"Her speech assessment is at the level of an 18 month old."
Not easy things to hear today. We have been through ALOT with Audra since coming home 4 months ago, and generally I take things pretty well. But this news today....is just so hard to take.
First she saw the ENT doctor who cleaned out all the wax in her ears and then saw something neither he nor I expected...Audra has a ruptured left eardrum! Luckily, her right ear looked pretty good, so he was hopeful about her hearing.
So off she went to the audiologist. She had flat tympanograms again (just like she did at her initial hearing test last month). But the real shocker came when she had the ear specific testing done in the booth.
She had NO response to any sound or tone in her right ear. Most likely sensorineural hearing loss...permanent hearing loss.
She has moderate hearing loss in her left ear...her "good ear". Normal conversation level is in the range is what she cannot hear. Most likely conductive hearing loss (however she may also have a component of sensorineural hearing loss in that ear as well).
With these findings the doctor decided Audra needs her ear drum repaired sooner rather than later, since that ear is technically her "good ear". But first she will need to have a CT scan of her ears. This will help determine the cause of her hearing loss and if she has any anatomical/structural problems with her ears. So the plan is:
Another, more extensive hearing test on Monday
See the ENT doctor again in a few weeks
Have a CT scan of her ears
Have the ear drum surgery, called tympanoplasty
Having not even digested all of that (very unexpected) news...
We headed down the hallway for Audra's speech evaluation.
There was an interpreter there and I was anxious to see if he could tell us what she was "saying". Now, I know that her speech is delayed..."speech delay" was even mentioned in her file from China...but she makes a lot of noises and seems to be saying something in Cantonese. Unfortunately, the interpreter reported that she was just making sounds...not words.
She is so smart and she must pay so much attention to what is going on around her that she even had me convinced...Convinced that she could hear and that she was "talking". But now that we know about her hearing loss, it all makes sense. And I can stress a little bit less about her speech for now. And focus on those things that we DO have control over right now: encouraging her to use sign language, getting her situated in pre-school,
But I would be lying if I didn't say that I am feeling very conflicted right now. I worry that Audra wonders why we uprooted her, took her from everything she ever knew and brought her to this new place only to subject her to repeated medical appointments, procedures and surgeries. In my heart I know that all of this is necessary and for her health and wellness...physically and developmentally.
But a little tiny bit of me feels so very bad for her, for all that has happened to her during the past 4 months...and all that she will have to endure in the very near future.
Another, more extensive hearing test on Monday
See the ENT doctor again in a few weeks
Have a CT scan of her ears
Have the ear drum surgery, called tympanoplasty
Having not even digested all of that (very unexpected) news...
We headed down the hallway for Audra's speech evaluation.
There was an interpreter there and I was anxious to see if he could tell us what she was "saying". Now, I know that her speech is delayed..."speech delay" was even mentioned in her file from China...but she makes a lot of noises and seems to be saying something in Cantonese. Unfortunately, the interpreter reported that she was just making sounds...not words.
She is so smart and she must pay so much attention to what is going on around her that she even had me convinced...Convinced that she could hear and that she was "talking". But now that we know about her hearing loss, it all makes sense. And I can stress a little bit less about her speech for now. And focus on those things that we DO have control over right now: encouraging her to use sign language, getting her situated in pre-school,
But I would be lying if I didn't say that I am feeling very conflicted right now. I worry that Audra wonders why we uprooted her, took her from everything she ever knew and brought her to this new place only to subject her to repeated medical appointments, procedures and surgeries. In my heart I know that all of this is necessary and for her health and wellness...physically and developmentally.
But a little tiny bit of me feels so very bad for her, for all that has happened to her during the past 4 months...and all that she will have to endure in the very near future.
That's a lot to deal with for all of you.
ReplyDeleteIf it's any comfort, with everything Emily's been through, especially in the first eight months, she loves us.
Emily's speech eval last fall showed her pretty low last fall. By June she had only improved 3 months worth. In one area at 36 months she was only evaluated at 21 months. Now, with three months of much better health, her speech and physical ability have taken an enormous jump.
I hope that Audra will make some of the same improvements as she gets the help she needs.
Praying for all of you as you face this new development. Try not to stress, answers right now are not life and death. You have a little time to figure out what will be best.
God be with you.
Holly