Hearing testing for a teen?

buddscreekman

buddscreekman

New Member
Our 15 year old has always liked watching tv with subtitles. This was something we thought was just a preference,and then last night she came to watch a show with the rest of the family and a few minutes later,said she wasn't following it and left the room. I was kind of surprised since she had been looking forward to this show - and that is when she said she actually can't hear what is being said which is why she always uses the subtitles. Her clarification of this is that "I hear words,all jumbled together,and it takes me a minute to unscramble them or pull context clues as to what is being said". And she then goes on to say she has always done this and just hid it! She even went on to say she pretty much lip reads a lot of the time when we are talking! Of course in the span of 15 years we do talk to her,she goes to school....so I don't understand. How can she have hearing loss,but still hear,if you get what I'm saying. I'm just very confused about all this. Anyone else on here have a similar hearing situation and can relate to what she is describing? Also,her regular doc doesn't do hearing testing - any suggestions for a next course of action?
 
SoMDGirl42

SoMDGirl42

Well-Known Member
buddscreekman said:
Our 15 year old has always liked watching tv with subtitles. This was something we thought was just a preference,and then last night she came to watch a show with the rest of the family and a few minutes later,said she wasn't following it and left the room. I was kind of surprised since she had been looking forward to this show - and that is when she said she actually can't hear what is being said which is why she always uses the subtitles. Her clarification of this is that "I hear words,all jumbled together,and it takes me a minute to unscramble them or pull context clues as to what is being said". And she then goes on to say she has always done this and just hid it! She even went on to say she pretty much lip reads a lot of the time when we are talking! Of course in the span of 15 years we do talk to her,she goes to school....so I don't understand. How can she have hearing loss,but still hear,if you get what I'm saying. I'm just very confused about all this. Anyone else on here have a similar hearing situation and can relate to what she is describing? Also,her regular doc doesn't do hearing testing - any suggestions for a next course of action?
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Please do research on Central Auditory Processing Deficits and schedule her an appointment with an Audiologist that will LISTEN to what you are describing and do an extentive evaluation.
 
kwillia

kwillia

n/a
buddscreekman said:
Our 15 year old has always liked watching tv with subtitles. This was something we thought was just a preference,and then last night she came to watch a show with the rest of the family and a few minutes later,said she wasn't following it and left the room. I was kind of surprised since she had been looking forward to this show - and that is when she said she actually can't hear what is being said which is why she always uses the subtitles. Her clarification of this is that "I hear words,all jumbled together,and it takes me a minute to unscramble them or pull context clues as to what is being said". And she then goes on to say she has always done this and just hid it! She even went on to say she pretty much lip reads a lot of the time when we are talking! Of course in the span of 15 years we do talk to her,she goes to school....so I don't understand. How can she have hearing loss,but still hear,if you get what I'm saying. I'm just very confused about all this. Anyone else on here have a similar hearing situation and can relate to what she is describing? Also,her regular doc doesn't do hearing testing - any suggestions for a next course of action?
Click to expand...
You are describing my hearing...

Please, please, please.... make an appointment for her at The Hearing Professionals in California, MD... the hearing specialist there is super great and they can test her on site. I have 40% hearing loss in each ear which happened in early childhood from fluid on the ear damaging the nerves.

If she is hearing impaired she will get a huge jump in quality of life if she gets a hearing aid... she'd be able to demo them before ever commiting to getting one. Also, I've learned that BC/BS will only provide coverage for hearing aids up until the age of 18. Once over that age you will be responsible for 100% of the cost.

Hearing Professionals.... 301.737.4040

They have other locations but I truly love the tech at the California location.
 
S

SoMD_Fun_Guy

Do you like apples?
SoMDGirl42 said:
Please do research on Central Auditory Processing Deficits and schedule her an appointment with an Audiologist that will LISTEN to what you are describing and do an extentive evaluation.
Click to expand...

Yeah, It sounds like you should take her to see a specialist (audiologist) for something like this. Does she listen to headphones at all (iPod, etc.)?

Best of luck!
 
kwillia

kwillia

n/a
Nerve damage hearing loss results in loss of certain tones. That makes it hard to determine what is being said... hotdog or hotrod? Ship or sh*t? map or nap? It makes it hard to communicate so it is easier to just remove oneself from situations where one has to engage in conversation or pay attention to what is being said. A natural borne extrovert will live the life of an introvert in order to avoid dealing with conversation.
 
SoMDGirl42

SoMDGirl42

Well-Known Member
kwillia said:
Nerve damage hearing loss results in loss of certain tones. That makes it hard to determine what is being said... hotdog or hotrod? Ship or sh*t? map or nap? It makes it hard to communicate so it is easier to just remove oneself from situations where one has to engage in conversation or pay attention to what is being said. A natural borne extrovert will live the life of an introvert in order to avoid dealing with conversation.
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I too have hearing loss (mostly in my left ear) from repeated ear infections as a child.

CAPD will also have those same issues.

History: My son did not start talking until he was almost two. Rarely, he said words here and there. Then one day he just blurted out several sentences telling a story. Turns out he could talk, just chose not to.

Age 3. Talking with his sister and others, he would often mix up the words as you described. Listening to a story, he would hear car, instead of bar. Blue instead of clue. Etc. I had his hearing checked no less than 8-10 times at the doctors office. Kept telling him he had a problem. Passed all the hearing tests.

Mind you, alot of stuff happened in between, but this is the cliff notes verson

Age 5. Kindgergarten. Son comes home every day crying. Complains he can't hear. Complains the kids are too loud. They hurt his ears :confused: Can't hear, but the kids are too loud? Back to the doctor again. Finally got a doctor that listened to what I was saying. FINALLY we had him checked by an audiologist that did special testing and it turned out he did in fact have CAPD.

