How Do You Know if There is Hearing Loss

[Country Kids]

I have a little one that I think has some hearing issues. Have spoke my concern to the parents as some others have.

The child cannot be quiet as in tone wise. Everything is either very loud, screaming or screaching! I honestly have notice that my own hearing isn't as good since taking this child on. They have been here almost two years. When its naptime, the child can't whisper talk but can only talk loudly. At the table when we are eating they literally yell yell over everyone to talk.

The child is three and just within the last 6 months started talking but seems to have trouble with making words.

Yes, I have suggested early intervention, having the hearing checked and the speech checked. They are hoping the child outgrows it.

I'm really struggling with the loudness because now that we go outside they are even louder it seems.

Anyone have any suggestions?

[SilverSabre25]

I'm interested in watching this thread; I had one little boy (who left recently ) who I was pretty sure had some hearing issues, and my 3 yo dcg I've been wondering about. She doesn't seem to actually listen to all of what you tell her...she seems to only get parts of it and acts on those parts. For instance, I told her today, "Please turn the volume down" after she turned a toy louder and she looked at me and set the toy down on the floor. That's just one example though.

[Country Kids]

Just bumping back up

[daycare123]

Has this child had many ear infections? I wonder why the parents don't want to have him checked out and just hoping he outgrows it? I have a 3yr old that is extremely loud also but i think that his is due to the fact that he is excessively hyper all the time!!

[KayB]

Here are things you can do to see (from personal experience)
1. Try talking to him in a normal voice with his back toward you while he is playing.
2. Cover your mouth with a paper and instruct him to do something. Both sitting at the table (one on one) also when he is playing.
3. Get flash cards of pictures out and have them tell you what they are.
4. Go to another room and call for him.
I am not sure how it is in your state but you could probably call ECI yourself and see what kind of help you can get him if he does show signs of hearing loss. HTH!

[countrymom]

I have noticed that children who have speech issues are very loud. If he goes for speech therapy they usually send them for a hearing test first. Also, if they have had alot of ear infections, they should be checked (or it can be alot of ear wax) I have a dcb who I think has some hearing loss and its because he has so much ear wax and ear infections, but mom won't do anything. But when I have to yell all day for him to respond then I know something is up.

[My3cents]

How do you know there is hearing loss?

Most obvious is that they don't look at you when you talk to them

When they talk words are muffled and not right sounding, beyond baby talk-

A child may ask "what" more then the usual or a word similar to what. eah

When you talk, the child will look at your lips not you.

A child will lean into you, or touch you as you talk. They are hearing the vibrations of your voice. When a child is having a hard time to say a word, I often will have them touch my neck so they can feel what the word sounds like.

a child will yell when they talk, or talk louder.

some kids will pull at the ears

hope this helps-

[Willow]

I have a two year old right now with profound hearing loss. At birth he was diagnosed as deaf in his right ear, hard of hearing in his left. His parents were not using his hearing aid when he started here because they believed he was being ridiculed by other children while he had it in. As a result they thought he was self conscious about it (it obviously wasn't him that had the problem with it as much as them). Except for grunts and wailing he was almost completely non-verbal and they hadn't made any attempts to teach him to sign. I let them know right off the bat but gently that that was unacceptable to me and it wouldn't continue here. I required they bring the hearing aid and that he start wearing it immediately. Popped it in the first day and he never touched it or seemed to respond to it negatively. In fact the child seemed to be DESPERATE to communicate with it in. He went from showing zero interest in other kids, zero interest in me, zero interest in communicating his wants and needs to talking near non-stop. Took me a looong time to finally start to understand what he was saying, and to an outsider he still might not make much sense but he's doing sooo much better than he was. He likes to focus heavily (read - stare) at my mouth when I talk, I think in ways he's trying to read lips now, so I use that opportunity to over enunciate every word. That too has helped him more accurately pick up on how to more accurately convey letter sounds. I sign main words when I speak to him and he's picked up on loads of those faster than I ever could as an adult . He is UNBELIEVABLY loud despite having the hearing aid. Was when I first met him and he never wore the aid and still is even with it in. There were a handful of times mom brought him after putting him to bed late and then letting him sleep in. As a result he wouldn't at all be interested in nap. If he could play quietly that wouldn't be as big of a deal, but he literally can't. Trying to explain to a deaf/hearing disabled toddler what a whisper is is pretty much next to impossible if not entirely so.



