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Does anyone have a Dc with one? We are looking into getting one for my son and I was just looking for any info on them.
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Bone conductive hearing aids
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There was talk of getting one for my son, he has bilateral grade 1 microtia with incomplete atresia (or stenosis, depends on who you ask!). Basically, his external ears are malformed ("simple" or "cupped" in appearance, were much worse as a baby) and his ear canals were not "open" at birth, but he's grown into them now, they are actually big enough that the drs can see part of his ear drums with a regular otoscope now!
Basically, the bone conductive aid sends sound vibrations to the mastoid bone behind the ear, directly to the auditory nerve, bypassing the external and middle ear entirely. Why are they considering this for your son? Does he have external or middle ear malformations that prevent him from wearing a traditional aid?
One reason we ended up not doing one for my son was because once we got tubes in his ears and his rampant severe infections under control, his hearing loss was only mild, and not across all frequencies. I was told that it's harder to program bone conductive aids for specific frequencies, and that the sound would be much too "loud" for him.
We've worked really hard on getting him to "use" his ears, he had learned basically to not trust them since his hearing was initially so variable before the tubes and other surgeries and during times of infection. But he's 2 now and his oral receptive communication is very good, strangers probably don't recognize that he has a hearing loss, but I still notice it (he appears to be "in his own world" sometimes, but really it's just that he's turned his ears off, or that he's overwhelmed with the sounds around him and decided to quit trying to filter them) He's still non verbal, but that's mostly due to other issues (structural, maybe neurological) so we rely on ASL as his form of expressive communication. We just got him a rudimentary assistive communication device that we're working on teaching him now.
THere are lots of webpages out there that show pictures of bone conductive and bone anchored aids (called BAHA), including now some really cute hats and such that boys can wear so it doesn't look like they're wearing a head band!
Basically, the bone conductive aid sends sound vibrations to the mastoid bone behind the ear, directly to the auditory nerve, bypassing the external and middle ear entirely. Why are they considering this for your son? Does he have external or middle ear malformations that prevent him from wearing a traditional aid?
One reason we ended up not doing one for my son was because once we got tubes in his ears and his rampant severe infections under control, his hearing loss was only mild, and not across all frequencies. I was told that it's harder to program bone conductive aids for specific frequencies, and that the sound would be much too "loud" for him.
We've worked really hard on getting him to "use" his ears, he had learned basically to not trust them since his hearing was initially so variable before the tubes and other surgeries and during times of infection. But he's 2 now and his oral receptive communication is very good, strangers probably don't recognize that he has a hearing loss, but I still notice it (he appears to be "in his own world" sometimes, but really it's just that he's turned his ears off, or that he's overwhelmed with the sounds around him and decided to quit trying to filter them) He's still non verbal, but that's mostly due to other issues (structural, maybe neurological) so we rely on ASL as his form of expressive communication. We just got him a rudimentary assistive communication device that we're working on teaching him now.
THere are lots of webpages out there that show pictures of bone conductive and bone anchored aids (called BAHA), including now some really cute hats and such that boys can wear so it doesn't look like they're wearing a head band!
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Thanks for the info.
He is completely deaf in his right ear and has been having ongoing issues with his left ear. He will be having surgery on the 8th to replace the tube in his left ear and place one in his right... he is also going to have his tonsils out and adnoids out (again)
His left tube has been blocked and despite unblocking it he is still showing mild to moderate loss in that ear. We should be able to bring that up with a new set of tubes but regardless of the our new audiologist and ENT want him to get the hearing aid.
He will be having a CT scan of his deaf ear and a few other tests done soon to see if there is any obvious reason for his hearing loss. Ultimately despite making huge gains in speech therapy the audiologist was still concerned about his speech and thinks the hearing aid would help him a lot especially with entering school.
