Auditory neuropathy is a condition in which the cochlea appears to function normally, but there is a problem with the nerves so that sound can not be normally processed and the auditory brainstem response (ABR) is missing or abnormal. A child with auditory neuropathy may appear to hear one day and not hear the next. This can frustrate parents and make a definite diagnosis more difficult.
An About.com Deafness visitor wrote:
My daughter was just diagnosed and apparently it's much more common than people realize. Auditory neuropathy could be the reason lots of adults and kids out there are unable to make use of hearing aids or implants. Auditory neuropathy is very confusing because these kids respond to and detect sound very well, they simply can't process the information. It misleads most professionals and parents. My daughter was diagnosed with profound hearing loss six months ago with the classic results of a flat ABR and no OAEs. The only reason that auditory neuropathy was suspected is because she was responding to sound so well with her hearing aids, which simply didn't correlate with her ABR.
Treatment
Apparently, only a few children with auditory neuropathy are able to be treated with hearing aids, while others are helped only with cochlear implants. Parents of children with auditory neuropathy face the same language and communication challenges that parents of deaf children do.
Is Support Available?
Support groups are available on the Internet for auditory neuropathy. Yahoo Groups has a discussion list, sponsored by the webmaster of a site devoted to auditory neuropathy:
- Yahoo Groups: Auditory Neuropathy - The discussion list web page has a brief explanation of auditory neuropathy. It is open to parents, professionals, and adults with auditory neuropathy.
Books
A few books have been published about auditory neuropathy. It is still a lesser-known, recently labeled condition so the literature available is limited.
- Auditory Neuropathy: A New Perspective on Hearing Disorders, by Yvonne Sininger, Ph.D. and Arnold Starr, M.D.
- Auditory Neuropathy: Diagnosis, Management, and Prosthetic Devices, by Linda J. Hood and Yvonne Sininger
Articles and Research
The Auditory Neuropathy Information website has articles and abstracts of PubMed articles.
Personal Web Pages
Some parents have created informative web sites about their child's auditory neuropathy. Here is a recommended site: Our Journey with Auditory Neuropathy - This site within a site on auditory neuropathy is a detailed, creatively written, loving look at one family's experience with auditory neuropathy, starting at their child's birth. The family eventually opted for a cochlear implant.