In hospitals around here all newborns are automatically checked for hearing deficits at birth. If they fail they are automatically rescheduled to have the test repeated with an ENT specialist (a lot of times it's just residual amniotic fluid, and they pass the second time with flying colors).

Do you know if this kiddo ever had such testing done at that point?

If he hasn't ever had his hearing checked, or if you're concerned I'd so much as demand they have him seen. Anything that hinders communication between a child and the world around him is a GIANT NO WAY in my book.

[safechner]

I have a two year old right now with profound hearing loss. At birth he was diagnosed as deaf in his right ear, hard of hearing in his left. His parents were not using his hearing aid when he started here because they believed he was being ridiculed by other children while he had it in. As a result they thought he was self conscious about it (it obviously wasn't him that had the problem with it as much as them). Except for grunts and wailing he was almost completely non-verbal and they hadn't made any attempts to teach him to sign. I let them know right off the bat but gently that that was unacceptable to me and it wouldn't continue here. I required they bring the hearing aid and that he start wearing it immediately. Popped it in the first day and he never touched it or seemed to respond to it negatively. In fact the child seemed to be DESPERATE to communicate with it in. He went from showing zero interest in other kids, zero interest in me, zero interest in communicating his wants and needs to talking near non-stop. Took me a looong time to finally start to understand what he was saying, and to an outsider he still might not make much sense but he's doing sooo much better than he was. He likes to focus heavily (read - stare) at my mouth when I talk, I think in ways he's trying to read lips now, so I use that opportunity to over enunciate every word. That too has helped him more accurately pick up on how to more accurately convey letter sounds. I sign main words when I speak to him and he's picked up on loads of those faster than I ever could as an adult . He is UNBELIEVABLY loud despite having the hearing aid. Was when I first met him and he never wore the aid and still is even with it in. There were a handful of times mom brought him after putting him to bed late and then letting him sleep in. As a result he wouldn't at all be interested in nap. If he could play quietly that wouldn't be as big of a deal, but he literally can't. Trying to explain to a deaf/hearing disabled toddler what a whisper is is pretty much next to impossible if not entirely so.



In hospitals around here all newborns are automatically checked for hearing deficits at birth. If they fail they are automatically rescheduled to have the test repeated with an ENT specialist (a lot of times it's just residual amniotic fluid, and they pass the second time with flying colors).

Do you know if this kiddo ever had such testing done at that point?

If he hasn't ever had his hearing checked, or if you're concerned I'd so much as demand they have him seen. Anything that hinders communication between a child and the world around him is a GIANT NO WAY in my book.

I have to say I disagree with you. YOU CANNOT force a child to wear hearing aid if he don't want to. Seriously! If you have a hard time to understand him and then you can pick your hands to use sign language. That is simple!

I have an 11 year old daughter who is profoundly deaf and I tried to get her to wear hearing aids when she was an infant and she was not interested at all. She haven't wore it since she was a baby. My husband and I were not going to force her to wear hearing aids. I want her to be happy who she is, that is it.

I am deaf myself but I do wear hearing aid in my left ear because I like to hear everything. I can speak very well and hear very well but that was my decision. Not all deaf or hard of hearing people are the same.

[Willow]

I have to say I disagree with you. YOU CANNOT force a child to wear hearing aid if he don't want to. Seriously! If you have a hard time to understand him and then you can pick your hands to use sign language. That is simple!

I have an 11 year old daughter who is profoundly deaf and I tried to get her to wear hearing aids when she was an infant and she was not interested at all. She haven't wore it since she was a baby. My husband and I were not going to force her to wear hearing aids. I want her to be happy who she is, that is it.

