Taken by surprise by toddler’s hearing loss

Lucy Burns from Cheshire was taken by surprise when her baby daughter experienced glue ear and some hearing loss, and thinks parents need to be better informed so they can spot the signs earlier and seek appropriate treatment.

When baby Ciara underwent hearing tests at the age of 14 months she was found to have glue ear. Having Down’s syndrome meant she was more at risk, but Ciara’s mum Lucy hadn’t suspected there was a problem.

Lucy said: “Ciara did have a number of head colds as a baby and also experienced a couple of ear infections prior to being diagnosed with glue ear, but these were only mild. When I saw Ciara grabbing her ear and seeming a bit grumpy I took her along to the doctor’s and she was quickly treated with antibiotics. As I know children with Down’s syndrome are more susceptible to ear infections, I did look out for them and doctors checked her ears regularly.

“When Ciara had hearing tests which showed there was some hearing loss, I was surprised. At that time she seemed to be responding well to different things, enjoying singing and playing musical instruments. Also, one of the tests (a distraction test) relied on Ciara responding appropriately to sounds made by the health visitor, and I felt the reason why she didn’t do well in this test was because she did not want to play along.

“Sometime later I realised for myself that she wasn’t hearing so well.  She was in her playroom and as I approached from the hallway, I called her name. Normally she would have rushed over to greet me as I got to the door, but this time she only noticed when I clapped my hands as I came in.”

To help Ciara hear better, a hearing aid was provided, but whilst she would wear it if distracted, eventually she started to pull it off and found it difficult to tolerate. As a result, Ciara’s specialist recommended grommets, which were fitted in September 2008.

Following the operation, Lucy noticed an instant improvement in Ciara’s hearing and recent hearing tests also confirmed this. Lucy also says there has been an improvement in Ciara’s speech and language development, as she has begun to copy more of what she hears.

Even though she knew glue ear is common in children with Down’s syndrome, Lucy was surprised that it can be difficult to spot. ‘It doesn’t necessarily mean your child has gone stone deaf, a hearing loss can be quite subtle and there may be no other noticeable signs. My experience has taught me that you can never have enough information. I was on the look-out for ear problems and still missed the initial signs; I am sure with better information that I would have picked it up quicker.”

Parents worried about children’s ear infections and not sure where to turn can get up-to-date advice and guidance from Deafness Research UK's new leaflet Ear infections and glue ear in children.