Bilateral Vestibular Hypofunction

I finally got around to reading the final reports sent from UAB from that study my kids participated in for kids with hearing loss to test their vestibular (balance) system. Here's what was determined: they both have Bilateral Vestibular Hypofunction. Gage is a little more severe as expected and Brook can compensate with some of her issues. For example, she can figure out how to balance and an unlevel floor when she can't hear or see....poor Gage however, falls completely over, can't balance at all. She knows how to use her sense of feeling to adjust her balance, Gman falls back without any chance of staying on his feet. They suggested the kids take Karate, and stated Gman might improve with swimming or tennis while Brook could benefit from Dance or Gymnastics. We actually have thought about putting them in Karate anyway, so might actually look into that! Here's the post from when they did the study last year, with pics of what all they did.

Here was the quote about B's test:

"OVERALL IMPRESSION:


 Brooklyn has bilateral vestibular hypofunction. However, she has learned to use remaining vestibular function for gaze stability. She has not learned to compensate for balance."

Gage's test result quote

"OVERALL IMPRESSION:

 The results of this study show that Gage has bilateral vestibular hypofunction which contributes to his inability to see when his head is moving quickly. It also contributes to his inability to balance when his eyes are closed or when the surface is not stable. Try some of the following exercises to help this problem.

Gaze Stability:

Work on focusing on small letters or pictures while turning your head quickly (e.g. walking, running, or swinging). Try to focus your eyes anytime your head is moving. You can even turn your head side to side while trying to read a book (for a minute or so).

Balance:

Work on standing on soft surfaces (thick couch cushion or foam mat) with the eyes closed; work on standing on one foot with eyes opened and closed (try to get up to 30 seconds); work on walking tandem (one foot in front of the other)."

Good stuff and informative from UAB! Thanks for inviting us to participate!