I am deaf myself but I do wear hearing aid in my left ear because I like to hear everything. I can speak very well and hear very well but that was my decision. Not all deaf or hard of hearing people are the same.

I never once suggested forcing a child to wear a hearing aid. What I insisted on was the parents allowing him to try.

*He* never once had an issue with his hearing aid. *They thought* simply because other children were curious and pointed it out when he wore it that that would hurt his feelings and he would feel ostracized. At age one. And that's why they were keeping him from using one.


I did "pick up my hands" to use sign language with him, thank you. Which was another communication route *his parents* refused to utilize - not him or I. We are quite proficient at this point and it's AWESOME! They were content with him not having *ANY* means to communicate and no, that was not ok with me nor would it ever be. The child was obviously desperate to connect, and I'm glad my persistence convinced his parents to open up his world beyond what they were initially comfortable with.


After seeing his progress his parents have thankfully become his biggest advocates. They were the ones that needed help accepting him for who he was and learning to work with his disability instead of ignoring it altogether. Not me. Now they work with me and his transformation has been astonishing and humbling to watch. He is a completely different kid since they stopped projecting their feelings onto him, assuming he was feeling the same way they were, or the same way they thought the world must be feeling about him. Instead they now focus on how HE feels, and what HE needs to succeed. I am so proud of their entire family for that.


If he wouldn't have liked his aid I would have pushed signing.

If he wouldn't have liked signing I would have pushed the aid.

If he wouldn't have liked or accepted either I would have pushed other interventions because not having any desire to communicate means something is wrong there.

Him not communicating at all was my only concern. When he got upset I'd literally have to run through guessing his potential needs and wants as if he were an infant because he wouldn't even TRY to convey them. That's not normal and I will repeat, it will never be ok with me for the kids in my care. If there was an underlying issue that causes a child to reject all communication (like autism) then I'd demand that be addressed in an appropriate way also. Simply doing nothing in situations like that is unacceptable.

[safechner]

I never once suggested forcing a child to wear a hearing aid. What I insisted on was the parents allowing him to try.

*He* never once had an issue with his hearing aid. *They thought* simply because other children were curious and pointed it out when he wore it that that would hurt his feelings and he would feel ostracized. At age one. And that's why they were keeping him from using one.


I did "pick up my hands" to use sign language with him, thank you. Which was another communication route *his parents* refused to utilize - not him or I. We are quite proficient at this point and it's AWESOME! They were content with him not having *ANY* means to communicate and no, that was not ok with me nor would it ever be. The child was obviously desperate to connect, and I'm glad my persistence convinced his parents to open up his world beyond what they were initially comfortable with.


After seeing his progress his parents have thankfully become his biggest advocates. They were the ones that needed help accepting him for who he was and learning to work with his disability instead of ignoring it altogether. Not me. Now they work with me and his transformation has been astonishing and humbling to watch. He is a completely different kid since they stopped projecting their feelings onto him, assuming he was feeling the same way they were, or the same way they thought the world must be feeling about him. Instead they now focus on how HE feels, and what HE needs to succeed. I am so proud of their entire family for that.


If he wouldn't have liked his aid I would have pushed signing.

If he wouldn't have liked signing I would have pushed the aid.

If he wouldn't have liked or accepted either I would have pushed other interventions because not having any desire to communicate means something is wrong there.

Him not communicating at all was my only concern. When he got upset I'd literally have to run through guessing his potential needs and wants as if he were an infant because he wouldn't even TRY to convey them. That's not normal and I will repeat, it will never be ok with me for the kids in my care. If there was an underlying issue that causes a child to reject all communication (like autism) then I'd demand that be addressed in an appropriate way also. Simply doing nothing in situations like that is unacceptable.

Well, your word ". I required they bring the hearing aid and that he start wearing it immediately. " That sounds like you are forcing him to wear hearing aid to me.

