Auditory processing abilities in children with chronic otitis media with effusion

Abstract

Conclusion: The study results indicate that children with a history of otitis media with effusion (OME) suffer from auditory processing disorder to some degree. The findings support the hypothesis that fluctuating hearing loss may affect central auditory processing during critical periods.

Objectives: Evidence suggests that prolonged OME in children can result in an auditory processing disorder, presumably because hearing has been disrupted during an important developmental period. A lack of auditory stimulation leads to the abnormal development of the hearing pathways in the brain. The aim of the present study was to determine the effects of OME on binaural auditory function and auditory temporal processing.

Method: In the present study, the dichotic digit test (DDT) was used for binaural hearing, and the gap in noise (GIN) test was used to evaluate temporal hearing processing.

Results: The average values of GIN differed significantly between children with a history of OME and normal controls (p < 0.001). The mean values of the DDT score were significantly different between the two groups (p = 0.002).

Keywords: Auditory processing disorder; auditory temporal processing; binaural auditory function; children; otitis media with effusion.