Glue ear and speech delay

[Mattieispregnant]

My 18 month old DD was born with bilateral glue ear (she failed all hearing tests at birth). She is now 18 months and has no words. We are awaiting surgery for vents, but this was cancelled 2 weeks ago and awaiting a new date. She is walking, pointing, clapping, engaged with people etc. I am very anxious that her speech delay is not just due to her glue ear (she definitely can hear and responds to name), but is very quiet . She does babble, but not as much as other kids. She will say mama/ baba/ dada but not in context. She can understand some very simple commands, but it’s hit and miss. Does anyone have any experience? I am incredibly anxious and not sleeping.

Sorry to hear you are having a difficult time. I have a bit of a different experience but possibly of some relevance.

I have two children with sensorineural hearing loss (one also has a degree of glue ear). Their speech wasn't too bad by 18 months but remains a little behind now. Slightly strangely though, their older sibling (who does not have hearing loss) was very slow to speak - a handful of words up until around 2.5 when she suddenly started speaking clearly in full sentences!). So, worth keeping on at the health visitor and audiology but just to let you know these leaps can happen.

Not sure if would be possible with an 18 month old but have you tried otovent for glue ear? Had some success with my little one.

Ps final thing I just thought was that in my area there is an nhs speech therapy helpline one day a week which was really helpful to talk these things through- health visitor recommended to me x

Ps do you happen to know what your DR'S hearing thresholds are? Ie what level of hearing loss?

Thank you for your reply. He has mild bearding loss in one ear and mild- moderate in the other ear. I’m hoping once he finally gets surgery his speech will start to improve

Hi there – I just wanted to say I really feel for you. It’s so tough when you’re worried and waiting for answers or treatment. You’re doing an amazing job by noticing the details and following up.

As an audiologist, I see a lot of little ones with glue ear, and what you’ve described – especially the limited babble, speech delay, and responding inconsistently – can absolutely be linked to fluctuating hearing from glue ear. It’s really common for parents to feel anxious about whether it’s “just” the glue ear or something more. The good news is that children often make brilliant progress with speech and language once they can hear more consistently – especially since your daughter is socially engaged, pointing, clapping, and showing good non-verbal communication, which are all very reassuring signs.

If it helps at all, I’m running a webinar with a paediatric speech therapist next week, all about glue ear – what it is, how it affects speech and hearing, and what parents can do while they wait for treatment. Totally understand if it’s not the right time, but I’ll pop the info below just in case it’s helpful. Sending you lots of support in the meantime – you’re definitely not alone in this. 💛