what can i do for my son who is hard of hearing

Cindy - posted on 08/07/2012

We discovered my son had moderate hearing loss at age 3 hearing sides will make a world of a difference. We had to switch doctors 4 times we even had tubes put in because no doctor could figure it out one lady even told me he was autistic. Find a doctor you feel comfortable with, it might take time but truth is with kids like ours we need someone we feel can be helpfull. I'm still trying to figure out when it is ok to punish my kid as well sometimes he just dosent understand what I'm asking. Just breathe it will get better.

Angela - posted on 11/10/2011

my son is hard of hearing but I have known since birth thanks to hospital screening. If he failed the newborn screening the doctors in the hospital should have referred you to audiologic testing!!! he should have gone to the audiologist right away shame on that doctor for not listening to you!! Definitely get a new pediatrician and its great that the hearing aid process has begun, it took me 5 months to get hearing aids on my son from fist to last appt. since there were some postponements due to fluid in ears, so beware it could take awhile. I can't even imagine what you are going through since my experience was different I was 35 years old at the time my son was born and had 2 other kids so I had at least that experiences, it is tough enough being a Mom of a special needs kid let alone being so young yourself. My best advice would have to be your instincts were right so far never doubt yourself again and when you know what is right for your son and a school official or medical or insurance official tells you no never back down find a way to get it!! Ask your insurance company for a case manager to help deal with all the appointments and special permission you may need to get things covered this willl be like ago to problem solver to help make sure all tests recommended by experts are obtained and covered by insurance just call the 1800 # of the insurance company and explain that you need this help since your son is hard of hearing and there will be alot to navigate. Consider sign language if you haven't already learned it, it will help greatly with the frustation and discipline issues that you are speaking of , look at him directly when you talk and point to your lips on the important words. Great DVD"s called Signing Time by Rachal Coleman you can try to get through your public library.A book that I realy like for adults is Talking With Your Hands Listening With Your Eyes by Gabriel Grayson. Sign Language has helped us grealtly and it is worth a try kids pick up on it quickly but speak when you sign very important to do both! I had the benefit of getting my son into early intervention at almost 1 year of age which was considered late since I too had a bad experience with healthcare when I was told his hearing test results were inconclusive, which lead to only going to a childrens hospital from then on, if you can go to a childrens hospital that would provide you with alot of support specific to kids. My best advice as far as school is never to put him into a class with kids with disabilities not related to hearing and speech, I have been lucky so far but the educational opportunities for my son are dwindling due to budget cuts so I may need to mainstream him in the 2nd grade he is now in Kindergarten. I was told from the start not to put him in a class with kids with cognitive delays and so far that has been great advice, get him all the support you can from the school district and the way to may sure they do that is by getting the state agency in your area that helps the deaf and hard of hearing and ask for help having him evaluated by a specialized study team and they may be able to send people out to help train the school stafff in how to be sensitive to your sons needs and how to make sure classrooms are soundproof how to hire interpreters and obtain equipment, etc. sorry if I have confused you with too much info, ask me anything you want anytime and stay strong for that little boy never back down you know whats best for him and you can empower yourself to get it for him!! My son is talking more and more each day and yours will be too! good luck

Leah - posted on 10/25/2011

That's awful! Sounds like you need a new pediatrician. All you can do now is continue to follow up with the audiologist andthey can probably give you local resources for kids with hearing loss. Good luck. Msg me if you have any questions.

Marie - posted on 10/25/2011

ive thought hes had trouble hearing since he was born because of the hearing tests in the hospitol he failed 4 times before passing but any pediatrician ignored me pretty much due to my age when i had him i was 17.... the audiologist thinks his hearing is something hes had since birth and it just upsets me so much he couldve had his help ages ago but no one would listen to me

Leah - posted on 10/18/2011

Hi Marie! I have a 3 year old son who was born with a progressive hearing loss. He actually just got his first cochlear implant a few months ago after discovering that his loss was severe/profound in both ears. I have to admit that it is much easier to communicate with him now that he has the implant, but here are a few things that I did with him before he could hear:
1. Always be very consistent, if he knows what is coming it might make transitions easier.
2. Facial expressions are also very useful with a child who has hearing loss. Make sure that when you are saying "no" your face matches what you are telling him, and of course always a big smile for good behavior :-)
3. Rewards are always good for good behavior too!
And remember any child can be difficult- But maybe some of the behaviors are simply because he is frustrated because he can't hear well, so it will take a lot of patience and understanding. Also if he doesn't have a whole lot of speech you can try some very basic sign language to help him communicate as that may help lessen some of his stress and frustration. It is definitely hard to deal with a child who can't (or won't) listen, but hang in there, it'll get better! Good luck to you! By the way, how long have you suspected that he has difficulty hearing?