Get your daughter to an audiologist.
 
buddscreekman

buddscreekman

New Member
kwillia said:
You are describing my hearing...

Please, please, please.... make an appointment for her at The Hearing Professionals in California, MD... the hearing specialist there is super great and they can test her on site. I have 40% hearing loss in each ear which happened in early childhood from fluid on the ear damaging the nerves.

If she is hearing impaired she will get a huge jump in quality of life if she gets a hearing aid... she'd be able to demo them before ever commiting to getting one. Also, I've learned that BC/BS will only provide coverage for hearing aids up until the age of 18. Once over that age you will be responsible for 100% of the cost.

Hearing Professionals.... 301.737.4040

They have other locations but I truly love the tech at the California location.
Click to expand...

I made the appointment,she gets seen next week and I'll update you all on what they have to say! Thanks so much for the advice,I really wasn't sure how to take this all because like I said,she converses,goes to school,listens to her ipod,etc....so it seemed strange to me.
 
SoMDGirl42

SoMDGirl42

Well-Known Member
buddscreekman said:
I made the appointment,she gets seen next week and I'll update you all on what they have to say! Thanks so much for the advice,I really wasn't sure how to take this all because like I said,she converses,goes to school,listens to her ipod,etc....so it seemed strange to me.
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Excellent. I look forward to hearing what they have to say. Good luck. Hope all goes very well for her.
 
kwillia

kwillia

n/a
buddscreekman said:
I made the appointment,she gets seen next week and I'll update you all on what they have to say! Thanks so much for the advice,I really wasn't sure how to take this all because like I said,she converses,goes to school,listens to her ipod,etc....so it seemed strange to me.
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I had my hearing loss since early childhood and it wasn't until my late 20s that I decided to try a hearing aid. I functioned through life quite well, but found that the ability to hear all conversations was taking a major toll on my job because I'd only catch part of what I was expected to hear and tried to fake the rest or I'd have to constantly ask for things to be repeated which was frustrating for all parties.


Imagine looking someone straight in the eye and you only catch everyother word and then are expected to give a straight answer in return or go do what they said and you really don't know what it was... that is how your daughter is living day to day if the sound isn't clear.

If I don't have my hearing aid in, I don't watch TV with others unless captions are on. There is no point.
 
S

SoMD_Fun_Guy

Do you like apples?
buddscreekman said:
I made the appointment,she gets seen next week and I'll update you all on what they have to say! Thanks so much for the advice,I really wasn't sure how to take this all because like I said,she converses,goes to school,listens to her ipod,etc....so it seemed strange to me.
Click to expand...

You'd rather be safe than sorry. Good luck!
 
buddscreekman

buddscreekman

New Member
I should have mentioned another odd thing about this. I was talking to her just now and she quickly said it isn't a big deal - that it is something she only experiences with voices. She said voices are jumbled,but she doesn't have this problem with other sounds. Weird...
 
SoMDGirl42

SoMDGirl42

Well-Known Member
buddscreekman said:
I should have mentioned another odd thing about this. I was talking to her just now and she quickly said it isn't a big deal - that it is something she only experiences with voices. She said voices are jumbled,but she doesn't have this problem with other sounds. Weird...
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They will evaluate and advise.

My son could hear me just fine if I was looking at him and talking, but let me turn my back and add some back ground noise and I may as well talk to the wall.
 
kwillia

kwillia

n/a
buddscreekman said:
I should have mentioned another odd thing about this. I was talking to her just now and she quickly said it isn't a big deal - that it is something she only experiences with voices. She said voices are jumbled,but she doesn't have this problem with other sounds. Weird...
Click to expand...
Yep. Sure sounds like my hearing loss... also sounds like a teen who doesn't want to even think about wearing a hearing aid. :whistle:

If she doe find out she should wear hearing aids... don't feel the need right off the bat to buy two... the digital technology today is SO AMAZING that one is all I need and I have significant hearing loss in both ears. Insist that they have her demo ONLY ONE and also make sure that they turn on the radio as background noise when they do the whisper test so that your daughter can see what she's been missing all this time! If she needs one, she can get one that goes in the ear and is pretty much not even visible. Please don't let her not get one... it is a significant quality of life improvement to be able to hear normal and not what she has grown used to as normal.
 
buddscreekman

buddscreekman

New Member
kwillia said:
Yep. Sure sounds like my hearing loss... also sounds like a teen who doesn't want to even think about wearing a hearing aid. :whistle:

If she doe find out she should wear hearing aids... don't feel the need right off the bat to buy two... the digital technology today is SO AMAZING that one is all I need and I have significant hearing loss in both ears. Insist that they have her demo ONLY ONE and also make sure that they turn on the radio as background noise when they do the whisper test so that your daughter can see what she's been missing all this time! If she needs one, she can get one that goes in the ear and is pretty much not even visible. Please don't let her not get one... it is a significant quality of life improvement to be able to hear normal and not what she has grown used to as normal.
Click to expand...

You hit it right on the head. She said if she needs a hearing aid everyone will automatically think she is retarded. I told her look,you've been around these kids for two years now. It's just confirming a suspicion. :killingme
 
kwillia

kwillia

n/a
buddscreekman said:
You hit it right on the head. She said if she needs a hearing aid everyone will automatically think she is retarded. I told her look,you've been around these kids for two years now. It's just confirming a suspicion. :killingme
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:lol: :high5: They won't even see it. She will be absolutely amazed at how much she is missing out on! Just think of how many boys have said hi to her in the halways and think she's stuck up because she ignored them. :lol:
 
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