Any primary teachers with experience of glue ear......help

[hennipenni]

I'm trying to find out what extra resourses(sp) or help that my DD(6) is or should be entitled to?

Glue ear has reared it's ugly head again and she is starting to struggle in Literacy, she is already doing lots of small group work but according to her teacher she is becoming easily distracted (I.E looking around when TA is speaking- have explained that this is due to how the brain is receiving the sound waves-and so she is looking around for the source of the noise/speach). Have asked her teacher if she can do more one to one work with her or the TA, however I know that this may not be practical, she said she will try to but can't promise which I fully understand. So I just wondere if any teachers experienced in this could help!

P.S we do lots of work with her at home but teacher has said that she is obviously struggling now, teacher does all the right things - sitting her at the front, making sure that she has heard properly, for which after a bad experience of this in the attached nursey I'm very grateful for.

[cece]

Have you spoken to the SENCO (special needs co-ordinateor) She may need to have an individual eductaion plan drawn up.

[hennipenni]

TY, will speak to the senco-had forgotten about her. Do you know how bad the problem would have to be to have an IEP drawn up? would the senco need anything from the hospital with regards to her levels of hearing?

[cece]

She may do. They are usually written in the first instance if there is a concern over lack of progress.

[hennipenni]

TY her own teacher is concerned about the lack of progress, allthough she is progressing iyswim, will speak to the class teacher and see what she thinks about an IEP.

[frances5]

My son only had 40% hearing before christmas due to glue ear. He doesnt have an IEP. However he has been prescribed hearing aids which help him at school.

His hearing is a bit better now, but I have no idea how bad it is at the moment. He has a hearing test on wednesday.

[hennipenni]

Hi Frances, is there any particular reason why he doesn't have an IEP? DD is due to go back for another hearing test at the end of next month - may ask for it to be bought forward now.

[BuffysMum]

Hi have the same problem but hurrah she is on the waiting list for grommits!!!!!!!!! DD is on the sen list and has speech problems due to ongoing glue ear and she often gets a bit lost with what's going on etc.

What have they said about getting grommits in and adenoids out to stop the glue ear?

[frances5]

My son doesnt have an IEP because he is keeping up with the work of the reception class.

Last year he had grommets which fell out. His speech isn't too bad. The glue ear has returned and he has been issued with hearing aids. The hearing aids have made a huge difference to him.

[hennipenni]

Hi, Buffysmum, she's already had one set of grommits about two years ago and to be honest I don't feel that they worked although according to the hearing tests they did (may have been DD being selective!), last time we were given the option of hearing aids or grommits.

Will ask about adenoids as she does mouth breath all the time and snores like a trouper!(was asked last time whether she always breaths through her mouth, but we hadn't noticed at that point, but now very aware of it!)

[hennipenni]

Frances5, hope you didn't mind me asking that

[Dingle]

It might be worth your while seeing if you can get a referral to the Teacher for Hearing Impaired. I believe they can go into the school and give ideas on how to best cope in the classroom environment.

My DD has Down Syndrome and has reduced hearing at the moment, she is a very visual learner anyway, and her school has been advised to use prompt cards, visual clues...etc

[frances5]

hennipenni,

Don't worry, you can ask anything you like. Glue ear is really nasty and I hope your daughter gets the help she deserves. My son had his adenoids out as well as grommets, but the grommets fell out and he had a lot of infections.

One advantage of hearing aids is that they give them to the child straight away. There isnt this waiting for months to see if the glue ear clears up on its own. I think doing nothing about bad hearing for six months is criminal as it has such an impact on a child's life. However I can understand why doctors are reluctant to operate on a child. Hearing aids are great provided your child is prepared to wear them.

[BuffysMum]

Don't understand why they didn't take her adenoids out - I was told they take them out to stop the glue ear returning as the grommits will fall out sooner or later.....I've had to fight for 2.5 years to get the grommits as sometimes she passes and sometimes she failed the hearing test - arghhhhh am potentially cancelling end of honeymoon to get them done asap otherwise have to wait until May - it's so frustrating.