Better Hearing and Speech

May is Better Hearing and Speech Month.  With a hearing loss and a speech disorder, Kiddo fits both categories, and a month of raising awareness about hearing impairments and speech disorders/delays is awesome in my book.

But ironically/interestingly enough, this May is turning out to be a month of really working on giving Kiddo better hearing and speech.

Kiddo has had 4 (possibly more) ear infections since January.  Multiple trips to the pediatrician and ENT (ear nose throat specialists) have revealed fluid and pressure in his ears.  They said if it doesn't resolve in the next few months, we'd need to put in tubes.

We haven't had the greatest luck with finding helpful audiologists and ENTs in the area so I took him to a well known clinic about an hour and a half from us for a hearing test and to meet with a pediatric ENT.  And the kid who usually has perfect hearing in his left ear registered as having a mild hearing loss due to the fluid and pressure.  And his not so good ear, that normally registers a moderate hearing loss now registered as a severe-profound hearing loss.  Meaning the kid isn't hearing anything out of that ear, except the two lowest frequencies, which you don't really hear anywhere except in a hearing test.  Totally explains why I have to call his name several times sometimes to get his attention.  Or repeat commands to him over and over again.  Hubster and I were worried his comprehension was falling further and further behind, but now we think it is all related to his hearing.

Anyway, this info meant that tubes is the way we need to go and they need to go in ASAP.  As in Thursday May 8th at the clinic that has finally given us answers.  Keep him in your prayers please!

On May 14th (Apraxia Awareness Day!!), we'll get his hearing retested at the clinic.  See if the tubes restored his hearing in his good ear and moved the hearing in his not so good ear up to the moderate level again.  If not, we'll be refitting him to wear his hearing aid again.  (We stopped wearing his hearing aid because I was told by multiple doctors/audiologists that as long as he was hearing fine out of his good ear and at least moderately out of his not so good ear, he was hearing well enough to not effect his speech and language.)  If his hearing in his right ear is worse than a moderate loss then we'll gladly have him wear the hearing aid again.  Whatever we need to do to help our little guy be successful.

Will keep you posted.  Here's to better hearing and speech!