Watching for Signs of Ear Infections in Young Clients

Approximately two-thirds of children get at least one middle-ear infection (otitis media) by age 3, and one-third of these children will experience at least three episodes. The earlier a child gets their first ear infection, the more susceptible they are to recurrent episodes. Children with recurrent ear infections accompanied by middle-ear fluid (otitis media with effusion) often experience fluctuating mild to moderate hearing loss. This type of hearing loss can be difficult to detect, yet can have a major effect on language and speech-sound acquisition. Speech-language pathologists can play an important role in tracking the occurrence and effects of middle-ear infections. When I began working closely with an audiologist, I more fully understood the effects of recurrent middle-ear infections. The resulting fluctuating hearing loss can cause a child to miss up to half of the speech signal, contribute to attention problems and distractibility, and may ultimately lead to language, reading and academic delays. This is important to know when working with early intervention clients and when trying to drive intervention. One of our clinic’s favorite resources is a series of handouts, “Relationship of Hearing Loss to Listening and Learning Needs.” Written with school-aged children in mind, the handouts describe the functional implications of hearing loss: the possible effects on understanding language and speech, developing social skills, and the need for academic accommo...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Tags: Audiology Speech-Language Pathology ear infection Early Intervention hearing loss hearing protection Language Disorders Speech Disorders Source Type: blogs