Hi Vicki, our daughter who is 14 months has unilateral hearing loss.

Hi Lottie. Unilateral hearing loss is often caused by an abnormality of the inner ear, for example the cochlea or hearing nerve could be underdeveloped or absent. Therefore, one of the investigations offered is a scan to look at the structure of the inner ear and hearing nerve. If an abnormality is found and the other ear looks normal then it can be reassuring to know that the hearing in the better ear is unlikely to deteriorate or be affected by the same thing. But if the scan shows the inner ear has developed normally then the scan won't tell us why it isn't working as well as it should. So the scan could reassure you, but it could tell you nothing. In either case the results are unlikely to affect how you are managing your daughters hearing loss at the moment so it's probably OK to wait until you all feel more comfortable having it done. MRI scans are safe and there are no known side effects but as you say there are risks associated with anaesthetic, and the risks of having an anaesthetic reduce as children get older. There are a few situations when doctors would recommend an MRI scan is done as soon as possible - when a child has had meningitis, is being assessed for a cochlear implant, if their hearing is getting changing and getting worse, or if there are any characteristic features that may suggest a child's hearing loss could be part of a syndrome. In these examples, the doctor will want to look closely at the structure of the inner ear to be able to give advice on possible management or treatment options. If these aren't applicable to your daughter then have a chat with your doctor and find out why they want to do it so early. Lots of parents choose to wait if the results aren't going to change what's happening for their child at the moment and you can think about it again when she's a bit older. A couple of booklets from NDCS that you might find helpful are 'Understanding your child's hearing tests' (which includes a section on these investigations) and 'Unilateral deafness' which can both be ordered free from our Helpline 0808 800 8880 or downloaded from the website www.ndcs.org.uk. Vicki

New resource that might be of interest to some readers >> "Supporting the achievement of hearing impaired children in special schools" will be useful for anyone who works in a special school. It helps improve outcomes and progress for deaf children and covers:

- identifying hearing loss in a child
- understanding hearing loss and how it impacts on a child’s ability to access teaching and learning,
- ensuring the effective use of hearing equipment,
- creating a good listening and learning environment,
- knowing how to communicate effectively with a deaf child,
- adapting teaching and learning strategies to ensure the curriculum is accessible.

Free to download here: http://www.ndcs.org.uk/professional_support/our_resources/supporting.html