Hellobee Boards

Hi! I'm a lurker here but I'm also an audiologist! I'm sorry that your daughter is having so many ear infections! I am a huge proponent of ear tubes for kiddos with chronic infections. It's a simple procedure that can have a large, immediate impact on her hearing and speech/language development. I've seen 40 dB hearing losses in kids with fluid in their ears - that's a significant reduction in hearing! As far as not being able to find you in the house, to "localize" sounds we need two ears that are hearing at approximately the same level. If your daughter has fluid in one ear or worse in one ear that could definitely have an effect on her localization of sounds. Her speech development could definitely be affected, though that usually catches up once the middle ears are clear, though this is an important window for speech/language development overall.

Have you seen a pediatric ear-nose-throat doctor? That's my recommendation for a next step- let me know if you have any questions and good luck!!

I would definitely go see an ENT. They will test her hearing. Tubes can help her hearing and speech. It sounds like she needs them. I don't know why the doctor would put them off.

From my personal experiences, I do believe that it can hurt speech because I believe it did for my son. I had worried about his speech since before he was 2 years old. 1 month before his 2 year old birthday we did a speech and hearing test at a local college (students practicing). They said he was just on the borderline and it could warrant follow up. We didn't just then because he was getting therapy through school. At 2 1/2 I was more concerned and started private therapy. We did more hearing tests and tympanograms (they measure if the eardrum moves appropriately). All hearing tests were low normal but the tympanograms were slightly abnormal. We did tubes at just before 3 years old strictly because of his speech issues. We are almost 1 year out of tubes and therapy for apraxia. He has made huge improvements from 40 sound errors and 50% intelligibility a year ago to 9 sound errors and 75% intelligibility now. I think you need to follow your mommy instincts in either direction.

It sounds like you have gotten a lot of great advice. I can only tell you from our experience with hearing loss (none of it related to ear infections) that pediatricians often don't know enough about hearing and ears, so if you're at all concerned you should ask for the referral to an ENT who can give you a more knowledgeable take. DS was a couple months old when he had only the slightest infection in one ear and a solid wax blockage in the other and that alone was enough to stop all his babbling for a while, so I wouldn't agree with a ped who wanted to wait it out with chronic infections.

Personally, recurrent ear infections caused me to have a subtle but tricky auditory processing disorder. Basically, I have trouble understanding sounds when there are competing sounds around me. Like, in big lecture courses in college I always needed to sit up front, and I was rude about shushing talkers. I have trouble on the phone if the connection isn't perfect. I prefer to socialize in small groups, because I have trouble understanding conversation at parties.

It isn't a huge deal, and I work around it ok. But it's one of the long term consequences of suboptimal hearing (due to fluid buildup) during that sensitive developmental period. I don't love it.

I agree with previous posters about seeing an ENT and the benefits of ear tubes. DS, now 9 months, had them put in last month after 5 consecutive rounds of antibiotics. Not only is he a much happier baby since he's not in pain from the ear infections, his speech development took off after the procedure. Before it he was only making a few different babbling sounds, now he has 3 or 4 words!

@Kelley_lovelikecrazy: and we're going back to the ENT. Looks like DS1 will need a second set!

@Kelley_lovelikecrazy: if you don't mind, what other symptoms??

@Kelley_lovelikecrazy: sounds like it was the best thing for her! So glad she's already seemingly feeling better. Thanks for the info.

@Kelley_lovelikecrazy: He did great! Back to normal within the hour. He had his adenoids taken out last time which made it a little worse. @PurplePeony: My nephew got tubes when he was about 14 months. At the time, he wasn't walking yet. The doctor said it was because of the fluid. He said he should walk within 2-3 weeks of getting the tubes. He did! It can totally affect balance.