Hearing loss and autism.

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Is there some kind of connection?
I first got tubes in my ears as a baby, which I can't remember. I do remember, however, going to the ENT clinic several times as a child. I distinctly remember doing some kind of hearing test where I had to wear headphones, listen for the beeps, and press the clicker when I heard a beep. For some reason, I didn't press the clicker; I deliberately ignored the beeps and to this day I don't really know why. I think maybe I thought it was a game and I was playing a trick on the doctor - "Ha ha, she thinks I didn't hear the beep but actually I did!"
Anyway, the upshot of it was that they put some more tubes in my ears and said I had 30% hearing loss.

In retrospect, I'm wondering if I ever really had any hearing loss at all. Isn't not responding to sounds an indicator of ASD in babies? So isn't it possible that I could hear; I just didn't respond?

I don't think there is a connection. I actually do have hearing loss, however. I had glue ear and repeated ear infections and weakened eardrums that kept perforating.

I wish I had hearing loss, then I wouldn't be so sensitive to noise!

Actually, saying that, I have always had trouble with my ears and nose, and i've had countless hearing tests throughout my life, from when I was 5 right upto the age I am now, and the doctors always say that I am slightly deafer than average, and also one ear is actually deafer than the other - but I am still sensitive to noise and easily distracted to normal background noises. So weird!! !

I have a severe hearing loss in my left ear, and a moderate one in my right ear. I wear a hearing aid in my right ear since it has some serviceable hearing, but my left ear is pretty much deaf. I was born with the hearing loss. I tend to think that in my case the Asperger's is not related to the hearing loss since many people with AS do not have a hearing loss and many people with a hearing loss do not have AS. Although there is a chance they could be related, I don't think they are.

I think it just depends on the situation.....I think I have problems with audio processing, which I understand is sometimes a symptom of Asperger's. However, I also do have a hearing loss, which is definitely NOT related.

I am almost positive I have hearing loss - I haven't been to a hearing specialist, but I have symptoms of tinnitus and sometimes when people talk at a normal volume, it sounds like gibberish and I have to ask them to repeat themselves. I also have to watch most movies with the subtitles on.

However, I know my hearing loss has nothing to do with AS. It is most likely due to the fact that I have spent many years listening to music at unhealthy volumes.

I have awful hearing in my right ear. When I was little the eardrum in my right ear burst and since then I've been mostly deaf in that ear.

My hearing is still very good, even at age 66. Other than sub standard sized Eustachian tubes, my ears seem to work as well, and often better, than most. I seem to hear a lot of things that others do not. Often these are things that are at high frequencies, or very low levels.

I know I had hearing loss as a baby. My parents had me tested and I couldn't hear fog horns or trains. Also I never looked at my mother when she spoke to me but I always looked at my dad when he spoke to me because he always talked loud so that's how I know I was genuinely deaf. I also failed hearing tests after I got my hearing back. First time I remember taking the hearing test was when I was six and I was told to raise my arm if I hear a beep.

I think I have vague memories of going to the ear doctor because I can remember going to this room and it was narrow and rectangular and we were there a few times and I always got scared there. I also remember this doctor wearing this circle gold thing over his face. I don't know why I always got scared when the doctor start touching me. But I remember feeling fine back then. Same as when I was given medicine for my ears and they had to sit on me to give it to me because I get scared and they had to sit on me to force it in my mouth and dad took movies. So I got to see that at age 12 and I saw there was nothing to be afraid of but I remember back then how scared I was and I also felt fine back then too. My dad said it was medicine for my ears. I also had tubes put in my ears twice because they fell out and they had to take me back when I was two. Then I had to have them removed when I was seven and fourteen because they were giving me problems. I remember having ear problems when I was seven and mom took me to the ear doctor and he cleaned it out and took the tube out. The tube was starting to fall out and then it stopped and my body decided to grow the skin around it so the doctor had to rip the skin and take it out. Then at age 14 I had the other taken out because every time water get in there, I be stuck with this stuff coming out of my ear for a few days and it get into my hair and run down my face and neck and it was gross. I had that problem since age 11 and it continued all the way until it got taken out. My parents didn't want me wearing any tissue or toilet paper or cotton balls in my ear to catch the fluids due to doctor orders so I can remember walking with my head tilted with that ear facing up. Then I would have to carry some tissue with me to wipe out my ear and I would just wear some in there to catch it so I couldn't get it in my hair and have it run down my skin and I wouldn't have to walk with my head tilted.


But I have a hard time with some sounds and hearing people over noise. I need them to shout at me for me to hear them over the other sounds. I have had people ask me if I was deaf because I had to get so close to them to hear them talk because they wouldn't shout. There were just other people talking in the room so it made it hard for me to hear the person and neither anyone else seemed to have the same issue as me because no one was holding out their ears to hear or staring at their faces or getting very close to them.

From an audiologist visit I had a few months ago, her words were literally that I had excellent hearing. This was even with a significant ear infection.

I certainly hope not.