Hearing parents and siblings, HOH 9-month-old.

3littlemen

3littlemen

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Hello, all!

My name is Lauren and I have 3 little boys, Gavin (6), Tyler (2), and Grayson (9 months).

We found out at birth that Grayson may have had a hearing loss. He referred with the newborn screening, and he had the same results at the doctor's office 2 or 3 times. I went to an audiologist who said he detected fluid and that it was probably just from birth and to have the pediatrician give him some antibiotics. My ped didn't like that answer, so she sent me somewhere else. Did an ABR when he was 2 months old, and I was very shocked when they told me that he had bilateral mild-moderate hearing loss. I didn't believe it. We had spent those first 2 months making noises, etc., and he always responded. But we never thought much about it as far as him actually having a hearing loss...surely our child was "normal."

We sought a second opinion with another ENT and audiologist. The second ABR was performed under anesthesia. It also showed a mild-moderate hearing loss, moderately-severe in 1 pitch or frequency...I am still not educated enough on all this stuff! Anyway, that was a very hard thing to accept because the results were very different than the first ABR. The first ABR showed his right ear to almost be normal hearing, whereas on the second test it showed it to be worse overall than the left.

He got his hearing aids a month later and has worn them ever since. I have always been so confused about this entire situation, though, because of the differences in tests (even our parental adviser thought there was too great of a difference from the first). Of course, the logical explanation would be that his loss had progressed, but I was always confused by that because he passed the OAE the day before he had the second ABR. And he had passed another OAE a few weeks prior to that. So, he has passed OAEs and has two different ABR results...

We are now getting a third audiologist to perform an ABR and see what we get. I would have a much easier time accepting all of this if his results MATCHED or at least were very similar, but the two ABRs had up to 25 dB differences...and then the OAEs. I know it is possible to pass an OAE and fail an ABR, but my prior audiologist said it would be impossible for him to have a 60 dB loss and pass an OAE...oh, really...????? Because he did! She didn't know he had because she wasn't the one who performed it.

Anyways, I LOVE my little boy and have been very proactive in helping him. I just want him to get the best care possible. He has been wearing his hearing aids now for 4 months, and he seems to be developing normally. Makes dada, mama, neh neh, gih gih, lala, puh sounds, etc.

I felt compelled to introduce myself because I read some posts here where people said their parents had always taken their hearing aids off in pix. I think that is terrible! :( I NEVER take my son's aids off for pix. I mean, sure, it may be "better" aesthetically from a vain society's standpoint not to have them in the pix, but they are something he needs! I would never want him to wonder why we took something he needed from him for a picture...that's like taking a person out of a wheelchair for a picture...

Any input anyone has as to the weirdness of my son's tests is appreciated as well....here is a pic of Grayson!
 

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Thank you for share with us! It's quite story but I really like your pictures. So cute! :D

By the way, :welcome: to AllDeaf! :D
 
Thank you! :) I also feel like I need to add that Grayson has a reverse slope hearing loss. He hears high frequency sounds better than low frequency sounds, supposedly.

Grayson also has slightly anterior and tiny ear canals. I originally thought, after the first ABR, that perhaps because the probes were not fitting in properly due to their size and shape that that explained why he heard high frequency sounds better than low frequency sounds, since high freq are sharper and the low freq would be more subject to muffling if the probes were against his skin and not facing his eardrum. I called Vivosonic, the manufacturer of the machine, and spoke with the clinical director of training, and she agreed with me about it...but the doctors and audiologists say otherwise.

Grayson's bone conduction was also 30 dB, which I thought was pretty good...?
 
Hi and welcome to AD! Your son is so cute! I was born with a bilateral profound hearing loss of 110 to 120 dB. Same with my brother.
 
shel90 said:
Hi and welcome to AD! Your son is so cute! I was born with a bilateral profound hearing loss of 110 to 120 dB. Same with my brother.
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Thanks! Are y'all able to wear hearing aids and have them help, or do you have CIs or sign?

I am so glad I found this site, because all I really want is for him to develop language properly so he can be whatever he wants to be, and so often parents like me are told that hearing loss = special education classes and lack of understanding or talking properly. And I KNOW that is not always true, especially for children diagnosed early.
 
3littlemen said:
Thanks! Are y'all able to wear hearing aids and have them help, or do you have CIs or sign?

