Chronic ear infections can delay language development in children, a new study suggests.
Researchers at the University of Florida have begun a study into how common childhood infections can affect speech.
Early ear infections (otitis media) have the potential to impair hearing due to fluid buildup behind the eardrum, according to a study published in November 2023 in the International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology.
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Researchers examined auditory processing and language development in 117 children aged 5 to 10, including children with and without a history of chronic ear infections.
Children who experienced multiple ear infections before age 3 had poor vocabulary and difficulty matching similar-sounding words.
![Little girl with ear infection](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/01/1200/675/iStock-1440925771.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
A University of Florida study found that early ear infections can cause speech delays later in life. (iStock)
These children also had difficulty detecting changes in sound, which may indicate problems with the brain's auditory processing centers.
Study co-author Susan Nittrouer, Ph.D., a professor at the University of Florida, discussed the results in a statement to Fox News Digital.
“For most children, language development seems to come so easily that it can be easy to overlook how amazing it is,” she said.
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“And because ear infections are so common among infants and toddlers, it’s easy to see them as completely benign,” she added.
Nittrouer noted that the study uncovered “two rather new findings.”
![Little girl had her ears examined by the doctor](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/01/1200/675/iStock-1385516842.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
It's important for caregivers to pay attention to their child's history of ear infections, said the study's lead researcher (not pictured). (iStock)
The first finding was that ear infections were associated with a reduced ability to recognize patterns of acoustic signals present in speech.
“The central auditory pathway develops after birth,” the researchers said.
“If a child is not provided with sufficient auditory input due to temporary hearing loss due to an ear infection, the development of the auditory pathway is delayed and these listening skills do not develop properly.”
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The second finding suggested that this misperception of acoustic patterns impairs children's ability to identify specific speech sounds, including syllable-like elements.
“As we get older, the language we encounter, especially in school, becomes more complex and relies more on levels of language structure.”
“This is an important discovery,” said Nittrouer. “In the early stages of language acquisition, children do not have or need a keen sensitivity to phonological structure, that is, to individual speech sounds.”
She added: “But as children get older, the language they encounter, especially at school, becomes more complex and more dependent on the level of language structure and children’s ability to accurately and quickly recognize individual sounds in words.”
![Speech therapist works with the child](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/01/1200/675/iStock-1206670148.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
One of the study's “important findings” is that ear infections can cause poor speech recognition, the lead researcher said. (iStock)
This means that children who experience delays and difficulties with language development “have stronger difficulties” as they get older, Nittrouer said.
“Contrary to the idea that children ‘get over’ or ‘pass’ the effects of early education, [ear infections]“These effects can actually be enhanced,” she said.
“We have to take every ear infection seriously.”
Nittrouer recommended that parents and guardians monitor children for “language learning, academic and attention difficulties,” including reading difficulties, as they age.
“It also means we have to take every ear infection seriously,” she added.
Other early health history can also delay a child's language development, Nittrouer said. This means that children should have their language development monitored “from the early years of school onwards.”
She also said that “problems arising from these situations may emerge as the language needs of the school increase.”
![Speech therapist and little boy](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/01/1200/675/iStock-1369596152.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
Ear infections can delay the development of the auditory pathway in infancy, a study suggests. (iStock)
Dr. Abhita Reddy, a pediatric otolaryngologist at Cedars Sinai Guerin Children's who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital that in his opinion, the study was “underpowered.”
“This experiment had very few study subjects, but we drew broad conclusions from them,” the Los Angeles-based doctor said by email. “If a study has too few subjects, the conclusions can easily be distorted, often by confounding variables.”
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Reddy also noted that the study's patient population was “concerning,” as the study looked at children who were not known to have many ear infections, as defined by their parents.
“[This] Many concerns may arise regarding the type of otitis media your child has, as there are two types: acute otitis media and chronic otitis media with effusion. “This can have a very different impact on a patient’s language development,” she said.
![The doctor examines the ears of a little girl](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/01/1200/675/iStock-1368169092.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
According to the researchers' findings, the effects of early ear infections may “intensify” as children grow. (iStock)
The definition of a patient experiencing an ear infection is “even more concerning,” Reddy said. This is because the authors studied patients who had never received ear tubes.
“They did not mention whether the patient wore ear tubes during treatment. [the] Experiment with how many sets you have and what the indications for the ear tubes are,” she said.
The expert said that in his opinion parents should not draw conclusions from this study and that he did not believe the study would influence the future of ENT care.
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“We know that recurrent acute otitis media in certain patients can be caused by Eustachian tube dysfunction (the tube in our body that connects the middle ear space to the back of the nose). [which]If not treated early, it can lead to lifelong problems with hearing in the form of conductive hearing loss (the ability of sound to travel to the auditory nerve),” Reddy added.
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