He is completely deaf in his right ear and has been having ongoing issues with his left ear. He will be having surgery on the 8th to replace the tube in his left ear and place one in his right... he is also going to have his tonsils out and adnoids out (again)
His left tube has been blocked and despite unblocking it he is still showing mild to moderate loss in that ear. We should be able to bring that up with a new set of tubes but regardless of the our new audiologist and ENT want him to get the hearing aid.
He will be having a CT scan of his deaf ear and a few other tests done soon to see if there is any obvious reason for his hearing loss. Ultimately despite making huge gains in speech therapy the audiologist was still concerned about his speech and thinks the hearing aid would help him a lot especially with entering school.
Definitely a hearing aid would be beneficial! Connor's loss is worse on his left than his right, and we discusse aiding on only one side, but his ENT says that stereo hearing isn't really necessary until school age, so to wait until then and see what his hearing is like. A friend of ours here, who also has 22q PLUS a bilateral cochlear malformation, wears a traditional aid (for now, might get a cochlear implant in the future) and his school provided him with OH DANG IT, what's it called??? Basically the teacher wears a microphone and the sound is transmitted directly to his hearing aid...WHAT THE HECK IS IT CALLED??? This is going to drive me crazy now until I remember
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But why a bone conductive for him? Can he not wear a traditional aid on his right side? It sounds like he can on his left, would you aid both sides?
But why a bone conductive for him? Can he not wear a traditional aid on his right side? It sounds like he can on his left, would you aid both sides?
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There is no hearing in his right side so my understanding is that he would not be able to hear with a traditional hearing aid. He is profoundly deaf in that ear.
At this point we would use the bone conductive hearing aid on his deaf ear only. If for some reason his hearing ear does not come back better then it has been after surgery then we will probably discuss an option for that ear as well.. because if we can't get a good test out of him that means he would be loosing the only hearing he had.
At this point we would use the bone conductive hearing aid on his deaf ear only. If for some reason his hearing ear does not come back better then it has been after surgery then we will probably discuss an option for that ear as well.. because if we can't get a good test out of him that means he would be loosing the only hearing he had.
I know of several kids locally who are profoundly deaf and use traditional hearing aids, some with very good success. I thought that the only reason you'd need a bone conductive aid is if you physically can't wear a traditional aid (like in Connor's case, when his canals were too small for a hearing aid to fit into).
I could be wrong, Connor's hearing loss and ear issues are so funky, I had his ASL teacher say to me in exasperation "why can't he jsut have a malformed cochlea or no hair cells?? THAT I know about, THAT I could counsel you about your options...this microtia/incomplete atresia with variable conductive hearing loss I don't understand..."
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I could be wrong, Connor's hearing loss and ear issues are so funky, I had his ASL teacher say to me in exasperation "why can't he jsut have a malformed cochlea or no hair cells?? THAT I know about, THAT I could counsel you about your options...this microtia/incomplete atresia with variable conductive hearing loss I don't understand..."
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A bone conduction hearing aid is for a conductive hearing loss. Is your son'e loss conductive or sensorineural? I am going to assume that it is SN because more than 90% of losses are, and since he is profound in the other ear, that would make more sense (since conductive losses are almost never more than about 60 db).
So, you child can "benefit" from a hearing aid in his profound ear. LOTS of people with profound losses wear hearing aids, but it would only provide sound awareness, not help with speech or anything like that. There is also a product called BAHA. It is for single sided deafness. I am not very familiar with it, but it could be very helpful. Also, you could look into a Transear. It is a kind of hearing aid that he would wear in his wear in his bad ear, but it doesn't work like a traditional aid.
http://www.transear.com/
http://products.cochlearamericas.com...uction-to-baha
So, you child can "benefit" from a hearing aid in his profound ear. LOTS of people with profound losses wear hearing aids, but it would only provide sound awareness, not help with speech or anything like that. There is also a product called BAHA. It is for single sided deafness. I am not very familiar with it, but it could be very helpful. Also, you could look into a Transear. It is a kind of hearing aid that he would wear in his wear in his bad ear, but it doesn't work like a traditional aid.
