My son's tonsils before surgery three years ago, which included adenoids and ear tubes.
By Magdalena I. García
I was driving to work this morning listening to National Public Radio when I heard a fascinating report about the effects of temporary hearing loss due to ear infections. As the mother of a 12-year old who had ear infections back-to-back for the first six years of his life (until we started figuring out the allergies), this report caught my attention.
To make a long story short, Deborah Franklin reports that “research in rats just published in the journal Neuron suggests there might be effects in the brain that, while not permanent, can last for years. Apparently, hearing loss in one ear during critical periods of brain development can rewire the auditory cortex, changing the way it processes sound.” It sounds serious, and it is!
Franklin is quoting the Neuron study by neurobiologist Dan Polley, who recently moved to Harvard and the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary in Boston, and who conducted the research with a colleague, Maria Popescu, while at Vanderbilt University. According to Polley, “a child with that sort of problem might withdraw in a noisy classroom, or—depending on when the imbalance occurs—might miss milestones in language or learning.” But there is hope. “Though it can take a while, the brain is pretty good at developing workarounds, Polley says. Restore hearing, and the brain will eventually catch up.
Well, it’s good to know the brain will eventually catch up, but the school system might not. Or, until it does, it might want to put all kinds of labels on your child, like ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) or ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). So beware, parents of the world. And work with your pediatricians, allergists, and other specialists And listen to your heart. And stand up for your child. And, most of all, don’t let the school system label your child unnecessarily or prematurely. The fact that they may have unused labels sitting around, staff positions to justify, or lack of remedial programs does not make it right to label a child without an adequate diagnosis.
To read the entire report to go:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2010/03/temporary_hearing_loss_in_kids.html
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