my daughter maybe loosing her hearing... - Down Syndrome Message Board

kute_lil_mama · 03-12-2001, 10:52 AM

since birth, Kayla hasn't passed her hearing screening in her right ear. Last week we went in for a follow up, and it has gotten worse. They are going to do a test wednesday to see if it is nerve damage or something. They said that if she is not sleep, they will have to put her to sleep. I am worried about her ears, and I am wondering, does this mean that she is going to be deaf in that ear?

Bonny Granny · 03-12-2001, 11:19 PM

#### I know that each child is different, but the following happened concerning my grandson, Griff when he was almost 2. He had some hearing screenings and my daughter was told that Griff had only 40% hearing. It was suggested that we start teaching him American Sign Language, which we did. He acted as though he could hear everything though. Then it was decided to have another hearing test for him, only this time he would be sedated. This time he tested as having 100% normal hearing. So watch her closely to determine if she is hearing things or not. Sometimes the experts are totally wrong. Hugs and good luck to you.
bye, Bonny Granny

Karen Hauserman · 03-13-2001, 07:34 AM

We thought our daughter couldn't hear. We too started to teach her signing. The hearing tests didn't impress me. Her ear canals were too small to measure the pressure in her ear. I finally found a Ear,Nose and throat Doc. who discovered her ears were packed with wax. He took her into the hospital and sedated her to clean out her ears and put tubes in. Her hearing improved greatly. Good luck Karen

Tifferbelle · 03-13-2001, 10:00 AM

Audrey's hearing improved greatly as well when she got tubes in her ears. Now she is actually sound sensitive. Doesn't like loud noises. As a side note, we began teaching Audrey ASL as a baby not because of a suspected hearing problem but on the recommendation of her speech pathologist. She doesn't use it much anymore but it was a great help to her and to us in communication. Down's kids typically have a speech delay and it's a tremendous help to have them able to communicate. And contrary to popular belief, it doesn't slow their language development. Audrey's speech is better than average for Down's kids her age.

Karen Hauserman · 03-13-2001, 10:53 AM

That is true. Signing does help their speech. We continue to use signing with Heidi even though she can hear. She is 8 yrs. old. Her speech is delayed although it improved after the tubes went in. Our whole family was learning signs to help Heidi. We will continue to use both to help her communicate.