Tired in class and lacks concentration

Oliver Sandell, 10, has glue ear and is having problems at school. He is frequently tired in class and lacks concentration, common symptoms of the condition.

Oliver's mother, Louise, tells her story.

I first realised something was not right when Oliver was about four. Because he was our first child, we didn't know what to watch out for, otherwise we might have picked something up earlier. The first sign was bad behaviour at school, and he also suffered a lot of colds and asthma.

We discovered Oliver had glue ear during a routine hearing test at school. He was put on antibiotics and we were told that he'd grow out of it. He was later put on a waiting list for grommets after several hearing tests showed no improvement.

Oliver has now had three sets of grommets and currently has a set of T tubes. He now has frequent hearing tests and his behaviour has improved. We now recognise the symptoms of an ear infection or a reduction in his hearing (he gets more tired than usual and his concentration lapses) and can intervene early.

Oliver's speech was noticeably affected at the time, and it is still not at the standard it should be. He also still gets frequent ear infections and is now on a special needs list, because of the impact of glue ear-related hearing loss on his school work.

More support

I would like to see more support for parents. There is very little help available, and I had to give up work because we had so many doctors' appointments to attend.

I have found it extremely important to make it clear to teachers and other parents that Oliver has a temporary hearing loss caused by glue ear. However, many people don't understand because it is not something you can see.

I have had to really drum it in to people, telling them to speak more clearly, and be patient if Oliver doesn't understand what they say. I've even had one parent tell me that Oliver is ignorant - when it is just that he can't always hear properly!

The glue ear has definitely affected Oliver's schooling. People just don't realise what a detrimental affect it has.

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