Sensitive Ear's (Hearing Sensitivity)

MIne has had many ear infections as a baby and toddler. At 4 we finally were able to get him tubes. After that all noises made him cover his ears.
Now he is homeschooled and will cover his ears in a large crowd, with public bathroom air dryers, jets. He willl leave the room when I vacuum. He cannot differentiate between noises when the tv and radio are on and I need ot talk to him, or when too many people are talking. He is now 10.

Mine also can pass all the tests at the ENT's office and the pediatricians office. In the offices they are quiet and the children concentrate on the sounds.

My daughter is 5 and sensitve to loud sounds as well--the vaccuum, the toilet flushing, things like that. Her father is a musician and he is as well. He can play "by ear" so it is a blessing more than a curse. She can already pick out instruments in pieces of music and has a great memory for things she has heard. Unless your dd is having meltdowns or extreme reactions to sound--shutting down, not being able to function, I wouldn't worry about it too much.

My son covers his ears with the vaccuum, running water from the kitchen sink, loud trucks or busses, and even certain types of musical instruments. I brought this to my Drs attention, and was told he just has sensitive ears.

My oldest son has always passed all of his hearing tests. He hears just fine, but he has quite a sensitivity to loudness! It got so bad with him that really loud music, noises and whatnot would throw him into a meltdown. It's almost like he can't control himself when the noise is too much. He doesn't seem to have other sensitivities, so I don't really think he truly has sensitivity integration disorder, but that's something to look into. We got him noise cancellation headphones (they make them in kid sizes). We take them everywhere, and it's been wonderful! We make plans to take him anywhere now from movies to the circus knowing that he can put those on if the noise starts to bother him. He loves them!

I wouldn't get her tested again. I am sensitive to loud noises and so is my dad. They just bother us more than others. No biggie in my humble opinion and the hearing test is designed to find hearing loss or damage to hearing -- not hyper sensitivity really.

I and my daughter (and my mother for that fact) all suffer from this same issue. I agree with many others here, a hearing test will only assess if they can hear, not if they are sensitive to loud noises. My daughter when tested at the hospital after birth got a resounding "well we know she can hear!!" from the nurses because of her strong reactions to the test. To this day, she still covers her ears in a public restroom because the loud toliets and hand dryers are too much. I try to avoid/empathize/prepare her for situations that are loud (parades, indoor play areas, etc) and used to carry ear plugs with me to help. It seemed she was worst about not being able to cope with the loudness from 2-4, in the last year she has gotten better about it, she still avoids it and reacts, but she now can cope enough not to have a meltdown. I once asked here for help with the public bathroom (it got to the point where she refused to even enter one) and the nice mammas here suggested the earplugs and a post-it notepad to carry in my purse- the post-its go over the sensor/eye on the toliet, so that it doesn't flush until she is ready (with hands over ears). I don't blowdry her hair, I let it airdry, because I know she wouldn't be able to handle it - she still runs the other way when I am drying mine! On the upside, my mom is now nearing 65, and while her peers are loosing their hearing, hers is hanging in there... so I hope that happens for me too :-)

I am very sensitive to lots of those sounds too. My friend from high school had a daughter that was the same way. It's just a part of her make up and may not be anything that can be changed. I have some crocheted ear.....covers? They look like smallish flowers but serve the purpose of being like ear muffs but are separate. When they are off my ears they look like they were made in the shape of a doorknob cover. They slip off and on easily. They are just enough thickness to offer some sound muffling when the excess noises are too much.

If you are trying to dry her hair put some cotton in her ears, that will muffle the sound too.

There are lots of kids out there that don't enjoy those sounds. Even adults. I wouldn't worry about it.

Lots of kids are bothered by loud noises but if it's a big problem then you many want to check into taking her to an occupational therapist. My nephew had to go to an occupational therapist for a while because he had a big problem with loud noises. I remember he always used to cry terribly when we sang Happy Birthday to him. I've always known that my daughter has had some sensory issues and part of that is that loud noises bother her. The vacuum bothers her a little bit but the blender is the worst. She gets upset sometimes when noisy trucks drive by and even sometimes when the heat or a/c come on because she can hear the unit outside. She even complains and sometimes cries when we turn the water on full blast (to wash dishes or wash hands, etc.) and says that it's too loud. I'm planning on taking her to see her doctor about this soon and see if we can't get an appointment with an occupational therapist to learn how to help her cope with things better.

My daughter is very sensitive to similar noises. As well, she can hoan in on quiet conversation that doesn't pertain to her. Her PED & ENT said she was fine, but it never hurts to bring it up at the next visit.