ADHD - 68% ACTUALLY HEARING IMPAIRED!!

Last year while Alex was in first grade we were getting into the peak of our search for appropriate diagnosis.  I remember taking three different tests of ADD/ADHD to the school for teachers and aids to fill out.  I also remember picking them up the morning we were going down to Arkansas Children's Hospital.  I did not have a moment to review what was written before leaving the office, so I had to look at them in the car.  It was a good thing, I did not have a chance to look at them!!  As my readers, you need to know that the school district has played the 'enemy' quite well for us; these tests were no exception.  I was so frustrated by their marks, because their answers were clearly not a representation of my son. I am not sure if I had mentioned it in an earlier post, but the school was working for a diagnosis of Autism; their marks were clearly in light of this.  I knew that in this instance they were making a gain.  When we got the results I was pleasantly surprised and probably laughed in spite of the school, because he was not classified as ADHD/ADD by any of the three tests! Siiiiiiggggghhhh of relief!!  Needless to say, these records, despite having been completed by the most reliable Developmental Center in Arkansas, were rejected by the school. . .But that's another post.


In comparing behaviors of ADD/ADHD and Hearing Loss the characteristics are strikingly similar.  Symptoms related to both of these diagnosis and apparent in school aged children are:

• academic difficulty
• inappropriate responses to questions
• do not complete assignments
• trouble sustaining attention during oral presentations
• difficulty following directions 
• Impulsiveness and acting out
• poor self concept
• low self esteem
• fewer social interactions with their peers
• greater stress
• more likely to drop out of school
• tend to repeat grades 

(site)


When children present in a school with these symptoms, the first thought is ADHD and usually there is no 2nd thought in administering the test.  Unlike Autism and CAPD, a hearing test is not required before a diagnosis of ADHD is given.  In our experience, in dealing with our school and district, despite the fact that I communicated to them my feeling that Alex was hearing impaired, they still plunged forward in their own objectives without consideration.   If he was diagnosed with ADHD the treatment would have been medication and a set of educational modifications that would be completely inappropriate for a hearing impaired child. (This is why it is so important that the parents advocate for their children)


"Anderson found that 89% of hyperactive children had 3 or more episodes of ear problems, while 74% of the hyperactive children had 10 or more episodes. Of the hyperactive children receiving medication for hyperactivity, 94% had 3 or more episodes of ear problems and 68% of these children had abnormal hearing. That is 68% of the ADHD children had an undiagnosed hearing impairment!! Anderson reported that in the learning disabled (LD) population, 20-25% of the students have histories of, or ongoing, ear problems related to hearing loss. As many as 38% of the LD student population has been found to have abnormal hearing thresholds." (site)  Total shocker!! What a reality check!!  


(Anderson was the hearing specialist for Florida's Department of Health Early Childhood program for 9 years and has specialized in Educational Audiology for 25 years. About Karen Anderson) 


Overall, be careful in seeking a diagnosis of ADHD.  Be sure to check every possibility to ensure that your child is getting an appropriate treatment. As for me, I am interested to know exactly what the numerical hearing threshold is of those 68% of ADHD children in Anderson's study who were actually hearing impaired.  Were they predominantly 'minimal', 'mild', 'moderate'. . .