Today’s ENT appointment was long and exhausting (emotionally/ mentally). Addyson failed the hearing test in both ears.
The audiologist was not very understanding today. She was short tempered and annoyed that Addyson failed the hearing test so we swapped rooms and she failed yet again. She finally said i don’t know what is going on you will have to wait for the dr. Luckily the dr was super kind and very nice. He was informative and put accommodations in her file for our next visit.
She was diagnosed with central auditory processing disorder, A disorder affecting the ability to understand speech.
What Is Auditory Processing Disorder?
Auditory processing disorder (APD) is a hearing problem. Kids with this condition, also known as central auditory processing disorder (CAPD), can’t understand what they hear in the same way other kids do. This is because their ears and brain don’t fully coordinate. Something interferes with the way the brain recognizes and interprets sounds, especially speech.
Kids with APD are thought to sense sound normally because they usually can hear sounds that are delivered one at a time in a very quiet environment (such as a sound-treated room). The problem is that they usually don’t easily recognize slight differences between sounds in words, even when the sounds are loud enough to be heard.
APD is often misunderstood because many of its symptoms are similar to those found in other disorders. Also, APD symptoms can be hidden by other problems, like speech-language delays, learning disabilities, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and depression. Auditory memory deficits, auditory attention problems, and sound sensitivity are not symptoms of APD, but also may involve trouble with using sound information correctly. Seeing an audiologist, and other related specialists, can help parents understand these conditions.
What Causes Auditory Processing Disorder?
Often, the cause of a child’s APD isn’t known. Evidence suggests that children with head trauma, lead poisoning, seizure disorder, or chronic ear infections are more at risk. Sometimes, there can be more than one cause.
One common physical accommodation is a remote microphone system, previously known as a frequency modulation (FM) system. This assistive listening device emphasizes a speaker’s voice over background noise, making the voice clearer so a child can understand it. The person talking wears a tiny microphone transmitter, which sends a signal to a wireless receiver that the child wears on the ear or to a speaker box.
I was able to speak to Addysons dr in Georgia tonight about these results. He said we can retest her hearing when we come down in October/ November if we want.
We also discussed her current health status topic by topic.
Eyes: stable
Heart (bp and hr): improved
Colonic function: improved. Way improved
Gastropersis: improved a lot!
Lungs: improved
Blood pooling: gone!
Dizziness/passing out: way better
Urology: improved
Attention: more focused
Neurology: stable
Rheumatology: improved
Beaming with hope 