My child has had many ear infections. Can that lead to permanent hearing loss and/or speech and language delays?
Ear infections do not usually lead to permanent hearing loss unless the child has had long-standing infections without treatment. Speech and language delay is a common consequence of ear infections, because of the fluctuating hearing levels associated with middle ear fluid. Fortunately, the child usually catches up to his peers once his he starts hearing consistently, and speech/language therapy helps those children who don’t catch up on their onw.