I am so glad I found this site, because all I really want is for him to develop language properly so he can be whatever he wants to be, and so often parents like me are told that hearing loss = special education classes and lack of understanding or talking properly. And I KNOW that is not always true, especially for children diagnosed early.
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I grew up with HAs and without ASL. I have good speech skills but the receptive end was difficult. I learned ASL 10 years ago and now it is the primary language I use. I wish I had ASL growing up but nothing I can do about the past. At least my brother did.

I teach at a deaf school.
 
What do you mean when you say the receptive end was difficult? Sorry, I am just new to all of this and trying to understand the challenges my Grayson may face. It is a little ironic, actually, because my mother-in-law was a deaf interpreter for years and years with Georgia PINES, which is the organization my parental adviser is with. I wish my mother-in-law could help us more, but she lives an hour and a half away and doesn't visit much.
 
Hi! Welcome to AllDeaf! I was born severely-deaf, (range 60-80db) but was not diagnosed until I was 11. I was given HAs (I wore them on and off, sporodically) but discarded them because of several reasons. They only amplified what I could already hear and the sound was very distorted (like a microphone cranked up very loud and screeching). They would whistle every time I went give someone a hug, and then when I lived in tropical climates my ears would get very sore and red inside and at worst, infected. I wore glasses when I was a teenager and the glasses cut into my ear when wearing HAs (another ouch). I am from a hearing family, my father, mother, brother all hearing; my husband and 7 children all hearing. I learned to read by my mother reading books aloud to me (and my brother) as a child. I would look at the pictures for comprehension, look at my mother's mouth movements and then figured out what the letters and words on the page meant. As well as that, my mother would correct my speech just the same way she corrected my, now deceased, brother who was hearing. She treated me no different to my brother or now her 10 grandchildren. I also started correcting my speech when at 7 I was in a mainstream school (oral only), reading the 2nd grade readers and saw that the way I thought I was speaking was different to the page....ie: 'de' instead of 'desk', so I began to correct myself with the help of my mother. I only went to speech therapy to 'iron out' my lisp. The therapist didn't teach me how to speak or read. Most people I meet who don't know me, would not know I am severely deaf. I have mastered the English language, both spoken and written. It is not without effort however. It still takes great effort for me to annunciate every syllable clearly. I cannot tell at what volume I am speaking. It gets very tiring speechreading and speaking day in day out but it can be achieved without assistive apparatus. If your son likes his HAs by all means use them, but if he shows dislike for them in any way, please don't force him to wear them in your concern for communication. Children naturally will communicate their needs, just be aware that his means of communication will always be visual. I did not have sign language available to me as a child, not by fault of my parents. Yet, I still used whatever visual means I could to comprehend and communicate. Speech-reading, body language, facial expressions, hand gestures (home sign), reading and writing etc. Give your child access to visual communication as much as possible. Get to know your local Deaf community, and continue here on AllDeaf too. Please don't just listen to the specialists alone, but also listen to the real life experiences of those who are living it everyday. That is my advice. I trust it is helpful to you. You have a lovely family. (BTW, I homeschool and have taught all my children to read and write etc, and they are all well-spoken from what I have been told).
 
Thank you, BecLak! That is amazing all that you have accomplished being born with such a severe hearing loss! I can't tell you how reassuring it is to see this forum and the posts from everyone and how well you all are doing. :)

I totally agree with giving him the "whole package" as far as language goes, and even though I have been discouraged from signing, I incorporate "milk" (or, in his case, boobie, lol), "more," etc. into our daily life right now...just basic baby signs. I really should learn more...
 
I encourage you to have more faith in yourself as a mother to teach Grayson what he needs to know to grow up to be a successful adult, just as you would with your hearing sons. Aim for more time with the family and out appreciating life out there than in therapy sessions and oral training. My advice, do not mainstream. Bi-Bi School is the best option available, if you need to move to be close to one then better while your kids are still young than later. Encourage sign language in your home even with your hearing boys and both parents. It will not affect their ability to acquire proficient English. You can interchange with both. That is what most Bi-lingual families do. When still learning you will find that you will use whatever you language you can express it better. The boys being still young may use English words sometimes and then code-switch to signing when they want better expression and visa-versa. It doesn't harm either language and long as there is free expression with both, the more you use a language the quicker you are fluent in it. If both English and sign language are used with equal access you will be fluent in both in no time.
 
