Wednesday, June 20, 2007

ABR testing

When you have a child that is disabled, it sometimes takes a while to admit or even say that word. I usually think of people who are severely handicapped whenever that word comes up, not people like Logan.
A few weeks ago we spent the afternoon at the workshop/picnic for the LA DHH (Deaf and Hard of Hearing) program, which Logan belongs to. They usually have them twice a year, but we have never attended. I'd always tell myself, "That's not us. We aren't really like those other people, Logan is different." But after finally attending...I realized that we are part of that community. I spent most of the afternoon in tears as I watched Logan interact with other children, also with hearing loss. I watched as some of the older kids signed to him to tell him they liked the car stickers on his hearing aids and how he thought that was neat. I watched how the group signed fun songs, much of which he could understand. I loved how he made instant friends with other 2 and 3 year olds because it was so easy to communicate with them. I talked with other parents who understand what a challenge this has been and also who gave me encouragement that the things that I wish for Logan, can actually become a reality.

LOGAN'S SPEECH THERAPIST, JESSICA


It has been a frustrating year for us as we have come to believe that Logan is still not hearing, even with his hearing aids in. When he was first diagnosed I had no idea how many daily and simple things would be affected by his inability to hear. We have been blessed to have him be such a happy and energetic kid who doesn't get frustrated easily.We have been waiting for months to have an ABR (auditory brainstem response) test done. It's a test that they don't like to do very often because it requires that the child be sedated. It will tell his exactly what his hearing abilities are and if his hearing loss has become worse. This will be a big step for us in being able to go forward with his progress. We are scheduled for July 23 and we couldn't be more excited.

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