http://www.transear.com/
http://products.cochlearamericas.com...uction-to-baha
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Quote:
FM system
Originally Posted by 2boyzmama  Definitely a hearing aid would be beneficial! Connor's loss is worse on his left than his right, and we discusse aiding on only one side, but his ENT says that stereo hearing isn't really necessary until school age, so to wait until then and see what his hearing is like. A friend of ours here, who also has 22q PLUS a bilateral cochlear malformation, wears a traditional aid (for now, might get a cochlear implant in the future) and his school provided him with OH DANG IT, what's it called??? Basically the teacher wears a microphone and the sound is transmitted directly to his hearing aid...WHAT THE HECK IS IT CALLED??? This is going to drive me crazy now until I remember
But why a bone conductive for him? Can he not wear a traditional aid on his right side? It sounds like he can on his left, would you aid both sides? |
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I am not sure what type of hearing loss he has.. as I am not that well versed in it.
It has been my understanding though they will not/ can not fit him with a regular hearing aid that would be beneficial to him. I can't remember WHY specifically but it has never been in the cards.
Thanks for all of the great info
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I appreciate it.. I don't like going to appts and discussing things with doctors when I know nothing about what we are discussing.
It has been my understanding though they will not/ can not fit him with a regular hearing aid that would be beneficial to him. I can't remember WHY specifically but it has never been in the cards.
Thanks for all of the great info
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Well I happened to get the whole report at my OB appt today.
She listed his hearing loss as congenital sensorineural. She doesn't really go into detail about the hearing aids though, just says that they are recommended.
It also looks like she is talking about BAHA. In my reading I came across something called a CROS hearing aid which might be something that would be considered as well.
She listed his hearing loss as congenital sensorineural. She doesn't really go into detail about the hearing aids though, just says that they are recommended.
It also looks like she is talking about BAHA. In my reading I came across something called a CROS hearing aid which might be something that would be considered as well.
Can you see if he might be a candidate for a cochlear implant? Depending on the sensorineural loss, it may or may not work well for him, but it's worth looking into. The BAHAs I've had experience with have worked well for some of the kids, but they are much more sensitive than CI and were in for repair far more frequently than the CIs other children had. You might want to ask about repair turnaround time, and options for loaners. It would be awful for the child who likes the aiding to be without it for weeks at at time.
If your kiddo is young, they probably won't surgically install the BAHA until he is older (skull needs to be a certain thickness), which means it would be held in place with a headband. Some kids hate the feel of it, others don't mind it.
I think another downside to the BAHAs is that insurance is less inclined to cover it, but that may not be the case for your carrier.
It's a big decision; I'd be inclined to get another opinion to make sure that you have all the info to make an educated choice.
If your kiddo is young, they probably won't surgically install the BAHA until he is older (skull needs to be a certain thickness), which means it would be held in place with a headband. Some kids hate the feel of it, others don't mind it.
I think another downside to the BAHAs is that insurance is less inclined to cover it, but that may not be the case for your carrier.
It's a big decision; I'd be inclined to get another opinion to make sure that you have all the info to make an educated choice.
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I did Not know that about them not surgically implanting them in young children, that would make a difference in my decision.
When they first discovered his hearing loss I was told that they wouldn't ever do a CI because it would never "sound right" to him. This was a different ENT/Audiologist pair and talked to me about it but they said they don't do it in ulilatteral loss kid. This was also 4 years ago though as well.
I am going to be calling my PCP next week, the downside is the closest place to go for the hearing aid is 3ish hours away, so I was hoping to actually GET a hearing aid when we went but it seems that I might just have to go and have a informational session with them.
Thanks!
