Glue ear is just one complication in the ear, but frequent minor infections and other ailments in the ear, nose and throat of a young child can disrupt the normal developmental process.
During the first 18 months of life an infant will learn to pitch its hearing along a curve. The range of the curve differs according to the child’s mother tongue, because each language has its own distinct phonetic pattern. If all is well the child will develop an ability to focus along the entire frequency range of the curve, allowing him to pick up all the sounds he hears with accuracy.
If the child has suffered repeated ear infections or glue ear, however, the hearing function may remain underdeveloped, leaving the child or adult at a disadvantage in terms of communication, academic achievement and social skills.
Aural under-development can be corrected through retraining the ear by listening to neuro-acoustic sound. At the David Mulhall Centre, we use SoundSense music that has been carefully composed and recorded so that the listener derives maximum benefit in the shortest time. Each CD is individually tailored to meet the needs of the listener depending on the nature and extent of the problem.
What are the symptoms of aural under-development?
• Lack of concentration – problems following instructions in a noisy environment
• Mishearing words or their pronunciation
• Speech difficulties or mispronunciation
• Impaired social interaction – problems following conversation particularly when more than one child or adult is talking, eg in a classroom or group
• Ear imbalance – where the left ear is dominant instead of both ears working together simultaneously, causing problems locating sounds in terms of spatial awareness and speech problems
• Hearing loss, where the ears are not actually damaged
All of the above can be remedied by SoundSense. Please see the Mulhall Integration Programme for more information
