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EAR INFECTIONS CAN CONTRIBUTE TO SLOW LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT
Many studies have been done on otitis media and delayed language development. The results of these studies indicate that children who have had chronic ear infections from about age 0 to 3 years, may have trouble with speech, reading, vocabulary and learning in late childhood. The idea is that with ear infections, children usually have fluid in the middle ear. It is the fluid that prevents children from hearing well enough to acquire language skills in the way that kids with no history of chronic ear infections learn language.

It is important to identify  infections as soon as possible and to get appropriate treatment. The functioning of the middle ear may be compromised.

Occasionally, there may be a physician who is not aware of the impact otitis media has on language development. It is your job as a parent to discuss this with your primary care provider.

Here are some things you as a parent can do.
If your child has an ear infection, he or she might hold or rub the ear. Your child may have a fever and ear pain. You can purchase an otoscope from your local drug store. These instruments are easy to use and allow you to view the ear drum. You can see whether or not your child has inflammation, or pink/red areas, in the ear. Never stick anything in the ear other than the otoscope and be sure to read and follow the directions enclosed in the otoscope package.
It is important to take your child to the doctor even if you don't think he has an infection. It takes a lot of experience to be able to evaluate the ear correctly.
If your doctor prescribes medication, it it very important for your child to take the medication exactly as directed. Complete
all the medication as required and do not forget doses. Your child will continue to have symptoms and be infected if you fail to follow the directions. This could cause the ear and language problems in the future, as well as subjecting your child to unnecessary, harmful, and ineffective antibiotics due to overuse. For example, if you decide to give your child 3 days of medication instead of the prescribed 5 days, your child will still have the infection, and will need yet another prescription of antibiotics in the near future, and then that particular drug may not work any longer for your child.

Simply being aware of your childs complaints and symptoms and taking him or her seriously by making a visit to the doctor, can save both you and your kids a lot of heartache (and earaches) in the future.

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