November 30, 2013

Hearing Aid Fitting

I remember the day that Cooper got his hearing aids so well. I felt sick to my stomach. I want to try and put into words how I felt. First, I didn’t believe that he needed them. I just couldn’t see it. And trust me, I tried. I tried because a hearing loss would explain why he wasn’t talking. Simple, right. He can’t hear so he can’t talk. Get the hearing aids and he will start talking.

Since I am obsessed with research and information, I started googling. I scoured the internet for anything on toddlers with hearing aids. I wanted all the information I could. I struggled to find any real information but I did read that almost of all of Cooper’s behaviors could be linked to hearing loss.

The first thing we did at the appointment was a booth hearing test. Cooper sat on my lap in the booth. As we sat there, I realized Cooper was hearing every sound. I started to feel better and better. I think the whole hearing test lasted 5 minutes or so. As she opened the door to the booth, I immediately said, “he heard it all!!” Dr. Alice responded, “yes, but he still needs hearing aids.” WTF does that mean.

Fitting a hyper active toddler for hearing aids was a rather interesting experience. Cooper watched Thomas on my phone and my husband held him. They put a little string with a sponge on the end in the ear canal and use what looks like a caulk gun to fill up the ear drum. The whole process takes like 10 minutes per ear. Cooper sat there surprisingly well. That’s one this about Cooper. Just when you count him out he totally does great.

I remember that my husband and I rode home in silence. We both felt very different about the diagnosis. Jamie is a very black and white guy. Bascially, a doctor told us that Cooper has a hearing loss so therefore Cooper has a hearing loss. I live in the gray area. A doctor says Cooper has a hearing loss…provie it. I kept telling Jamie, this doesn’t feel right. I think we should go to the city and get a second opinion. He disagreed.

So, home we went to wait 2 weeks for hearing aids.

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Kate Swenson

Kate Swenson lives in Minnesota with her husband Jamie, and four children, Cooper, Sawyer, Harbor and Wynnie. Kate launched Finding Cooper's Voice from her couch while her now 11-year-old son Cooper was being diagnosed with autism. Back then it was a place to write. Today it is a living, thriving community of people who want to not only advocate for autism, but also make the world a better place for individuals with disabilities and their families. Her first book, Forever Boy, will be released, April 5, 2022.

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