![Story by DAVID BELL
KIDS’ ear problems are going undetected due to a lack of equipment in doctors offices, long waiting lists for appointments and inadequate hearing testing at schools.
This according to two Perth audiologists who say the undiagnosed inner-ear problems are resulting in learning difficulties, social rejection and speech problems that can last permanently.
Ian Henderson is the audiologist at the Active Hearing North Perth Clinic, which last month started a middle-ear monitoring service in an attempt to catch problems that were going undetected due to infrequent testing and long waiting lists.
“Because of the nature of the condition it can fluctuate from week to week, from day to day, so it’s not just about measuring it once, it’s optimal to monitor it’s course and the outcomes of any intervention,” he says.
“Some children might come in with a suspicion of hearing, language or learning difficulties and we find they’re normal on this test, but if suspicions persists it’s worth having them back for another test.
“[Quick testing] provides the chance for people to get a snapshot at a moment’s notice. You can’t plot a pattern by measuring once a year.”
Conventional full-blown hearing tests take about an hour, cost more than $75 and can have a wait time of four to five months.
Mr Henderson is aiming for the quick monitoring to be done in about 15 minutes at a cost of $30 with a waiting time of about a week.
The test involves measuring the pressure inside the ear to determine if the drum is functioning properly with a device called a tympanometer, a piece of equipment which fellow audiologist Renee Shilkin says is lacking in many doctors’ and school nurses’ offices.
“At any one time in a class room at year one or two level about 15 per cent of children will have a hearing loss due to middle ear problems, many of them undetected,” Dr Shilkin says, adding that in the winter the number of cases can increase to 30 per cent.
“If the school nurse hasn’t got access to a tympanometer then then there’s no way to know there’s a problem.”](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lf9f7uHuay1qax0hmo1_1280.jpg)
Story by DAVID BELL
KIDS’ ear problems are going undetected due to a lack of equipment in doctors offices, long waiting lists for appointments and inadequate hearing testing at schools.
This according to two Perth audiologists who say the undiagnosed inner-ear problems are resulting in learning difficulties, social rejection and speech problems that can last permanently.
Ian Henderson is the audiologist at the Active Hearing North Perth Clinic, which last month started a middle-ear monitoring service in an attempt to catch problems that were going undetected due to infrequent testing and long waiting lists.
“Because of the nature of the condition it can fluctuate from week to week, from day to day, so it’s not just about measuring it once, it’s optimal to monitor it’s course and the outcomes of any intervention,” he says.
“Some children might come in with a suspicion of hearing, language or learning difficulties and we find they’re normal on this test, but if suspicions persists it’s worth having them back for another test.
“[Quick testing] provides the chance for people to get a snapshot at a moment’s notice. You can’t plot a pattern by measuring once a year.”
Conventional full-blown hearing tests take about an hour, cost more than $75 and can have a wait time of four to five months.
Mr Henderson is aiming for the quick monitoring to be done in about 15 minutes at a cost of $30 with a waiting time of about a week.
The test involves measuring the pressure inside the ear to determine if the drum is functioning properly with a device called a tympanometer, a piece of equipment which fellow audiologist Renee Shilkin says is lacking in many doctors’ and school nurses’ offices.
“At any one time in a class room at year one or two level about 15 per cent of children will have a hearing loss due to middle ear problems, many of them undetected,” Dr Shilkin says, adding that in the winter the number of cases can increase to 30 per cent.
“If the school nurse hasn’t got access to a tympanometer then then there’s no way to know there’s a problem.”
