Expert: Harriet B Jacobster, Au.D. - 7/23/2009

Question
one of my twin babies has been diagnosed with this condition, they are 17 weeks now. we have been told it is a waiting and watching situation until he is older and get a bigger picture as to what he can hear and cant. i was wondering what if any treatments are available anywhere and if it is permanent. i have read conflicting stories about how it may or maynot affect speach etc, please could you give me any advice or information you can. thank you

Answer
Hi Michele,
Some newborn babies who have been diagnosed with auditory neuropathy improve and start to hear and speak within a year or two while other infants stay the same and others get worse.  Therefore, it is extremely important to have regular evaluations in order to monitor your child's progress.  Because of the twinning, your other baby may also be at risk and it is important to monitor his/her hearing as well.

The most important thing at this stage is to get as much speech information to your baby's brain.  You haven't mentioned if your baby is speaking at all yet.  The first few months of life are crucial for speech and language development. So at 17 weeks, if therapy is started immediately, there is a good chance your baby could develop normally - or close to normal.

There are two main philosophies of how to teach infants and children with auditory neuropathy how to communicate. One philosophy favors using sign language as the child's first language. The second philosophy encourages the use of listening skills and skills in spoken English together with technologies such as hearing aids and cochlear implants. A combination of these two approaches can also be used. Some health professionals believe it may be especially difficult for children with auditory neuropathy to learn to communicate only through spoken language because their ability to understand speech is often greatly impaired (http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/hearing/neuropathy.htm#f).

You need to contact an audiologist or speech pathologist experienced in this area and begin therapy immediately for the best possible outcome.

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