I am glad you are learning sign language. It sounds like he hasn't been around deaf peers just yet. He should be in preschool when he will be three years old but he can enroll at 2 1/2 years old if he is behind sign language or speech. Does he have help like ECI or something else in Minnesota. He would need to get involved deaf education so he can learn about deaf community.

My mother found out that I am deaf when I was two years old. I was born deaf but she doesn't know all along until she had concerned when she tried to call my name a few times. My mother told me that I do speak but I do speak very loud like mama, no, a few foul words (learning from my many cousins), bye, and hi. I can hear a little without wearing hearing aids. I learned sign language quickly when I was two years old that my mom sent me to preschool with deaf peers. When I was 7 years old, I was very interested to learn speech so I asked my mother to send me speech therapy daily.

About my daughter. It is totally different story. She is still not interested to learn speech or hear just yet. I think she likes the way she is now, I guess. She loves to be involved deaf community. We are different.


I would recommend to buy signing time dvd or his parents to buy it so your boy will love it. Check it out www.signingtime.com It is quite expensive but it is worth to it.

Please don't push him whatever he needs to do. He would need to get some help so he can decided what he wants. Maybe he will learn speech in later time if he wants to. I am sure he is new environment but please give him some time.

[Willow]

Well, your word ". I required they bring the hearing aid and that he start wearing it immediately. " That sounds like you are forcing him to wear hearing aid to me.

I am glad you are learning sign language. It sounds like he hasn't been around deaf peers just yet. He should be in preschool when he will be three years old but he can enroll at 2 1/2 years old if he is behind sign language or speech. Does he have help like ECI or something else in Minnesota. He would need to get involved deaf education so he can learn about deaf community.

My mother found out that I am deaf when I was two years old. I was born deaf but she doesn't know all along until she had concerned when she tried to call my name a few times. My mother told me that I do speak but I do speak very loud like mama, no, a few foul words (learning from my many cousins), bye, and hi. I can hear a little without wearing hearing aids. I learned sign language quickly when I was two years old that my mom sent me to preschool with deaf peers. When I was 7 years old, I was very interested to learn speech so I asked my mother to send me speech therapy daily.

About my daughter. It is totally different story. She is still not interested to learn speech or hear just yet. I think she likes the way she is now, I guess. She loves to be involved deaf community. We are different.


I would recommend to buy signing time dvd or his parents to buy it so your boy will love it. Check it out www.signingtime.com It is quite expensive but it is worth to it.

Please don't push him whatever he needs to do. He would need to get some help so he can decided what he wants. Maybe he will learn speech in later time if he wants to. I am sure he is new environment but please give him some time.

I don't understand where our miscommunication is coming from


I'm not forcing language or speaking on him, nor has he interpreted any of what we've done that way. What I have ENCOURAGED is communication, and that is essential for most children to thrive in life. He had the WANT to learn to communicate in many ways, he just had never been encouraged or given the opportunity to.

He LOVES to talk now that he understands when he does, he's able to communicate what he needs and wants.

He LOVES to sign now that he understands when he does, he's able to communicate what he needs and wants.


I already know how to sign quite proficiently, all thanks to my high school offering ASL as a foreign language along with Spanish, French and German. I opted to take that and got four years under my belt. I expanded on that when many of my fosters came to me non-verbal, some were much more comfortable signing than speaking, and that was fine with me. I got loads of help from a friend of mine who currently teaches at MSAD. I am familiar with signingtime and have recommended it to the parents before

He is in both speech and occupational therapy due to what were identified as global delays via the birth-three program available in MN. He has been making huge leaps in catching up with their help.

We do live in very rural MN, and no, at two he hasn't been exposed to many (if any?) other deaf children yet because quite frankly, there aren't many if any others his age around. I'm not sure at what point that'll happen, and it will be his parents responsibility to teach him to embrace that side of who he is. I agree it'll be important. But right now just the fact that he's finally able to interact with other children and adults, deaf or not, is a giant step in the right direction.


I am very proud of what we've been able to accomplish.



