Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment REading score discrepancies

Thanks Grinity - I agree it is good news!

Hi
I am back again and re-opening this post as I felt it better to continue with the prior info available. WE have recently proceeded down the auditory testing route. AS a matter of update academically, whilst DS's reading has improved, his writing and spelling are still well below average. It has now spread to his maths as well - which is still mainly at an average level but shows a decline - he has abolutely refused to rote learn any time-tables so that did not help.

Anyway, he was given a full hearing test by an audiologist which was a pre-requisite to conducting the auditory processing assessment. Well they have found that he has mile/moderate hearing loss in his left ear at normal speaking level and lower (40db). Apparenlty, his hearing is almost normal in that ear if people yell or speak very loudly!! IN a quiet room with words being spoken into his ear he heard about 55% in that ear and 92% in the right ear. So he has unilateral hearing loss - but it is not severe. I was wondering if anyone could shed any light on or provide any input on the following -
1. Would such a mild/moderate loss and only in one ear explain the "very" significant difference between his IQ (particularly when calculated as GAI) and achievement in class which is average to below average in almost all areas?
2. Even if he has a physical loss of hearing, could he also have auditory processing difficulties?
3. I am having a hard time working out how his hearing relates to his worst area - writing (2 - 3 years behind his age). He still writes without any punctuation - using "and then" like a much younger child. He writes like someone speaking.
4. Any other suggestions as to what I might try? He will be going to an ear, throut and nose specialist to see if there rae any other related conditions.
5. How could have have got to 10.5 years without anyone really suspecting a hearing loss? This includes his own parents! His speech started very early and his language has always been very good although is a bit flat toned (often hourse) and he mumbles at time.

If anyone has anything to add - whether you have personal experience or not - I would really apprecitate it!

Thank you,
Tizz

Hi,

I am not an expert in anything related to speech and hearing, but in reading your post I had a few thoughts:

- perhaps his hearing was fine when he was younger and therefore did not affect his speech when he was younger; perhaps his hearing difficulties developed later after a series of ear infections or another infection. Did the audiologist suggest anything like scarring? Even without scarring, a long period of time with fluid in his ears could cause long-term hearing issues.

- I understand the frustration with an older child (mine is about to be 12) still not capitalizing and using punctuation! Man, that's frustrating, especially when my two younger kids seemed to pick it up so easily! Still, as a writer, I have to say that it's not such a bad thing that your DS writes like someone speaking. While there are times when it is appropriate to take a different tone, there are many instances when writers strive to write the way in which people speak. I'm not sure what hearing would have to do with writing, though.

- My DS also has always been a bit flat-toned when speaking as well. This can very easily be affected by hearing loss because he either may not hear the intonation in someone's voice or he may be so busy trying to hear what is said that he just can't concentrate on how it's being said, and he therefore doesn't have anything to model.

- I would think it is very possible that a hearing loss could affect his achievement. If you can only hear some of what is being said in a classroom and you have to really concentrate to do that, over time there would be a cumulative loss of what he was able to be taught.

- From what I understand, you can have hearing loss and APD since hearing loss can be both physical and an ear-brain disconnect.

I hope someone here with experience or specific knowledge will chime in! I wish you luck in gathering more information.

Thanks mnmom23 for your input. Given your questions, I thought I would add add a little more to the picture. First, the audiologist felt that the issue was with those little bones behind the ear drum. She had checked for fluid and there was no fluid - of course this does not mean there was not fluid there in the past! Also, she kept asking me for genetics about the family and stating that it could be a birth defect in the shape of those bones on the one side. His dad has loss in one ear as well but he thinks it developed as a young adult as he worked in the music industry. The audiologist felt my DS's main issue would be if he is in a noisy classroom and the teacher is not a loud speaker. If it is genetic I'm not sure why speech would have developed normally except to say that perhaps I speak quite loudly and things were easier for him on a one-to-one basis (given he was my first child and my second is almost 4 years younger)
Thanks,
Tiz