached a letter explaining but apparently the asst didn't know. Anyway, I am far less concerned but we will still follow up with pedi for complete peace of mind and because it's now required for her enroll in kindergarten - that part annoys me.

UPDATE 2: Not that anyone even remembers this but C hears just fine. Just passed the test at our pedi's office with ease.

 I'm still annoyed that the County Health Department did such an inappropriate test on 3yos.

[pooh8402]

The school (and newborn) hearing screens are just that--screenings. Congestion could play a factor, age can play a factor, distraction, etc. An audiologist will perform a more comprehensive exam. Don't worry about it!

[hermione]

Dec 22, 2016 9:22:15 GMT -5 pooh8402 said:

The school (and newborn) hearing screens are just that--screenings. Congestion could play a factor, age can play a factor, distraction, etc. An audiologist will perform a more comprehensive exam. Don't worry about it!

Thanks. I feel like a bad mom - like how did we miss this???

[broadsheet]

I'd go see an ENT. Dd1 had a severe speech delay because of chronic fluid in her ears and that was resolved with tubes + a year of therapy. The ENT said that absolutely affected her hearing and made everything sound like she was underwater.

[broadsheet]

Also was this a hearing test where she had to participate (raise her hand when she hears a beep) or one that requires no participation? (An audiologist can explain this better!) DD1 can hear just fine now but always does terrible on those hand-raising hearing tests for some reason.

[hermione]

Dec 22, 2016 9:27:17 GMT -5 broadsheet said:

Also was this a hearing test where she had to participate (raise her hand when she hears a beep) or one that requires no participation? (An audiologist can explain this better!) DD1 can hear just fine now but always does terrible on those hand-raising hearing tests for some reason.

I have no idea. We weren't there.

[pooh8402]

Dec 22, 2016 9:23:51 GMT -5 hermione said:

Dec 22, 2016 9:22:15 GMT -5 pooh8402 said:

The school (and newborn) hearing screens are just that--screenings. Congestion could play a factor, age can play a factor, distraction, etc. An audiologist will perform a more comprehensive exam. Don't worry about it!

Thanks. I feel like a bad mom - like how did we miss this???

Don't feel like a bad mom. I was FIVE when my parents discovered my hearing loss, and I'm profoundly deaf. It was traced back to my meningitis when I was 17 months old, so it was a good 2.5 years before it was discovered. 100% loss on my right side and 60% loss on my left side. I have enough residual hearing in my good ear and 100% word recognition (when I'm operating at 100%, no sinus issues) and don't *usually* need a hearing aid, so it was easy to miss in my case. I just adapted well.

I'm not saying that your kid is deaf, please don't interpret that. But don't feel guilty that your child failed a school hearing screen. Lots of kids do and have normal hearing. You didn't miss anything.

[winemaker06]

Do not feel like a bad mom! These things are so hard to tell. We think it was about a year between my hearing loss and my parents figuring it out. I know my mom felt bad for yelling at me for 'not listening' once they knew. But I don't remember anyway!

Like someone already said, screenings are just that. You'll get better answers from an audiologist, who will be able to help a lot more!

[sillygoosegirl]

Mine hasn't had another hearing screen since getting the newborn one (a bunch of times because it took her for ever to pass it).

But fluid in the ears and ear infections can have a significant impact on hearing. She has had tons of ear infections, and I've never had any idea. I always just thought she was going through a difficult phase or something, and then she'd get diagnosed at a well child visit and I'd feel like such a horrible mom. One of my childhood friends got lots of ear infections as a baby and her mom always talked about midnight trips to the ER, so kind of the opposite of not even knowing there was a problem. The way her language skills took off when her ears got better--even though she wasn't showing a delay yet--I'm sure in hindsight it was impacting her hearing.

Remember, they do screenings because parents often don't notice these things. AND because there is so much they can do about it if/when a problem is found (antibiotics, ear tubes, hearing aids, etc).

[pooh8402]

Dec 22, 2016 9:54:48 GMT -5 sillygoosegirl said:

Remember, they do screenings because parents often don't notice these things. AND because there is so much they can do about it if/when a problem is found (antibiotics, ear tubes, hearing aids, etc).

This.

[abs]

Don't feel like a bad mom. Just follow up with an ENT. They will be able to do a more thorough exam. Screenings are just that--screenings. Sometimes it means there is an issue and sometimes not.

DD has had tubes twice. Both times it was for excessive fluid causing her to not hear.

