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Does Otitis Media in Early Childhood Affect Reading Performance in Later School Years?
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Does Otitis Media in Early Childhood Affect Reading Performance in Later School Years?

Avishay Golz, S. Thomas Westerman, Liane M. Westerman, David A. Gilbert and Aviram Netzer
Otolaryngology-head and neck surgery, v 134(6), pp 936-939
Jun 2006
PMID: 16730533

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate reading performance in children with recurrent otitis media during childhood once middle-ear diseases have resolved and the children grew older. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: Seventy-five children with middle-ear problems during childhood and poor reading performance in first grades and 60 healthy controls free of middle ear diseases were enrolled in the study. All children underwent an otologic and audiologic evaluation followed by reading tests. RESULTS: Reading performance was not affected once otitis media had been cured and hearing restored; reading scores of the healed children were almost the same as those of the otitis-free children (3.39% and 3.1%, respectively). Children who still suffer from middle-ear problems and hearing loss had an average percentage of reading mistakes of 7.3%. CONCLUSIONS AND SIGNIFICANCE: Once children are cured from their middle-ear diseases and hearing is restored, previously noted reading impairments are no longer evident. Reading is still impaired among children who continue to suffer from middle-ear problems and hearing loss even when they grow older.

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15 citations in Scopus

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Collaboration types
Domestic collaboration
International collaboration
Web of Science research areas
Otorhinolaryngology
Surgery
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