[senco-forum] glue ear, listening skills and behaviour

My small observation on this is that when babies are small they can
distinguish all the phonemes possible. By the time they are 18 months they
have "lost" (pruned) the ability to distinguish phonemes that they don't
hear in the native language all around them. Glue ear, even if it's treated,
affects a child's hearing for six weeks. It is more prevalent in children
because the angle of drainage of the Eustachian tube is shallower for them
so gravity is less effective at draining the tube. Children often get it
repeatedly. Babies can't tell us they have a hearing problem. So, could it
be that the damage that causes phonological difficulties (and possibly later
literacy difficulties) is done at this very early stage?

Also, I find it remarkable that children with listening difficulties seem
often to have pragmatic language difficulties, and I really haven't a clue
what the cause and effect chain might be to explain that? And these children
seem often to have very good reading and spelling. Could it be to do with
the age at which the glue ear/hearing deficit begins?

The other thing I have noticed from the material that Keith Holland posted
the other day is that the level of hearing the medical profession regards as
"adequate" is apparently below the level required to hear /f/ and just on
the threshold of the level needed to hear /th/ and /p/ in normal speech. 

Very interesting.

Mary

-----Original Message-----
From: senco-forum-bounces at lists.becta.org.uk
[mailto:senco-forum-bounces at lists.becta.org.uk] On Behalf Of Paul and
Philippa Bodien
Sent: 01 December 2007 02:53
To: senco forum
Subject: [senco-forum] glue ear, listening skills and behaviour

Can we start a thread on glue ear, listening and behaviour?

I think listening skills - poor listening skills probably due to glue ear -
underlies a lot of "behaviour" that teachers wish to modify.  The GP, in the
UK, who came out one weekend night to our screaming 2 year old prescribed
antibiotics as he said his ear drum was really inflamed.  He also said that
in the past they did not have antibiotics and the ear drum would just have
burst, the pus would have drained and the ear drum likely have healed again
all on its own.  But he could not deny a child medication in the face of
such pain and distress.  He said that as a result of antibiotics, glue ear
was now prevalent and this was a medical dilemma.  Our son did get repeated
ear infections and glue ear.   The same GP was worried.  He gave him a basic
hearing test and did two things. He prescribed a very strong decongestant to
give to the boy each time he started  a cold - this was to  keep his
Eustachian tubes clear of goo and prevent the build up that gives bugs a
fertile medium in which to thrive.  He advised getting his ears tested at 4
years of age in a soundproof booth with headphones by an audiologist.
Otherwise, he advised we were heading for grommets and he really did not
want to go down that route.  We followed his advice and it was really
helpful.  Damage to listening and hearing was avoided.
Untreated glue ear is silent and does lots of damage, not only to hearing
but also to listening.  Dilys Treharne has observed that sound therapy - The
Listening Programme and then Earobics, can make a difference to some
children.  Keith Holland uses the Johansen Sound Therapy, which Dilys has
observed can also get good results (I say "can" as Dilys finds that children
respond in varying degrees from a lot to none at all.)  Sound therapy and
assessment of auditory processing is currently being researched.  If anyone
is interested in receiving Dilys' article from Skeptic to Convert, I can
send as an attachment.

Martin M, can you add anything to this thread please?  Keith?

Philippa