Q: My third-grade son has passed his school hearing screenings, but his teacher says he’s having trouble following directions and he appears to be having some trouble understanding her when she talks to him. How can he pass hearing screenings but be having trouble hearing at school?
A: There are multiple potential causes of hearing difficulties, such as middle ear infections, sinus/allergy trouble causing temporary decreased hearing ability, attention-deficit disorder, and auditory processing disorder. The first step in figuring out what’s going on with your son should be a complete hearing examination by an audiologist. The complete hearing evaluation will rule in or out any temporary hearing loss related to the middle ear, such as middle ear infections and sinus/allergy trouble, and a thorough hearing test will be performed.
If middle ear trouble is the problem, referral to an ear, nose and throat physician is the next step. If the complete hearing test is normal, then further testing will be recommended to assess whether your son has any an auditory processing disorder and/or any other disorders related to language, reading, learning, or attention deficit. The symptoms for all of these disorders often overlap and require a team approach to diagnose. Your son’s teacher, an audiologist, a school psychologist, and a school speech-language pathologist may all need to be involved to assess your son to determine a diagnosis and treatment plan.
Shelly Horvat, AuD, CCC-A, is a Doctor of Audiology with Northwest Ohio Hearing Clinic, located at 1125 Hospital Dr., Suite 50 in Toledo (419-383-4012) and 1601 Brigham Dr., Suite 160 in Perrysburg (419-873-4327).
