Children born with a complete absence of the external ear canal, even if only one ear is affected, are more likely than their peers to struggle in school, according to new research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
Hearing amplification and corrective surgery are available for the condition, called aural atresia. But many children with single ear atresia (unilateral atresia) often are not treated, even though they have significant hearing loss in their affected ear. The assumption has been that having one good ear is adequate for children with the condition.
"Until the 1990s, any kind of hearing loss that occurred in just one ear and was present from birth was not considered a serious disability," said Judith E.C. Lieu, MD, co-author of a study that looked at the effects of aural atresia on speech development. "It was assumed that these children would adjust and develop normally. But we know now that isn't always the case."
The research is published July 18 in JAMA Otolaryngology.
Aural atresia occurs in about one of 10,000 live births. In two-thirds of cases, only one ear—more commonly the right ear—is affected. The condition is almost always accompanied by a malformed or absent external ear.
Because ears affected by atresia lack an ear canal, sound is not conducted to the inner ear, which in most cases is healthy. Children born with unilateral atresia may have completely normal hearing in their other ear. A number of surgical and amplification techniques that enable sound to reach the inner ear can restore hearing for this condition.
Many of these children, however, do not use devices that would enable hearing with both ears. "There are cost issues, comfort issues and vanity issues behind this," said Lieu. "And society has a long history of believing that one good ear is sufficient."
Lieu calls it an invisible impairment. "That is part of the problem," she said. "Because the child appears normal, it is easy to forget that they have an impairment. A child with unilateral atresia who fails to pay attention in class or keeps talking when he or she should be quiet, might be labeled a problem student when the real issue is that he or she simply does not hear the teacher.
Armed with recent studies indicating that children with unilateral hearing loss from causes other than atresia have an increased risk of speech and language delays that can affect school performance, Lieu and her colleagues at Washington University School of Medicine set out to determine if the same was true for children with aural atresia.
Source: News Medical
Hearing amplification and corrective surgery are available for the condition, called aural atresia. But many children with single ear atresia (unilateral atresia) often are not treated, even though they have significant hearing loss in their affected ear. The assumption has been that having one good ear is adequate for children with the condition.
"Until the 1990s, any kind of hearing loss that occurred in just one ear and was present from birth was not considered a serious disability," said Judith E.C. Lieu, MD, co-author of a study that looked at the effects of aural atresia on speech development. "It was assumed that these children would adjust and develop normally. But we know now that isn't always the case."
The research is published July 18 in JAMA Otolaryngology.
Aural atresia occurs in about one of 10,000 live births. In two-thirds of cases, only one ear—more commonly the right ear—is affected. The condition is almost always accompanied by a malformed or absent external ear.
Because ears affected by atresia lack an ear canal, sound is not conducted to the inner ear, which in most cases is healthy. Children born with unilateral atresia may have completely normal hearing in their other ear. A number of surgical and amplification techniques that enable sound to reach the inner ear can restore hearing for this condition.
Many of these children, however, do not use devices that would enable hearing with both ears. "There are cost issues, comfort issues and vanity issues behind this," said Lieu. "And society has a long history of believing that one good ear is sufficient."
Lieu calls it an invisible impairment. "That is part of the problem," she said. "Because the child appears normal, it is easy to forget that they have an impairment. A child with unilateral atresia who fails to pay attention in class or keeps talking when he or she should be quiet, might be labeled a problem student when the real issue is that he or she simply does not hear the teacher.
Armed with recent studies indicating that children with unilateral hearing loss from causes other than atresia have an increased risk of speech and language delays that can affect school performance, Lieu and her colleagues at Washington University School of Medicine set out to determine if the same was true for children with aural atresia.
Source: News Medical
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