Discovering Thomas’ hearing loss

The news that our son was deaf didn’t cause the stress or worry that many people might expect. It was a series of questions we needed answered.

Thomas, our son of two years, has bilateral sensorineural deafness. He was given two little hearing aids and has taken them in like a duck to water. He was initially unsure about them and would remove them from time to time, but we insisted that he knew the difference once they were in. He still throws and pulls out his toys when he is having a tantrum, but he does it less often.

We were told about the hearing problem on his first full day of life by hospital staff. The first time we learned there was a problem was on the day he was born. Hospital staff had come to perform a newborn audiometric test. Both ears had issues, but the left was worse, and the right was borderline. This meant that he would need to undergo more tests, and there would be more questions unanswered until he reached an older age.

Up to that point, I guess we knew there could be a much more serious issue we had yet to discover. It allowed us to push it back into the background until we knew the facts. Why stress about something which may be nothing more than congestion?

Thomas’ hearing loss was confirmed when he turned one year old in December 2018. We were informed that he would need to wear a device to help him hear “normally.” We had some more questions, such as: “How will this affect him at school?” and “Will he hear the shouts of his friends on the football field?”

We were assured that we would be supported throughout the entire process, and we’ve received it in spades! My wife and I were still not overly worried at this stage – it’s hard to explain, as you naturally want your child to be perfect. This could have been due to the explanations and help we received from NHS staff, charities like the National Deaf Children’s Society, or just our positive outlook on the world.

You shouldn’t be worried if your child has a hearing problem. But if I could stress anything, it would be that this is not the end of the world. There are many people in the same situation as you. You can adapt to your child’s needs, and you will find a lot of support. We’ve learned so much from the people we met, and we’ve also received a lot of help.