[hermione]

Dec 22, 2016 10:10:25 GMT -5 pooh8402 said:

Dec 22, 2016 9:54:48 GMT -5 sillygoosegirl said:

Remember, they do screenings because parents often don't notice these things. AND because there is so much they can do about it if/when a problem is found (antibiotics, ear tubes, hearing aids, etc).

This.

I get this.

It's just seems so off to me. I actually thought we might get something about the vision test since all 3 of her cousins wear glasses and have since they were about her age. This wasn't on my radar at all. One of her favorite games if for me to whisper something to her and then she has to run and whisper it to her Daddy. It's always ridiculous things or made up words and she gets them right all the time.

She does sometimes complain about loud noises but not often. I don't know - I was hoping more people would say, "Oh, my kid failed the screening and it turned out to be nothing."

[nomad]

Dec 22, 2016 10:18:48 GMT -5 hermione said:

Dec 22, 2016 10:10:25 GMT -5 pooh8402 said:

This.

I get this.

It's just seems so off to me. I actually thought we might get something about the vision test since all 3 of her cousins wear glasses and have since they were about her age. This wasn't on my radar at all. One of her favorite games if for me to whisper something to her and then she has to run and whisper it to her Daddy. It's always ridiculous things or made up words and she gets them right all the time.

She does sometimes complain about loud noises but not often. I don't know - I was hoping more people would say, "Oh, my kid failed the screening and it turned out to be nothing."

Not my kid but I was sent to get another hearing test when I was a little older than C, I turned out to have fine hearing just constant ear infections that didn't that I didn't complain about.

[hermione]

Dec 22, 2016 10:24:37 GMT -5 nomad said:

Dec 22, 2016 10:18:48 GMT -5 hermione said:

I get this.

It's just seems so off to me. I actually thought we might get something about the vision test since all 3 of her cousins wear glasses and have since they were about her age. This wasn't on my radar at all. One of her favorite games if for me to whisper something to her and then she has to run and whisper it to her Daddy. It's always ridiculous things or made up words and she gets them right all the time.

She does sometimes complain about loud noises but not often. I don't know - I was hoping more people would say, "Oh, my kid failed the screening and it turned out to be nothing."

Not my kid but I was sent to get another hearing test when I was a little older than C, I turned out to have fine hearing just constant ear infections that didn't that I didn't complain about.

This is C. We almost never know she has an ear infection until we're at the doctor for something else.

[CloudBee]

Who is your appointment with on the 4th? The pedi, or an ENT? I would try and get her in with the pedi before the 4th in case she has fluid in her ears.

Toddlers / preschoolers can be very difficult to screen for hearing because they have to be cooperative and very focused. The pedi should be able to attempt another test in the office, and if that doesn't work out (they have to be quiet and still) or if they don't have the equipment, most pediatric ENT offices have audiologists on staff.

It sounds like your preschool is fantastic if they're actively screening the kids for things like hearing! I'm impressed.

[carolinagirl831]

As an audiologist, I see many kids who do not pass screenings. A failed screening does not necessarily mean they have hearing loss. Sometimes it is a fault of the screener not properly placing the tip in the ear, ear wax in the way, or fluid or pressure in the ear. Sometimes, Kids do not properly respond or follow directions.

I wouldn't stress about it, just set up a hearing test with an audiologist and go from there. It can simply be fluid from a cold causing the issue.Audiologists also have tests that can be done without requiring responses from the child. 

[kershnic]

They did a hearing test at our two year pedi visit. Three out of my four ears failed. The pedi was not concerned. Which led me to question why he bothered testing...

[lilac05]

Screenings simply answer the question, "Could there be a possible concern with this child's speech/hearing/vision?" Just checking to see if it should be further investigated. There's a pretty good chance that you haven't missed anything. Like carolinagirl831 said, it could be LOTS of things. An actual hearing loss is only one of them. At 3.5, I'd be a lot less concerned than if she was 8. With a recent cold, that's another very likely culprit. I had to conduct a bunch of those screenings in grad school. We gave the kids about 30 seconds of instruction, "tested" their hearing for a little longer than that, checked a box, and sent them on their way. I'm certain there were lots of failed screenings that ended up being nothing to worry about.

Don't worry about this right now. Schedule the appointment and then forget about it until then. Easier said than done, I know.

