Thursday, February 14, 2008

One Hurdle Crossed (Sort of)

Yesterday, we took E to have a BAER test. We were prescribed the test because Little Peeps failed her newborn hearing screen. Because Down Syndrome kids have a high rate of auditory problems (among other things), they went with the BAER test.

We suspected there was some hearing loss, but were pretty sure that she could hear something.

They hooked electrode thingys (I'm sure that's the technical name) to her head and behind her ears. Then they placed little earphones into her ears. The audiologist then made a series of clicks in her ears at variable decibel levels.

The results are that she hears normally in her right ear. In her left ear, she showed a moderate hearing loss (scale is mild, moderate, severe, profound). Further testing showed that she has fluid in her ear (common in kids, especially those with DS) which is probably causing the hearing loss. We'll be going back for a retest in a few weeks to see if they can measure her hearing levels in the left. The audiologist said that it would be very unlikely that her hearing loss is due to any nerve damage.

So, we'll see what happens at the next BAER test, but until then, it's business as usual at Chez Bubela.

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