My Son - Elkhart,IN

My husband is 29 and does the same thing........ lol

Does he respond to you if he's not watching TV (or otherwise paying attention to something else) ? He just may be paying close attention to the TV that he doesn't care to respond!

Maybe you should have his hearing tested. Sounds like hearing loss. Caught early you can work with it.

Updated

Maybe you should have his hearing tested. Sounds like hearing loss. Caught early you can work with it.

I agree with the other mommas. My son kind of tunes me out when his favorite cartoons come on. I could literally stand right in front of him, talking to him, and he won't even notice. Ironically, so does my hubby. Its gotta be a man (or man in training) thing LOL.

However, on a serious note, if he's still getting persistant ear infections and can't seem to hear you at regular times, have his hearing checked out. My girlfriends daughter has slight hearing loss due to fluid in her ears that wasn't discovered soon enough and also has some mild language delays as well. Have you noticed that his speak is a little "off" or kind of garbled? Sometimes when kids can't hear well, their speach will mimic the way that they hear things.

When my son watches TV, he doesn't respond either, and he has ear tubes! :) So there is nothing wrong with his hearing, Max and Ruby is simply more interesting than mommy sometimes! :)
I wouldn't worry about that, but I would get him evaluated for possibly getting ear tubes if the infections continue. The procedure is really quick, and there were no bad side effects for my son. It made a HUGE difference! I will tell you, the worst part of the whole thing (we were at the surgery center for 2 hours) was when he first woke up from being sedated. He cried for about 30min and I couldn't comfort him right away. It's from being sedated, and it DOES pass relatively quickly. Although it felt like forever! He just fell asleep in my arms. No problems after that!
I am now an advocate for them, whereas before I was too afraid. See what your doc says.
And don't worry about the TV, if you need him to listen to you, turn it off and engage him in speaking. Good luck! :)

Are you saying that if the TV is on then he won't respond? Does he respond when the TV is off? Most kids completely switch off if they are watching the TV and the only way to get their attention is to turn it off. You need to assess what his hearing is like all the time , and if you think he has issues then go to the Dr for a hearing test.

My son is 2-1/2 and only started talking much in the last month or so. We had been very concerned about it, he also had lots of ear infections, almost one a month! A friend told us to contact Help Me Grow, and they sent someone out to our house who did a free evaluation to see if he was behind in any of the developmental stages.

They also set up a hearing test for us (not free) to make sure it wasn't a permanent problem. Our son doesn't need tubes in his ears, but the doctor told us that having so many ear infections can set a child back in speech development.

Next we're getting a free speech evaluation through Help Me Grow, they come out to your house for this as well. If they determine that the child needs speech therapy, it's possible to qualify for free part-time daycare so they have access to the therapist.

Whether your son needs speech therapy or not, I highly recommend you contact Help Me Grow or someone similar. It will at least put your mind at ease if there is nothing wrong - or if there is he can start getting caught up. Good luck!

Does this happen only when watching TV? My girlfriends daughter has small brain seizures that make her completely tune out, kind zoned out, no physical symptoms other then mild headaches or ear aches that she can describe, shes 5. My gf noticed that she would totally ignore her and would yell at her with no reaction, then her daughter would tell her she didnt hear her. She took her to the dr for testing and was diagnosed. Apparently this is a very common and overlooked type of seizure in children. You may want to speak with your pediatrician at your next visit.

I would take him to the doctors and ask. They can do an evaluation and find out for sure.
As for the tv...he could become very in tune to whats on the tv and ignore everything else. I would be more concerned if he is doing it with other activities too. As if he is playing with toys and doesn't respond, or eating and you say his name and he doesn't respond. Then there is more reason for concern.

My son has had two sets of PE tubes. They are simple, painless and take 15 max to put in. If he has fluid these would really save him from a lot of pain and antibiotics. Its the greatest thing I ever did for my son.

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You need to have these discussions with your child's doctor. IT sounds like a hearing test should happen and he should be recommended for speech therapy. I would look into sign language. There are a lot of parents doing this even when their kids don't have hearing issues. It helps them learn. Aslo an ENT specialist should be consulted along with the hearing test. You have a lot of questions and only the doctors can help you. After that they can suggest other routes for you. (books on tape, reading out loud, speech therapy, etc)

If he is not talking you need to have him checked period. It could be his hearing or it could be a developmental delay. Either way get him checked. Call you county board or mrdd and ask for their early intervention program. They will test him for free if its a money concern. Otherwise call your ped and arrange to have him checked by your local children's hospital.

I'm sorry...I am having a lot of trouble understanding your rambling and the way you type...
First, unplug the TVs so he can't watch them whenever he wants. If he can't turn them on, he can't watch them.
Second, have you talked to his doctor about it? He could have some hearing loss due to the ear infections. He could also be autistic which. Both need to be addressed immediately.
Third, if it's not hearing loss or autism (actually, even if it is) Indiana has a great program called "First Steps" that works with children through Speech Therapy, Physical Therapy, and/or Occupational Therapy. You need to get him signed up for that, you can do it through his doctor.

I hope this is helpful. I'm not really sure what you're looking for...

As in the other posts, does he answer to you when he is not watching TV?

We don't have a TV but my son is allowed to watch some videos on the computer from time to time. When he watched a cartoon, the rest of the world just doesn't exist anymore. I can stand in front of him, my face into his face and he still wouldn't see me. The only thing he responds to then is "ONE" (we do 1, 2, 3 magic), as he knows that Three means no more video. Selective hearing !

Ditto Sandy H.
LOL my Husband does that too.
He says, men can't 'hear' 2 things at one time. The other thing, being me.

Since your son has had many ear infections, you should check it and his hearing.

even if my kids are watching tv., they respond to me.

I would suggest an appointment with a Developmental Pediatrican. Call the nearest children's hospital and make one today. This kind of doctor will call in speech and langauage, ENT, Audiology, nuerology, geneticists, OT, PT, anything he needs to get the full picture of what is causing his delay. You do not want to miss anything, and you need to get moving on this, as he should be putting two or more words together in simple sentances and should have many more words by age 2. Being hyper focused on the TV is not always a sign of a problem, but it could be, and you have ample reason to get a full evaluation. Don't wait, it will take several months to get in to see this kind of developmental specailaist. You might also make an appointment with a speech therapist while you wait, they may send you to an audiologist if necessary, but keep the appointment with the developmentalist even if you start working on the speech issues now, which would be a very good idea.

You can try to work with him more, but children who do not pick up langauge without help at home in an enriched envoironment need therapy, and the sooner he gets it, the better.

M.

I have this problem with my 3 yo son AND his father. He is probably just engrossed in the show. As long as he responds at other times, then he is probably fine.

When he's not watching tv and if he responds to you it is probably him way tuned into the TV. But if not you should take him to audiologists to make sure his ears are ok. My daughters had that same problem so I took them to audiologists and he told me there was fluid in their ears so they tubes put in their ears. Its not permanent tubes it eventually falls out and they're very tiny tiny.

Please have him checked out by your pediatrician and possibly an ENT. Both of my sons have tubes and they've made a world of difference. Your ped may refer you to first steps as well to help him start speaking more. he is making an effort, it appears, but tubes for my boys were lifesavers in terms of ear infections alone. Literally, the evening after surgery with my youngest he was trying to speak better. It was amazing. His hearing must have been terribly muffled. Our surgeon used a local anesthetic so nothing terribly major. Both of my kiddos have had health issues with hospital stays from birth and they both came out fine. It's a 15 minute surgery. Best of luck to you!