My 3 Year Old Has Complete Hearing Loss in One Ear

We found out a few months ago that our son is deaf in his left ear. We believe he was born that way, so our situation is not exactly the same as yours. He is 5 and we are just now discovering this issue. This tells me that kids are very resilient and can adapt. He has compensated for this and it really is not a big deal for him. The doctors recommend preferential seating in the classroom, but they are not pushing any other treatment options at this point. But there are plenty of options out there - hearing aids, implants, etc. it's just a matter of what options work for your son. Our ENT is thankfully one of my best friends from childhood, so we've had hours of conversation about this and it has really put me at ease. Your son will be ok, this is not the worst thing that can happen to our little ones. Kids are amazing and flexible and can make the best out of any situation. Please feel free to contact me if you want to talk or want more information! Good Luck!

Hello, T.,

While I do not have a child who experienced sudden hearing loss, I did as a 15 month old due to meningitis. My parents were scared; they had never dealt with any type of disability and had no experience in parenting a child with hearing loss. My mother dealt with it by listening to her gut and listening to me and, when it came to my education, she trusted that she knew me better than experts and therapists. She became my advocate for equal access in the classroom and taught me that I was just as able as everyone else.

As the years progressed and my hearing in my good ear worsened and my eyesight also became impaired, she focused on what there was to do, what actions she and I could take to make the situation work. She worked hard to minimize the drama around the progressive loss.

She also was diligent with doctor's appointments and appointments with audiologists. She wanted me to know as much as I could about my hearing so that I could be responsible for my communication with others and know how to adapt to any situation. Hence, I was in speech therapy from age 5 to 18. I became an expert lip reader and body reader so that background noise would not be a problem for me. I wore my hearing aid every day - - no matter what. I also read a tremendous amount. The information and the stories provided me with knowledge and contexts that I could use to fill in the blanks when speaking with people about a variety of topics.

Ultimately, my parents kept my hearing loss in perspective. They knew that I would face challenges, but they also knew there were more severe challenges that others successfully dealt with. To their way of thinking, if those families can survive and the child thrive, then so could we.

I'm sorry. I too had to deal with this. I've never heard of having to monitor eyesight in connection with a hearing loss though. Can't be a bad idea to watch their vision tho of course, but I personally wouldn't worry a great deal about it.

What I do want to (strongly) encourage you to do is start learning sign language. Please. Best thing you can do for your child. There are NO limits to what your child can do, with or without hearing loss. The main barrier or handicap of being deaf is the isolation and communication barrier. So, go check out "Signing Time" (with Alex and Leah, by I think it's Rachel De Azevedo or something like that??) There is a whole series and I highly recommend this based on results I see from other people learning to sign.

Please feel free to send me a message, I am still dealing with hearing issues with my son (he's going into the 3rd grade and has experienced an increase in his hearing loss at the beginning of summer. No idea why.)

I myself experienced that when there was not much help or availability of hearing aids. IN those days they put me in front of the classroom. There is so much help nowadays, not to worry and despite a hearing loss, speech therapists help clear up faulty speech interpretations. I speak fine because I was a little older. I should wear my hearing aid (was able to get one as an adult) but haven't come up with the funds all the time and my last one is broken.

I also have never heard of problems with eyesight in connection with hearing loss. My daughter is completely deaf in her left ear. She isn't really bothered by it. She knows she has one "broken" ear and compensates for it by just laying on her other side if she's watching t.v. for example. We just go to the ENT once a yr. now to make sure the right ear doesn't get any worse. The only time she has trouble is when we're in a noisy place, like the pool, or a party and we call her. She sometimes has trouble figuring out what direction we are calling from. Also, once she starts kindergarten we need to put her in the front of the class so that she can hear everything the teacher is saying.

Yes-our 5 year old son has been diagnosed with near complete loss/nerve damge in one ear that will not be able to be fixed with surgery or helped with a hearing aid. I do not believe the doctors at Childrens Hospital in that I believe there may be some sort of help in the future for our little guy. I'm just praying that we can find out more at fridays CT scan and that it will be hopeful news. The doctors dissappointed me when they said right in front of Dylan he would never be able to grow up and be a plane mechanic or play in a rock band because he would damage his good ear. This is not true. Paul Stanley (KISS) was born without an ear. You cannot always believe everything the audiologist says and I will be seeking more advice from other specialists.