Expert: Harriet B Jacobster, Au.D. - 2/10/2009

Question
I have a 4.5 year old daughter who had a dr. office hearing screening this past summer.  She missed the last beeps in each year.  When she started preschool this fall, I had her screened at the preschool and she failed the whole test.
 When I discussed this with the pediatrician she suggested we go to see an audiologist.  The issue with this, is that it is $250 and our insurance does not cover any hearing tests.  
 My question is, can we just go to an ENT and have them evaluate her.  What is an audiologist going to do differently than an ENT?  If the audiologists tell us to go to an ENT then shouldn't we just go to an ENT first.  I am really trying to optimize the money we spend in trying to evaluate if she has a problem or not.
 She speaks fine for her age, people can understand her, but she does say "what" alot and she seems to cough at night quite a bit and sounds a little nassally.

Any advice would be great.
Karie

Answer
Hi Karie,
An audiologist is the healthcare professional who evaluates, identifies, and diagnoses hearing problems.  We are the professionals who monitor hearing status and provide non-medical treatment.  The ENT is a medical professional who treats the medical aspects of hearing problems, e.g., middle ear infections, surgery, etc. An ENT cannot evaluate the auditory apparatus. It is necessary for us both to work together.  In a case like this, if you go to the ENT first, he will just refer you to the audiologist for the evaluation and who will then refer you back to the ENT for either treatment or medical clearance for hearing aids.  So, you probably would do better to go to the audiologist, get the evaluation and then to the ENT.  It is not an either/or situation. If money is an issue, see if there is a university Speech and Hearing clinic nearby that provides this service as they usually do it on a sliding scale.  

If hearing aids are recommended, it is imperative that you get them for your daughter.  Language and cognition are intrinsically tied into hearing.  There are several organizations that can help with funding if that is an issue.  Your audiologist should be able to help with that.  If not, please write back to me if you do need the hearing aids and I will be able to point you in the right direction.

Hope this helps.
Harriet B. Jacobster, AuD
Board Certified in Audiology