Re: Help!!! My son's hearing is OK but he doesn't listen

[Guest guest]

What about when you are asking him things that you believe he'd be interested

in. For example does he listen if you are asking him what flavor ice cream,

what toy he wants from the store, what game he wants to play etc.? What about

simple commands. If you say " can you get your book and bring it to me " a

two part command will he listen to/follow that? What about a one part command

" go get your sneakers "

In other words does it depend? Does he ever listen? And when he does can he

follow a 2 part command? Can you provide some examples?

=====

[Guest guest]

I think all kids have selective hearing, but some do have receptive

language issues as well. Usually apraxic kids have much higher

receptive language, but that doesn't mean that you can both be apraxic

and have a language disorder.

My son has both a receptive and expressive language disorder (so far

undefined) in addition to apraxia. Around your child's age I thought

it was just selective hearing because he seemed to understand things

like, " Dinner! " and " Ice Cream " just fine. But then I realized those

were things that were said many many times (ok, not many for ice

cream, but he learned that word easier than some others) and so he

knew them where he didn't know some other things. Now he has learned

to always answer, and much of the time it is, " Huh? " or " I not get

what you say me. " So I know he TRIED to listen, but he didn't

understand.

I was truly shocked when he was about 5 yrs old to find out just

severe his language issues were. Most people don't see it because he

has developed extremely good coping mechanisms. He " reads " people

very well, gestures, intonation and other social cues. He also does a

lot of very educated guessing on what he thinks people want from him.

Compared to other kids his age he doesn't initially appear to not

understand. As his speech improved it became more and more clear how

severe his language issues were. He was both not answering because he

couldn't form the word, but also because he didn't know the vocabulary

or couldn't word find what he needed to say. It was a triple whammy.

1. Understand what is being said. 2. Figure out how to answer. 3.

Hope and pray that the motor plan gets to the tongue and lips! We

also notice that he has good days and bad. Some days it's a constant,

" Huh? Huh? Huh? " and others he follows directions nicely. High pollen

season makes him worse, but also it happens at random times. This is

one reason we have suspected epileptic aphasia (absence seizures,

mostly during sleep, which would explain the " on " and " off " days) but

he's had two EEGs and nothing has been seen on that. His last couple

SLPs (we moved) have felt that his language was aphasic and that could

be caused by something else, but that is pretty hard to diagnose in

kids who never had language to start with - hence to loss of language.

Many people when I describe him (especially online, but also some

people in person) ask me about central auditory processing disorder

(CAPD.) It is not an issue with him, but it is another thing that

should be looked at it this issue is more than just selective hearing.

He was screened for this at age 4 and found to be " at risk, " but he

wasn't formally tested. A true test requires a child who can respond

better and who is a bit older I was told. By the time he met that

criteria it also became clear that CAPD isn't an issue for him.

(Thank God!)

If you find he can follow a simple command make sure he can also

follow that command if you are sitting on your hands or have then held

behind your back. Try it without making eye contact with him or with

your head turned to the side so he can't read your body language. If

his ability to understand you deteriorates it's a clue to know that

he's relying on other things than your words to figure out what you

are saying. At age 5 even my son's second SLP (same practice, but he

saw two different ones that followed the same work plan) could not

believe how low he scored on the formal testing that the other SLP

did. He spent a session sitting on his hands and avoiding eye contact

with my son and my son was completely lost and couldn't figure out

what was expected of him. It was really hard to watch through that

little window, but it taught us both just how well he compensated!

Hope this helps a little. I'd keep a watch on his language skills.

Language is something that his SLP should be working on with him in

combination with speech if there is any kind of a delay.

Miche

On Tue, Jun 16, 2009 at 9:06 PM, kiddietalk<kiddietalk@...> wrote:

>

>

> What about when you are asking him things that you believe he'd be

> interested in. For example does he listen if you are asking him what flavor

> ice cream, what toy he wants from the store, what game he wants to play

> etc.? What about simple commands. If you say " can you get your book and

> bring it to me " a two part command will he listen to/follow that? What about

> a one part command " go get your sneakers "

>

> In other words does it depend? Does he ever listen? And when he does can he

> follow a 2 part command? Can you provide some examples?

[Guest guest]

My son answers  to simple one part commands and some two part commands.Sometimes

he needs a cue or repetition of the two part command. If I ask him what flavor

of ice cream he wants he hesitates and then go to the fridges and bring one. I

feel like it is difficult for him to make choices in anny matter.   

 

Thanks

 

From: kiddietalk <kiddietalk@...>

Subject: [ ] Re: Help!!! My son's hearing is OK but he doesn't

listen

Date: Tuesday, June 16, 2009, 8:06 PM

What about when you are asking him things that you believe he'd be interested

in. For example does he listen if you are asking him what flavor ice cream, what

toy he wants from the store, what game he wants to play etc.? What about simple

commands. If you say " can you get your book and bring it to me " a two part

command will he listen to/follow that? What about a one part command " go

get your sneakers "

In other words does it depend? Does he ever listen? And when he does can he

follow a 2 part command? Can you provide some examples?

=====