Originally Posted by bender Can you see if he might be a candidate for a cochlear implant? Depending on the sensorineural loss, it may or may not work well for him, but it's worth looking into. The BAHAs I've had experience with have worked well for some of the kids, but they are much more sensitive than CI and were in for repair far more frequently than the CIs other children had. You might want to ask about repair turnaround time, and options for loaners. It would be awful for the child who likes the aiding to be without it for weeks at at time. If your kiddo is young, they probably won't surgically install the BAHA until he is older (skull needs to be a certain thickness), which means it would be held in place with a headband. Some kids hate the feel of it, others don't mind it. I think another downside to the BAHAs is that insurance is less inclined to cover it, but that may not be the case for your carrier. It's a big decision; I'd be inclined to get another opinion to make sure that you have all the info to make an educated choice. |
I did Not know that about them not surgically implanting them in young children, that would make a difference in my decision.
When they first discovered his hearing loss I was told that they wouldn't ever do a CI because it would never "sound right" to him. This was a different ENT/Audiologist pair and talked to me about it but they said they don't do it in ulilatteral loss kid. This was also 4 years ago though as well.
I am going to be calling my PCP next week, the downside is the closest place to go for the hearing aid is 3ish hours away, so I was hoping to actually GET a hearing aid when we went but it seems that I might just have to go and have a informational session with them.
Thanks!
Gosh, I'm not really well versed in sensorineural loss, Connor's in conductive. BUT, I thought that a BAHA (bone anchored hearing aid...the same as a bone conductive aid, just anchored into the skull) was only for conductive loss? Oh, and if I remember correctly, they implant BAHAs after age 6, otherwise the skull isn't thick enough yet. Implanting it just means that the kid doesn't have to wear a head band to keep it on his head. There are cuter baseball cap type bands now, you can google BAHA hats and you'll find them. You can also probably make him bands yourself.
Cochlear Implants can be used for sensorineural loss, but if he has hearing on one side, then it would definitely "sound weird" to him, because he'd be getting "normal" speech sounds in one ear, and "electronic" speech sounds in the other. I'm sure there's a better way to explain this, and like I said, Connor has conductive, so this has never been an option for him. I've just learned some here and there while researching hearing loss in general. Fairejour's daughter has a CI, she can talk to you about that.
You definitely need to spend some time researching all of this. Google every word you've ever heard or read from a report so you can udnerstand this and ask the right questions. I'm very surprised that they haven't explained this to you yet! You've known about his loss for a while, right? Sometimes the specialists forget that you're not also a specialist, so you have to push for explanations, then take those explanations home and research them yourself.
I'm still not understanding why he can't wear a traditional hearing aid? If you were told that, then there's probably a conductive component to his loss, or a malformation somewhere in his external or middle ear that would make him not a candidate.
Are you signing with him? Have you been told if the hearing he has on his good side is likely to stay? If there's even a chance that he might lose hearing on that side, I'd definitely get him signing!!
Cochlear Implants can be used for sensorineural loss, but if he has hearing on one side, then it would definitely "sound weird" to him, because he'd be getting "normal" speech sounds in one ear, and "electronic" speech sounds in the other. I'm sure there's a better way to explain this, and like I said, Connor has conductive, so this has never been an option for him. I've just learned some here and there while researching hearing loss in general. Fairejour's daughter has a CI, she can talk to you about that.
You definitely need to spend some time researching all of this. Google every word you've ever heard or read from a report so you can udnerstand this and ask the right questions. I'm very surprised that they haven't explained this to you yet! You've known about his loss for a while, right? Sometimes the specialists forget that you're not also a specialist, so you have to push for explanations, then take those explanations home and research them yourself.
I'm still not understanding why he can't wear a traditional hearing aid? If you were told that, then there's probably a conductive component to his loss, or a malformation somewhere in his external or middle ear that would make him not a candidate.
Are you signing with him? Have you been told if the hearing he has on his good side is likely to stay? If there's even a chance that he might lose hearing on that side, I'd definitely get him signing!!
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I honestly don't know why he couldn't wear a traditional hearing aid. There is definately no malformation that anyone is aware of, and up to this point no one has ever suggested hearing aids. He sees the traveling audiologist twice a year and was seeing an ENT for the tubes ect.
