Children’s Health: 3 Tests Your Paediatrician Should Do Every Year

Kiddie eyesight and hearing tests, and a FREE Tympanometry test for Sassy readers

It’s post summer and back to school so I thought it would be a good idea to give my three minis a full check up at the doctors. I had heard that myPediaclinic recommend three tests that are vital to a child’s development: eye test, hearing test and a test called Tympanometry, which checks for fluid in the ears.

I don’t know if it’s a phase my kids are going through or its simply that they have had enough of hearing my voice 24/7 over the summer holidays, but I’m certain my kids need their ears checking!

Our children’s health is the most important thing in the world. Without physical health a child cannot excel academically, grow physically, or reach their fullest behavioural potential. Many times a child’s hidden health problems are causing behavioural or academic problems and parents are none the wiser.

myPediaclinic is located in Health Care City. It’s a bright and friendly clinic, and Dr Medhat is the clinic’s top paediatrician.

Dr Medhat informs me that the technology he is using for the three tests are non invasive, will extract accurate results and won’t take longer than five minutes.

All three start with the Vision Screening Test, and thanks to technology, never has something been so simple. It’s quick, accurate and takes 2 seconds. All they had to do was sit on a chair and from a distance stare into the screen of a device which was wired to a computer screen. This then took a picture and provided an accurate report of the child’s eyesight.

Outcome: All three kiddos proved to have good eyesight. One of them could gain a slight astigmatism but we could come back for another check in three months.

Then on to the Tympanometry test. The first step before assessing any developmental delay or diagnosing any behavioural or cognitive problem is a health check up that includes tympanometry assessment.

A tympanometer is an equipment that checks for fluids in the middle ear. Accumulated fluids can cause hearing problems, possible speech delay due to problems with hearing, and could also cause hearing loss. For this reason it is of utmost importance to check for fluids in the middle ear on a yearly basis and when needed such as when the child has nose allergy or ear infection, follow up on ear infection, or is snoring or if the child s speaking loudly or turning on the TV very loudly, touching their ear frequently, has aggressive behaviour or any speech of cognitive delay.

A simple hand device with an ear cord records and provides a report of the fluid. Again non invasive and took a few minutes – but you had to be completely quiet!

Outcome: Two of my kids didn’t have any fluid in the ears but the other one had fluid which was most probably caused by swimming underwater a lot or due to allergies – simple ear drops and allergy medicine will reduce the fluid (prescribed by the doctor.)

The final test is the Hearing assessment. A hearing assessment should also be done yearly to check that there are no problems with hearing as it can affect speech, behaviour, and cognitive development. It should especially be done if fluids in the middle ear have been noticed.

A digital thermometer type device is placed in the ear for a couple of seconds and a report is printed.

Outcome: all three had excellent hearing – bang goes my theory, my kids are simply not listening to me! Selective hearing it is then!

Test prices:

Hearing Test AED 350
Eye Sight Test AED 250
Fluid Test AED 200

Dr Madhat and his team are offering Sassy Mama readers a complimentary Tympanometry (Fluid in the ears) test worth AED 200. The offer is valid until Saturday, 15 October, 2016. Book your appointment today and don’t forget to quote SassyMamaDubai.

Tel:+971 (0)4-4305926

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