Download Glue ear podcast - National Deaf Children`s Society

Glue ear podcast
Today I am with Vicki Kirwin our Audiologist and I’m going to ask
some questions about glue ear. So Vicki can you tell me what is
glue ear?
Well glue ear is a build up of fluid inside the ear, it prevents the ear drum from moving
freely and stops sound from passing through the ear as well as it should normally. The
effect of glue ear would be rather like walking around with your fingers in your ears all
the time.
Ok and can you tell me how common is glue ear?
Glue ear is very common in childhood and approximately eight out of ten children are
going to have a bout of it at some point before the age of ten.
And what should I do about my child being told they have glue ear?
Well for many children you may not have to do anything at all. For the majority of
children the condition is going to get better on its own without the need for any
treatment. For that reason your doctor or audiologist will monitor your child for about
three months and do a repeat hearing test to see if it is still a problem at that time.
And if after that time it hasn’t got better what should I do then?
Ok well, if the glue ear has carried on for a long time and it is causing problems for your
child. Either because it is causing problems with their hearing or because there are
changes in your child’s behaviour. Perhaps they are getting frustrated and are having
difficulty communicating. Or perhaps because their speech or language development
has been delayed. Then there are two main treatment options. One would be to
consider temporary hearing aids, to help them overcome that for the time-being. The
other option would be to have surgery and to have grommets fitted.
And can you explain to me what are grommets?
Grommets are tiny plastic tubes which are an ear, nose and throat doctor would put into
the child’s eardrum. What they would do is put a very tiny hole into the eardrum and
they would suck out the fluid which had built up behind it. They then put the grommet
into the hole they have made and that allows air to circulate and help prevent fluid from
building up again.
And if I want further information about glue ear where can I get that from?
Obviously have a chat with your audiologist or your ear, nose and throat doctor if you’ve
got any questions for them. Also NDCS produces a booklet called ‘Glue ear: A guide for
parents’ and you can download that from our website, or ring our Helpline to order a
copy.
This podcast has been produced by The National Deaf Children’s Society, which
is normally called NDCS. NDCS is the leading charity dedicated to creating a
world without barriers for deaf children and young people.
NDCS believes deaf children can do anything other children can do, so long as
their deafness is diagnosed early and they are given the right support from the
start.
We provide information and support services for deaf children and their families,
so they can make informed choices and shape their own lives.
For more detail on how NDCS can help you visit our website at www.ndcs.org.uk
or call our freephone helpline on 0808 800 8880.