I just now decided to change ENT's and that was when all of the hearing aid talk ect came to be. He has never had a CT scan to confirm or deny a malformation in the inner ear which is why our new ENT wants one done, we should be getting that set up shortly. She also ran a lab on Connexin 26 to see if he had that gene.
We have known about his loss since birth, he failed his newborn hearing screening. There is no reason why he should loose his hearing in his good ear that we are aware of. BUT like I said we don't know the cause of his hearing loss so that is part of why the ENT is doing what she is doing now.
Up until this point he has always tested good in his hearing ear and right now the inner ear is showing normal hearing while the output on it is showing mild to moderate loss, which is the reason it is assumed that the tube is now causing the issue. (not sure if I stated that clearly enough to make sense) There is a chance that that he could be loosing hearing since we don't know what caused his hearing loss. We won't find that out though until early June when they do a second hearing test after the placement of the new tubes.
At this point we have never signed with him. It seems as though most of his hearing issues have/had taken a backseat to other issues such as the hypotonia, hypermobility, ASD, ect.. There is a good chance that there is an underlying cause for the hearing loss because he has a variety of other seemingly unrelated things going on with him.
It is just a matter of piecing it all together.
Originally Posted by 2boyzmama I'm still not understanding why he can't wear a traditional hearing aid? If you were told that, then there's probably a conductive component to his loss, or a malformation somewhere in his external or middle ear that would make him not a candidate. Are you signing with him? Have you been told if the hearing he has on his good side is likely to stay? If there's even a chance that he might lose hearing on that side, I'd definitely get him signing!! |
I honestly don't know why he couldn't wear a traditional hearing aid. There is definately no malformation that anyone is aware of, and up to this point no one has ever suggested hearing aids. He sees the traveling audiologist twice a year and was seeing an ENT for the tubes ect.
I just now decided to change ENT's and that was when all of the hearing aid talk ect came to be. He has never had a CT scan to confirm or deny a malformation in the inner ear which is why our new ENT wants one done, we should be getting that set up shortly. She also ran a lab on Connexin 26 to see if he had that gene.
We have known about his loss since birth, he failed his newborn hearing screening. There is no reason why he should loose his hearing in his good ear that we are aware of. BUT like I said we don't know the cause of his hearing loss so that is part of why the ENT is doing what she is doing now.
Up until this point he has always tested good in his hearing ear and right now the inner ear is showing normal hearing while the output on it is showing mild to moderate loss, which is the reason it is assumed that the tube is now causing the issue. (not sure if I stated that clearly enough to make sense) There is a chance that that he could be loosing hearing since we don't know what caused his hearing loss. We won't find that out though until early June when they do a second hearing test after the placement of the new tubes.
At this point we have never signed with him. It seems as though most of his hearing issues have/had taken a backseat to other issues such as the hypotonia, hypermobility, ASD, ect.. There is a good chance that there is an underlying cause for the hearing loss because he has a variety of other seemingly unrelated things going on with him.
It is just a matter of piecing it all together.
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You can only get a CI if both ears are severe-profound. A BAHA is for a conductive loss OR for single sided deafness.
Originally Posted by 2boyzmama Gosh, I'm not really well versed in sensorineural loss, Connor's in conductive. BUT, I thought that a BAHA (bone anchored hearing aid...the same as a bone conductive aid, just anchored into the skull) was only for conductive loss? Oh, and if I remember correctly, they implant BAHAs after age 6, otherwise the skull isn't thick enough yet. Implanting it just means that the kid doesn't have to wear a head band to keep it on his head. There are cuter baseball cap type bands now, you can google BAHA hats and you'll find them. You can also probably make him bands yourself. Cochlear Implants can be used for sensorineural loss, but if he has hearing on one side, then it would definitely "sound weird" to him, because he'd be getting "normal" speech sounds in one ear, and "electronic" speech sounds in the other. I'm sure there's a better way to explain this, and like I said, Connor has conductive, so this has never been an option for him. I've just learned some here and there while researching hearing loss in general. Fairejour's daughter has a CI, she can talk to you about that. You definitely need to spend some time researching all of this. Google every word you've ever heard or read from a report so you can udnerstand this and ask the right questions. I'm very surprised that they haven't explained this to you yet! You've known about his loss for a while, right? Sometimes the specialists forget that you're not also a specialist, so you have to push for explanations, then take those explanations home and research them yourself. I'm still not understanding why he can't wear a traditional hearing aid? If you were told that, then there's probably a conductive component to his loss, or a malformation somewhere in his external or middle ear that would make him not a candidate. Are you signing with him? Have you been told if the hearing he has on his good side is likely to stay? If there's even a chance that he might lose hearing on that side, I'd definitely get him signing!! |
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I think trying out a traditional hearing aid would never be a bad idea, even for a very profound loss. They have some great high powered aids (Phonak Nadia or Oticon Sumo). Sometimes it interfers with the good ear, but other times it helps.
