Ear checks

Imagine if a young child was not able to hear, understand or communicate with their parents or the people around them.

Loss of hearing is hard for parents and kids

When children have hearing loss they may not hear their name when called, they may have difficulty learning and talking or feel like no-one understands them.

The main cause of hearing loss in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities is Otitis Media, a medical term for middle ear disease.  Sometimes it's referred to as glue ear.

Prevention

Ear disease can be prevented by getting your children's ears checked regularly.   Read here for more prevention tips.

Listen to Sarah Boyne from the Deadly Ears program describe what happens when a child is tested for ear disease. 

Do you have a jarjum (child) aged between 0 to 5, then Listen `Ear may be of interest to you. This is because Otitis Media is a very common condition for this age group.

Otitis media, or ear disease can cause hearing loss and significantly impact a child's language and speech development.

"The reason why otitis media is very common in children is because babies are born with a flat eustachian tube," says audiologist, Barbara Bohdal from Attune Hearing*.

"Because of the flat angle and because the eustachian tube is really narrow in diametre it doesn't take much for swelling to stop the tube opening when we swallow."

She says any trapped fluid creates the perfect breeding ground for germs which cause infections.  

"Sometimes we get what’s called Otitis Media with fusion, or 'glue' ear," she says.

This is when the trapped fluid behind the ear drum, thickens.  This prevents the ear drum from vibrating and causes hearing loss.  

Glue ear is often painless

Barbara recommends getting a child's ears checked regularly because ear disease can have no symptons.  

Click here to learn about signs and symptons of Otitis Media.

* Attune Hearing is an audiology company providing diagnostic and rehabilitation services throughout Australia.  

Listen `Ear is funded by the National Indigenous Ear Health campaign, an Australian Government initiative.