[ilikedonuts]

It definitely could be nothing or she could have fluid that just never went away. My then 4 year old was basically deaf for over 3.5 months last year and we had literally no idea. The ent and audiologist were like this happens all the time at that age bc of fluid.

[hermione]

Dec 22, 2016 11:54:20 GMT -5 CloudBee said:

Who is your appointment with on the 4th? The pedi, or an ENT? I would try and get her in with the pedi before the 4th in case she has fluid in her ears.

Toddlers / preschoolers can be very difficult to screen for hearing because they have to be cooperative and very focused. The pedi should be able to attempt another test in the office, and if that doesn't work out (they have to be quiet and still) or if they don't have the equipment, most pediatric ENT offices have audiologists on staff.

It sounds like your preschool is fantastic if they're actively screening the kids for things like hearing! I'm impressed.

It's with our pedi. We are out of town next week and then my preferred doc is out until the 4th so the 4th it is!

I am almost positive that when they did the test was when she had a cold/ear infection so I do think fluid may have been a factor. Plus I had a cold at the smae time and still have a clogged right ear - which my doctor said could last up to 2 months.

Hopefully it's nothing.

[claudiajean]

If it's the ones that require a response, my niece failed at age 4 because she was an ornery child. Her hearing was fine, but she didn't feel like raising her hand that day. They did the one where it's not based on the child having to do anything and her hearing is perfect. I think school screenings are typically the response based ones.

Definitely go see the doctor, but I wouldn't stress in the meantime.

[carolinagirl831]

Dec 22, 2016 13:07:29 GMT -5 kershnic said:

They did a hearing test at our two year pedi visit. Three out of my four ears failed. The pedi was not concerned. Which led me to question why he bothered testing...

Well that is a little too relaxed... Unless he notably saw fluid at the time... I would at least get it checked  out. 

[kershnic]

Dec 22, 2016 13:25:20 GMT -5 carolinagirl831 said:

Dec 22, 2016 13:07:29 GMT -5 kershnic said:

They did a hearing test at our two year pedi visit. Three out of my four ears failed. The pedi was not concerned. Which led me to question why he bothered testing...

Well that is a little too relaxed... Unless he notably saw fluid at the time... I would at least get it checked  out. 

He wasn't really quite that flippant.  But the kids were not exactly compliant with the test, and he noted that they passed their newborn screenings and were not showing problems with language development.  I think he said they would re-test at 3.  I'm not particularly concerned, but will keep it in mind.  Which I think is probably not too far off from where hermione should be at this point.

[InBetweenDays]

DS failed a hearing test at the pediatrician's office once. I can't remember how old he was - either his 4 or 5 year well-child visit. They said it most definitely could be congestion/illness so they had us come back for a follow up after a few months and he passed that one no problem.

And FWIW, he's never had an ear infection or required any additional follow up beyond that.

[UnderProtest]

My kid was about to fail the hearing test at the doctor's office for her kindergarten physical. It was because she was screwing around and not paying attention. Once she was focused and could say "hear it" instead of raising her hand, she was fine. Stubborn little thing. Don't freak out about it, but definitely follow up especially if there was a cold/congestion.

[marie]

My 5 year old failed too, but it is because she is shy and just was not paying attention. She just did not care that this nurse, that she did not know, was telling her what to do.

[Deleted]

I have congenital hearing loss, and it wasn't diagnosed until I was halfway through kindergarten. My mom thought something was off when I was a toddler and saw I deliberately pulled people's faces towards mine, like I was reading lips. The loss is balanced between both ears so I adapted well. And I apparently figured out the basic hearing test machines (in the 1980s), that every time someone tapped on the bar I figured I I should raise my hand to show I 'heard' the sound; I probably just thought I was being a good girl and doing what people wanted. The school nurse finally figured that out, and fake-tapped the button to confirm that I was doing that. Then I went to a more formal testing center with the booth, where I couldn't really see anything to get a thorough test and diagnosis.

So it could be congestion, age, distractions. And at the end of the day, if there is a loss there is plenty of time to figure out the best way to give her any support she needs.

[statgirl]

I was six when they discovered that I have hearing loss in one of my ears. By that point, I had been to numerous ENT's for ear infections and had all sorts of other tests but it just wasn't discovered until then. I had adapted by that point – I knew that I could not hear on the phone from that ear but I thought that was normal.

[longtimenopost]

I'm sorry. Easier said than done but try not to worry until you have something to worry about! The pros in here have given good advice.

[hermione]

Update in OP.