Welcome, do be aware that with a mild/moderate loss he probably will not qualify for a bi-bi school for deaf.

There are usually many magnet programs in city schools for which he will qualify.

I am profoundly deaf and most parts of my life have been great. Just keep a positive attitude. :)
 
Signing can be wonderful for your famiily even if all your children have perfect hearing. Pick up some Signing Time dvds and get your other children involved. The sooner the better. Trust your mommy instincts and get second and third opinions whenever you feel the need. Great job being on here and looking for info, you're on the right track. Enjoy AD!
 
Hey Lauren, my 29 month old daughter also has a ReverseSlopeHearing loss - hers being Severe. She has now been enrolled in a Deaf program here in Mass. and is doing exceptional. We also have a 14 yo daughter with a Profound Hearing Loss. All I can say is stick to your guns in what you feel is the CORRECT desicion for you and you son, when and if necessary, being a "Bitch" is not a bad thing and only shows that you know the right path for your family to take. I too was confused by the Reverse Slope , until my oldest daughters Audiologist put it as so.......think of the Cochlea being a piano.......like a snail shell.......the lowest frequencies being the inside of the cochlea and winding itself outward to the highest frequencies in this "diagnosis" the outer shell of the "snail shell" is what our children are hearing, and the inner are the sounds which are lost to them.....I searched for weeks for info and couldn't find a thing until thankfully I went to the best resource I had in our Oldest Daughters Audiologist.
All the luck int he world..............and remember who our children are - is who they make us to be......stronger - wiser - and more effeciant w/in their world. Welcome to the Deaf World it is an amazing place to be!!!!!!
 
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Hi Lauren,

Welcome to the Forum! I have a CI but it's for those with a profound / severe hearing loss. And from what I've gathered, your child has a mild / moderate hearing loss right?
 
Welcome to AllDeaf. Those two photos of your son is so cute and sweet.

I was born Profoundly Deaf. I grew up with HA and BSL (British Sign Language cos I from England) even though I wasn't allowed to sign. My parents taught me to speak and they don't know signs.
 
What an adorable little guy!! Welcome, 3littlemen -- hoping all of these uncertainties become clear.
 
Hey Lauren! Welcome! I had an extensive post typed out and then my browser froze!
Grayson has a reverse slope hearing loss. He hears high frequency sounds better than low frequency sounds, supposedly.

Grayson also has slightly anterior and tiny ear canals.
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Does he have atresia/stenosis? I also have a reverse slope hearing loss. It's a weird loss....Like I can't hear thunder unless it's directly overhead. But I can hear females pretty well, even without speechreading!
totally agree with giving him the "whole package" as far as language goes, and even though I have been discouraged from signing, I incorporate "milk" (or, in his case, boobie, lol), "more," etc. into our daily life right now...just basic baby signs. I really should learn more...
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WOOHOO!!!! Don't listen to the people who are discouraging you from signing. Hoh kids have as much right to ASL as their deafer peers. Here's the way I view it. Most of the time, hoh kids can easily aquire spoken language abilty. So it's thought that we don't "need" :roll: ASL and Deaf culture and Deaf Ed.
Yet, we get a LOT of hoh as kids posters saying they wish they'd been able to learn ASL and been a part of Deaf Ed.
Besides, isn't it always good to be bilingal? Also, there's the fact that visual processing is a STRENGH for dhh kids. Plus, he'll be able to function fully both WITH and without his hearing aids! It's kind of rare for hoh kids to get a full toolbox. Most of the time, we just get oral speech and Hearing Health 101 stuff. :roll: ASL and Deaf stuff is a LOT more fun!
If you want to pursue ASL as a second language option, you can. Both Deaf Schools in Georgia (Atlanta Area School for the Deaf and Georgia accept kids with moderate loss.
So I would assume that Deaf Ed in Georgia is VERY hoh friendly.
 
Oh, and I do think that Deaf ed is becoming VERY hoh friendly. Right now it's going through a transistion...but I think by the time your son is old enough for school, Deaf Ed is gonna be pretty much universally hoh friendly due to CIs etc. Like early intervention and early grades at Deaf Schools are going to be a combo of Clarke School (without the 3 times a day speech therapy, but there'll still be spoken language therapy) AND MSD.
 
I agree with deafdyke. Don't listen to people who want to push you into an oral only environment for your little man. It's *SO* so important to provide him access to the visual language that is natural for him.
 
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