Growing Together - Spring 2010- Page 4

Spring 2010
Vol. 34, No.2

Acrobat PDF version of Growing Together also available

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Together is published quarterly for parents and families in the Miami Valley
area by The Children’s Medical Center of Dayton. The purpose of Growing
Together is to show how
Dayton
Children’s
and families
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children healthy and safe.

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Together are available by writing to
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tions, One Children’s
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David Kinsaul, FACHE President and Chief Executive Officer

Vicki Giambrone
Vice President, Marketing and Development

Susan A. Brockman
Editor

Photography:
Tom Suttman Dayton
Children's Staff Photographer

Dayton Children's Focus

Dayton Children’s speech and audiology services

Living with hearing loss

Sarah and Jonathan Pierson of Middletown know firsthand about the importance of follow-up after the newborn hearing screening. The Piersons were referred to Dayton Children’s just over three years ago when their newborn son Jonathan – known as JJ – was identified with a hearing loss.

“It was terrifying,” says Sarah, remembering that day. “The people at Dayton Children’s tried to keep us calm, because at that point it could just be fluid in the ear.” After nine months of testing, including visits to an ear, nose and throat doctor (ENT), the Pierson’s realized their infant’s hearing loss was something more permanent. JJ was diagnosed with “moderate to moderately severe” hearing loss.

“Getting JJ’s audiology services close to our home in Middletown has been wonderful,” says Sarah Pierson. Sarah (L) with Jennifer Repka, a clinical audiologist, and JJ at Dayton Children’s Outpatient Care Center – Springboro.

There are three types of hearing loss based on what is causing the problem.

“When there is fluid in the ear or some other blockage, this is known as conductive hearing loss and can usually be corrected with some type of medical intervention, such as tubes,” says Jennifer Repka, a clinical audiologist at Dayton Children’s. She explains there are two other types of hearing loss – sensorineural (problem with the cochlea or the nerve in the ear) and mixed (a combination of conductive and sensorineural). These last two types of hearing loss will require some type of assistive listening device (such as a hearing aid) to enable the child to hear.

Jennifer has been working with JJ since he started using Dayton Children’s audiology services when he was 13 months old. “It was very tough before JJ got his hearing aids,” says Sarah. “We saw him missing a lot of milestones and could tell he couldn’t hear the vacuum cleaner or when someone was knocking at
the door.”

Jennifer notes there are some typical signs a parent should watch for to determine if their child might have a hearing loss. “Children who hear normally will startle at loud noises such as a dog barking, their eyes will widen at unfamiliar sounds and they will turn toward familiar voices. If a child does not calm down when being soothed, this could also be a sign of hearing loss,” she says. A child’s pediatrician or family doctor can also help families determine if a child has a hearing loss. Despite this, some children are not diagnosed until they start school, which can put them at a disadvantage.

The earlier a child’s hearing loss is diagnosed, the better. So much of a child’s oral communication skills are acquired while the child is still an infant. “Infants are learning how to talk and how words fit together when hearing conversations going on around them. We call this ‘incidental learning’,” says Jennifer.

Luckily, JJ did not miss out on too much “incidental learning” even though Sarah concedes that it was “quite an experience” having a 1-year-old with hearing aids. “It has been only recently that he went an entire day without touching his hearing aids. He used to take them out all the time,” she recalls.

“To get to this point from when we first started is amazing. The people at Children’s have been so informative and supportive. They always let us know what we can expect and that has made things a lot easier,” Sarah says.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about one in 500 infants is born with or develops hearing loss in early childhood. The experts at Dayton Children’s encourage parents to have their child screened early and to follow up if there is any indication of hearing loss. “It’s also important that children be tested if the parent notices any signs of difficulty hearing, even if the child’s initial screening showed no hearing loss,” Jennifer says.

Because early screening tests are not as comprehensive, they may not detect all hearing problems.

Sarah’s advice to parents of a child with hearing loss: “Hearing loss in a child is not the end of the world. JJ is still a normal active three-and-a-half-year-old boy. He has not been held back at all.” JJ is preparing to start kindergarten at Rosa Parks Elementary School in Middletown.

“I was a young mother when JJ was diagnosed. To have Dayton Children’s nearby has made a big difference. I can’t imagine not having the people and services they offer.”

Speech and audiology services available at Springboro location

JJ gets his care at Dayton Children’s Outpatient Testing Center in Springboro. In addition to the urgent care center, lab and imaging, the center offers rehabilitative services such as speech and audiology, physical therapy and occupational therapy. Currently appointments are available with little wait at this location for speech and audiology services.

If you think your child needs an evaluation for hearing loss, talk to your child’s pediatrician or family doctor about a referral to Dayton Children’s speech and audiology services in Springboro.

Dayton Children’s Outpatient Testing Center – Springboro is conveniently located just off Route 741 at 333 West Tech Road, 45342, 937-641-5725.