I am sorry countrykids for the birdwalk here. I hope you're able to sort out what's up with your kiddo. I would not be ok with accepting a hope that he simply grows out of what he's experiencing. I fully understand how frustrating that must be when your gut tells you something is up and the parents don't agree.

[Willow]

To address this specifically:

Well, your word ". I required they bring the hearing aid and that he start wearing it immediately. " That sounds like you are forcing him to wear hearing aid to me.

I required that they bring the hearing aid and that he start wearing it immediately was based on the fact that the parents told me they stopped letting him use it because they thought he was embarrassed by it simply because other children were curious about it.

They stopped using it:

Not because it hurt him.

Not because he hated it.

Not because he rejected the sound.

But because of how *they* perceived a one year old having emotions that one year olds aren't capable of having. It was *their* feelings. *They* were bothered by it.

Not him.


They didn't mean any intentional harm, but it was straight bologna that when taking it out of his life they didn't replace it with another way for him to communicate with the world. Essentially they isolated him by choice, and again, that's not ok.

I'm glad they very quickly saw the light and now see what an asset communication is to him in his life.

[safechner]

To address this specifically:



I required that they bring the hearing aid and that he start wearing it immediately was based on the fact that the parents told me they stopped letting him use it because they thought he was embarrassed by it simply because other children were curious about it.

They stopped using it:

Not because it hurt him.

Not because he hated it.

Not because he rejected the sound.

But because of how *they* perceived a one year old having emotions that one year olds aren't capable of having. It was *their* feelings. *They* were bothered by it.

Not him.


They didn't mean any intentional harm, but it was straight bologna that when taking it out of his life they didn't replace it with another way for him to communicate with the world. Essentially they isolated him by choice, and again, that's not ok.

I'm glad they very quickly saw the light and now see what an asset communication is to him in his life.

It sounds like it is new to his parents about deaf/HOH world, I guess. I do know there are so many hearing parents don't want anyone knows or embarrassed about their child/ren deaf or HOH. To be honest, what is the point? No one perfects!!

Some of parents are very lucky that they are willing to learn sign language so they will be able to communicate with their children. Many deaf kids cannot stand of their parents who don't know sign language and they don't talk to their parents at all. I do feel bad for the parents but I don't blame on them not being want to be with their parents.

I love my parents but I don't talk to my parents very often. We live 750 miles apart. My mom knows basic sign language but she is working so hard to learn more sign language to communicate with her granddaughter who don't speak like me.

My husband is hearing but he is fluent in asl that I taught him when we got together. He is a sweetheart! Our daughter is very lucky to have us because she is able to use communicate with us and her little sister. We love her so much so we want to be there for her no matter what. We will fight anything for her and her rights.

[My3cents]

It sounds like it is new to his parents about deaf/HOH world, I guess. I do know there are so many hearing parents don't want anyone knows or embarrassed about their child/ren deaf or HOH. To be honest, what is the point? No one perfects!!

Some of parents are very lucky that they are willing to learn sign language so they will be able to communicate with their children. Many deaf kids cannot stand of their parents who don't know sign language and they don't talk to their parents at all. I do feel bad for the parents but I don't blame on them not being want to be with their parents.

I love my parents but I don't talk to my parents very often. We live 750 miles apart. My mom knows basic sign language but she is working so hard to learn more sign language to communicate with her granddaughter who don't speak like me.

My husband is hearing but he is fluent in asl that I taught him when we got together. He is a sweetheart! Our daughter is very lucky to have us because she is able to use communicate with us and her little sister. We love her so much so we want to be there for her no matter what. We will fight anything for her and her rights.

Computers are so helpful. 750 miles should not keep you from being able to keep in touch. Try skyping or facetime- If she can't sign, she can write and you can respond- you would be seeing each other- how cool is that

I agree with Willow here- it is our job to do everything we can to help our kiddo's grow. Sometimes parents are just scared and for many reasons. The younger years are when so much growth happens it is here that you want to catch issues and start to fix them. Their minds are like sponges during these early years and they want to take it all in. You don't wait until the child is decides-

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