Expert: Valerie Herskowitz - 1/22/2009

Question
Valerie,
Our 18 mo. old never responds to his name when called by myself, my husband, family members, his MDO teacher and even peers.  At first my husband and I put it off as he was ignoring us.  But he does it to everyone.  He also has a very limited vocabulary.  It is though he has regressed in words but makes more sounds that mimic things going on.  He quit saying dog and howls instead at perfect pitch.  He does the same for the cat and meows.  It is as though he can hear those things so we arent sure if its a hearing problem or not.  We took the M-Chat and had some failing answers but most were related to language and speech.  We spoke with our doctor yesterday and she is suggesting EIC and gave us a referal and note for his ENT.  We are seeing his ENT and an audiologist tomorrow to check his hearing.  They checked his hearing when he was 7 months old and his tympanogram game back abnormal.  His doctor did another one yesterday and it came back the same way.  It is close to a flat line with tiny peaks and waves in both ears.  We are praying for a hearing issue but cant keep from thinking that since he is hearing the cat and dog but dosent seem to us that it may be autism.  I should let you know that he was born early, stayed in the NICU for breathing issues, Had RSV at age 6 months which required a hospital stay, and has various other infections and viruses.

Thanks so much.

Answer
Well, you are taking the correct first step-having his hearing checked. I would hope this is related to the hearing, but my guess is that it is not and that he has a developmental delay of sorts. I feel this way as not coming when he is called is a red flag as is the howling like a dog. But still, it is good you are checking his hearing. The tympanogram being flat indicates ear infections. Does he have those? Also, many kids with developmental issues suffer from ear infections. I would also hope that they will do an audiogram to check his actual hearing.
Get back to me after the hearing test-we can go from there. Good luck

Valerie Herskowitz, MA CCC
valerieherskowitz.com