Tell me your experiences of toddlers with glue ear please!

[feelingratheroverwhelmed]

I've had concerns about DS's language development for a while. He should have been referred to audiology back in June but annoyingly it got forgotten so we've only just been seen. He's been diagnosed with glue ear, and our GP has been requested to refer him to the ENT clinic at the local hospital.

He's now just over two, and I think he's had the problem for a while as he does not seem to be picking up words and sounds as well as he should. He's had no specific ear infections but a few colds over the last year or so. He's on the WL for SLT but the audiologist said they'd want to get his hearing sorted out first.

However he also said that it can clear up on its own so they may wait for that. I'm concerned that his speech is already being affected, and I also think it's impacting on his behaviour too. I dont want them to to leave it for three months, then decide to put him on a waiting list for grommets so he doesn;t actually get treatment until he's nearly three.

Any information / expriences / advice gratefully recieved.

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One more bump ...

All that I can tell you is from years and years ago - DS1 is 24 now, and had grommets at 3. Like your DS, no more than the standard number of colds etc but he failed every hearing test he had. His speech was slow but caught up astonishingly quickly after the op, so don't panic too much if you do have any further delays - it will sort itself out in the end, although I think you're right to go for sooner rather than later if you can. The op was fine - obviously very upsetting seeing your child have a GA - but fine. And the gunk that streamed from his ears for days afterwards was just gobsmacking.

Ds had grommets at 20 months and again at 3.9 years. There isn't a huge grommet waiting list. In fact the second set of grommets, he was was seen by ENT on Wednesday, grommets in on Friday!

If you think his speech and behaviour is effected then ask for immediate referal.

Ds's vocabulary improved dramatically in the month after his first op. However he's currently under SALT for pronunciation. The second op has been less successful, I think, in that he's not had the immediate improvement in hearing, although that might just be his ears have been permanently damaged due to the ear drum bursting 8 times last winter between when the first grommets came out and the second set put back in.

Don't be afraid to push, and do mention his behaviour, speech and social issues to ENT they should (mine did) take that into consideration.

Thanks very much for your replies. Once seen by ent was there any suggestion of "waiting and seeing"? That's what concerns me really. I don't want him to have surgery unnecessarily but I think it IS necessary...

First time ENT saw him there was no waiting and seeing. he's had permanent ear infections since 3 months old and his speech was effected. He had them in within a month.

The second time I saw the registrar and her reaction was along the lines of "It's February now, so nearly summer when he doesn't get as many infections so lets wait and see in 6 months". I walked out, thought about it and realised that was ridiculous. In 6 months it was going to be August, and likely he wouldn't have had infections for about 3 months so was pretty pointless going.

So the next burst ear drum he had I made the appointment with the main GP who has a lot of common sense and he took one look at the file and asked if I was happy with the decision not to put grommets in. When I said no he wrote to the consultant and requested he saw ds.

I hadn't got half way through my arguments why ds needed grommets when the consultant wrote the form out for me and said to come back 2 days later to have grommets in.

My arguments were:

1. Grommets had worked previously (down to almost no infections) so more likely to work again.
2. His speech (pronunciation) was noticably effected.
3. His behaviour was effected very noticably.
4. He had missed almost half the winter pre-school including the whole of February due to ear infections.
5. He was starting school in September and it was going to effect schooling
6. When he got ear infections the drum burst which was causing permanent damage, therefore the damage from the grommet going in would be less of a concern

I think I got to number 2 before he signed the form.

Firstly you know your boy - do not be fobed off.

I have 3 ds's (now 5.5yrs, just 4yrs and 2.5yrs) all 3 have had grommits this year.

ds3 was referred due to speech and language delay after 2yr check, at audiology clinic I was told he had glue ear but we should 'watch and wait' and it wasn't genetic - I walked out, ds1 suffered dramatically by them letting us wait, and they let us wait for 8 months through reception before we got to see an ENT consultant - how can you pick up phonics is you can distingush between sounds School defiently failed to recognise the impact his hearing had on his behaviour and schooling - at still do he has IEP and on School action plus - last year they wanted to refer him to CAHMS for ASD... this year 'that isn't necessary' my parenting confidence is shot (but thats a whole other thread!)

Anyway for reference, you can be genetically predisposed to glue ear Research at John Radcliffe Oxford which we have been part of since ds1 had grommits in March so I knew audiologist was talking bullshit

and I think you need to know what to expect Nice guidelines the lovely Research Nurse sent me these after our expericence with ds1 hence I don't trust our local audiology clinic, we waited too long - I have to say our ENT Consultant is fab (only 5 week wait on NHS for grommit op for ds1) but we went private for ds2 (hearing test one week, grommits the following week), I wasn't sure about ds3 (with hindsight his speech is very similar to ds1) but after their comment we went private to consultant and couldn't have private op (due to his age) but got grommits done on 23rd Dec (6 week wait)

Since you have been referred to ENT already I think you'll be fine that was the tricky bit for us, once we'd seen him the op date was quite quick

ds3's speech is already improving, its only been a week - and I can honestly say it has had a profound affect on the other 2, both speech, socially and behaviourally. This year has been a revelation for me - ds1 was in awe that leaves actually 'russel' he could hear them on walk home in autumn, he sat for an hour on the beach listening to the 'noisy sea roaring' in May and both him and ds2 are singing, its normal stuff I never realised they never heard properly before. I have so much more understanding of how hearing can affect people.

My dh had quite a few sets of grommits and grew out of glue ear at 7 so we might have to go back, at the moment I'm looking in to the Ovent nose balloon to see if we can do something proactive but I think its only from when they are a bit older.

This website Deafness research has lots of great information especially if your ds is in childcare, our nursery were able to pick up ds2's hearing difficultly before us as the noisy environment makes it more pronouced

best of luck, I hope that makes sense, if can help with any info (only from my experience) let me know xx

oh forgot to add, none of mine had loads of ear infections either

The leaves rustling is same as my ds. He said this autumn that the leaves didn't rustle last year (last year was after his first set of grommets came out and before the second went in) and I realised he just couldn't hear it last year.

The school (ds is reception) wasn't totally believing me that his hearing caused issues until he had a really badly behaved day after he'd settled in and I took him to the Dr. that evening and he had a double ear infection.
I rubbed it in slightly that he had this and since then they have been very supportive, to the point that I'll get a phone call that they think he's got an ear infection because he's not concentrating etc. They've always been right so far.

1 week after grommits for ds3 and he said 'daddy' for the first time today upto now its always been 'dada'

dewe thats great that your ds's school have been so supportive, we have some work to do with our school unfortunently, each teacher has a different opinion so its a reeduacation process each year, its exhausting really, any hints on how to get them to realise?