Hearing Update

Today was Brian's routine hearing test. We waited a little bit over 6 months because Brian's audiologist Shana was on maternity leave.

Brian was not very cooperative. They say this is typical of two. They were able to get a pretty good sound field test in which he tested within the same ranges as he always has. No change is a good thing.

They were not able to test each ear individually because Mr. Brian wanted NOTHING to do with the earphones or inserts.

However, they were fairly confident that given his sound field test, and his "phenomenal speech and speech recognition" (THEY ACTUALLY SAID THAT!!), we have no reason to worry or suspect there has been any change.

They were also impressed by what he did do in the sound field test. They tried the games like putting money in a piggy bank every time you hear a sound, or putting rings on a stick. When they realized he wasn't buying it, they got out the picture books and asked him to point out different pictures. This is done over the speakers at different ranges. He did this like a pro! They said this is something they usually do when children are four or older. He even repeated all of the words as he pointed the pictures out.

This was not a huge surprise to me as this is what we do all the time with Brian's book. He's always loved his books. I was surprised that he knew what bar soap was! He didn't know what meat was, but that's not a huge surprise since he refuses to eat it!

Before we left I asked Shana if I am being too over protective of his hearing by not allowing Brian to go places where it's going to be loud. Sometimes I feel crazy because people act like I'm crazy for not allowing these things. She confirmed that I am being completely appropriate. Because of Brian's hearing loss, he is way more prone to further hearing loss than someone with normal hearing. She said they make ear molds specific to a person's hearing loss that protect your ears and when he's a little older, we can invest in those so he can do things like see a movie, or attend a wedding reception! Anyway, it was reassuring to know that I'm not totally crazy. At least when it comes to Brian's ears.