Also, I think that a Transear could be an option. If he loses more hearing in the other ear, a CI could become one. I know all about going from aids to a CI
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I would love to help more, but I would need more information (audiogram for good and bad ear, type of loss, age at loss, etc)
Originally Posted by 2boyzmama Ah, I knew fairejour would have some insight 
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Also, I think that a Transear could be an option. If he loses more hearing in the other ear, a CI could become one. I know all about going from aids to a CI
I would love to help more, but I would need more information (audiogram for good and bad ear, type of loss, age at loss, etc)
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I will definately discuss trying a regular hearing aid when I go in. I did mention some more details in a few posts up, he was born with a profound sensorineural loss in his right ear. We don't know the cause but are waiting on a connexin 26 lab as well as a CT scan of his ear.
Originally Posted by fairejour I think trying out a traditional hearing aid would never be a bad idea, even for a very profound loss. They have some great high powered aids (Phonak Nadia or Oticon Sumo). Sometimes it interfers with the good ear, but other times it helps. Also, I think that a Transear could be an option. If he loses more hearing in the other ear, a CI could become one. I know all about going from aids to a CI
I would love to help more, but I would need more information (audiogram for good and bad ear, type of loss, age at loss, etc) |
The requirements for a CI can vary from hospital to hospital. Some places are very restrictive in who they will implant, while others are much more permissive....like some will only do unilateral, but others will strongly encourage bilateral. A lot of it depends on the number of kids they serve and what the funding situations are like.
I know in my area, I've seen a couple of cases where the ears had uneven loss, and only 1 side was implanted, but the child and the adult each did well with the CI. The adult described the initial speech as weird at first, but eventually his brain started processing the input differently so voices and sounds didn't sound as strange after he got used to the CI. But the places that do implants in my area are pushing the envelope a bit more than in other parts of the country. Not everyone will have the same results because everyone's situation and hearing loss is different. </disclaimer>
I know that researchers have been doing some trials with select frequency CI, but I don't think it's come out to the mainstream market yet. So, even if your child wasn't a candidate 4 years ago, or isn't one now, it's still worth keeping in mind as an option because new advances are being made and 5 years from now he might benefit from whatever new technology is available.
Get all the info and opinions you can get so you can be an informed consumer.
I know in my area, I've seen a couple of cases where the ears had uneven loss, and only 1 side was implanted, but the child and the adult each did well with the CI. The adult described the initial speech as weird at first, but eventually his brain started processing the input differently so voices and sounds didn't sound as strange after he got used to the CI. But the places that do implants in my area are pushing the envelope a bit more than in other parts of the country. Not everyone will have the same results because everyone's situation and hearing loss is different. </disclaimer>
I know that researchers have been doing some trials with select frequency CI, but I don't think it's come out to the mainstream market yet. So, even if your child wasn't a candidate 4 years ago, or isn't one now, it's still worth keeping in mind as an option because new advances are being made and 5 years from now he might benefit from whatever new technology is available.
Get all the info and opinions you can get so you can be an informed consumer.
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OK dumb question... Can you wear regular hearing aids with tubes?
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