Table 2. Risk Factors for Developmental Difficulties
a
Permanent hearing loss independent of OME
Suspected or confirmed speech and language delay or disorder
Autism-spectrum disorder and other pervasive developmental disorders
Syndromes (eg, Down) or craniofacial disorders that include cognitive, speech,
or language delays
Blindness or uncorrectable visual impairment
Cle palate, with or without associated syndrome
Developmental delay
a
Sensory, physical, cognitive, or behavioral factors that place children who have OME at increased risk for
developmental difficulties (delay or disorder).
Hearing Test
Î Clinicians should obtain an age-appropriate hearing test if OME persists
for 3 months or longer (chronic OME) OR prior to surgery when a child
becomes a candidate for tympanostomy tube insertion. (R-C)
Table 3. Validated Questions for Assessing Hearing Difficulty by
Caregiver Report
a
Question Responses Pass Fail
How would you describe
your child's hearing ?
Normal, slightly below
normal, poor, very poor
Normal Slightly below
normal, poor, or
very poor
Has he/she misheard words
when not looking at you?
No, rarely, oen, always No or
rarely
Oen or always
Has he/she had difficulty
hearing when with a group of
people (ie, not one-to-one)?
No, rarely, oen, always No or
rarely
Oen or always
ese questions are suitable for children ≥3 years of age and should be used as an adjunct to (not
substitute for) age-appropriate audiometry, or when audiometry produces inconclusive results or is not
obtainable because of access or availability problems.
a
A hearing difficulty is present when there is a fail response for 2 or more questions.
Diagnosis
Key Points
