My 8 Year Old Failed His Hearing Test

M., the suggestion to get to an ENT for a more comprehensive hearing test is spot on. You son also needs a tympanogram, which measures the pressure on each side of his eardrums.

I'm glad that AG mentioned the possibility of seizures. People usually just think of the grande mal seizures that you can see. Petite mal seizures are not readily apparent, and sometimes just look like someone is 'zoning out'. If you find out that there is no hearing problem from the ENT, get to a pediatric neurologist. This is important to suss out.

Meanwhile, touch your son instead of yelling at him. That should get his attention if there is a problem with his hearing.

Best to you,
D.

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I am a school nurse and perform the hearing screens at the private school I work at. If the nurse in the school office performed the test, it was ONLY a screen, meaning further evaluation is needed. Does your son have colds or congestion often? Fluid in the ears from these problems can cause a child to fail a hearing screen and/or not hear well in class or at home. Does he have a history of ear infections? This too may be a factor. Your Doctor will probably perform a screen in the office and if your son fails make sure you get a referral to an ENT (ear nose throat) Doc for pediatrics. There are more specific non-invasive tests that can be done to rule out or diagnose hearing problems. Good luck!

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Get him in to see the doctor for another hearing test. They can do things differently than the school tests.
A lot of different things can affect the ears. Sinus pressure for one thing. Swollen tonsils for another.
I'm no doctor, but I work at a hospital around them all day long and you just need to get your son checked out more thoroughly.
I work in a maternity ward and many of the babies don't pass their hearing tests the first time. Or, they'll pass in one ear and not the other.
They always screen them again just before they are sent home and almost always, they pass.
Please try not to be too worried until you get a more thorough exam.
And, get it done soon.

Best wishes.

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I would be running to the doctor's for that.
My son is 10 and has had repeated ear infections during his first four years. He can pass the tests but when there is a lot of noise in the room, or too much going on he cannot hear me. He can't make out the differences in sounds.
When you need to talk to him get in his face, and look at him, then ask him to do what you need him to do. Make sure also that the tv is off or turned down.

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I know it's difficult to find out that a part of your son's body that previously was working may not be anymore. But deaf culture and sign language are rich resources out there that can support your son and your whole family if the hearing loss is long term. One thing to keep in mind is that your son didn't "fail" his hearing test. It's nothing he did wrong. See it instead as a tool to help him. And, yes, you are on the right track with having called the pediatrician. As other moms have said, a much more thorough evaluation is in order.
Meanwhile, try talking to your son face to face. He may have instinctively learned to lip read, a real sign of strength, resilience, and intelligence if he did. He also may be able to describe his own experiences. I would even recommend doing it one on one before you have him see the doctor.
Also, try to let go/forgive the frustration of his acting out. My guess is that it was his young way of telling you he needed something, perhaps without knowing himself what it was.
Good luck to you, your son, and your whole family.

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This happened to my girlfriend and they found out she was having these seizures where she would just zone out and not hear, apparently its pretty common in children and goes undetected and they grow out of it. Im sure your Dr can advise you on where to begin. I would also talk to your son and really listen to what he shares, he may really not be hearing you.

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Loss of hearing or hearing issues do NOT have to be visible. There are some excellent small hearing aids available.

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Has he lost a bunch of teeth lately? I know it sounds weird, but we were at a science museum last weekend and saw an exhibit on hearing loss. Apparently your teeth have been found to aid in hearing much more than scientists had previously thought. Ergo, when you lose teeth, you don't hear as well. (Who knew?)

But I agree - could be a sinus infection, ear wax, or anything else. Definitely have his pedi check him over.

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he could have failed the exam due to the following: build up of ear wax, ear infection, or has a hearing loss. depending on the degree of loss....he still can hear. a lot of school work in 1st grade is visual...the board, reading, etc...he has the visual cues there for him..also, there is more chit chatting in 1st vs. 2nd grade....so he might have be getting help from other students and it appeared normal...versus in 2nd grade it appears disruptive. have the dr. check his hearing...or get him evaluated from an audiologist.

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We have a family friend, who in 20s, got a cold--nothing unusual. But she lost complete hearing in one ear during that cold, and it never came back (she's in her 40s now).

I hope they are able to pinpoint the problem, and find a solution for him! (hugs)

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get him to an ent. it could be fluid. mine is hard of hearing but younger than yours. he is 2 1/2. he has a bad double ear infection and one of his tubes has fallen out. with the doc not seeing anything this rules out an ear infection but not necessarily fluid. that to me sounds like fluid. I dont know if hearing loss can be gradual if not exposed to loud noises. but without being a doc that sounds more like fluids and tubes would fix that. does he not hear you at all ex slam a book behind him if it is fluid he will hear a sound but it will be limited and muffled. so he should react to a loud noise. now can he hear you if he has fluid its like hearing underwater. they hear but it excessively garbled. do not panic yet sometimes like with my oldest the fluid was only detected with a tool that checks for deafness. its like a sonar thing it judges how deep the sound goes in.

now I was told when my son failed his that there are several options on this. one could be the bone in his ear repaired by surgery. another I think is a ligament or tendon or something surgery will correct most of it but not all of it. start teaching him sign and buy a spray bottle to get his attention. so his brother doesnt have to relay. and if he gets in danger he will react to a spray bottle. when his brother gets his attention and he comes to you and you ask him ex did you eat the cereal? does he actually answer you or pretend to ignore you. it may not be pretend it may be he cant understand what your asking. now on the other hand my so is hard of hearing. it runs in his family. if his back is turned to you and you ask him ex where did you put the money? he will respond I dont have any honey. he hears the word but he hears it wrong. his teacher and you may have a soft voice how does he react to his dad? mine reacts to his dad but not me. but dad has a very deep voice. I do have to hollar at my so sometimes 5 times to get him to answer to me. it seems he is ignoring me and he isnt he just cant hear me. if he is only partial hard of hearing when you ask him a question he will sometimes answer it stupid. I know that sounds horrible but that is what my so does the answer to the question doesnt make a lick of sense but that is what he hears.

my so said when he hears me and doesnt know if its directed at him he will not respond cause he doesnt hear who is being called him my son our son or who. my so doesnt hear tones sometimes. my so hears most words but once in a while he has to fill in the blanks which is why he gives stupid answers. with my so wether or not he hears me depends on how his head is turned when I hollar at him. he is 60% deaf in his right ear and like 20% in the left. he lost his in the military. so it may be fixable by surgery especially if its like fluid. pay attention to when he doesnt respond to you my son wont respond to any noise in the back like me hollaring at him. my so wont respong to anything on his right side. or very little of it. you need an ent and not a pediatrician for this. I hope his doc appt is a ent and not a ped. hang in there and get a water bottle and start learning sign

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