Dianne Craft
The
Impact of
Ear Infections
on Learning and Behavior
“Ninety per cent of children with
hyperactivity studied gave a history
of;three;or;more;ear;infections;.;.;.;,”
according to a study published in
the;May;1997;issue;of;Clinical Pediatrics.
1;In;a;1987;article;in;Parents
Pediatric Report,;researchers;stated:
“Ear infections and their effect on
language development are prominent topics in pediatric literature.
Hyperactivity is another item of
great interest . . . . On the surface
they seem to be two unrelated entities. But could there be a connection
between these two conditions? Very
much so, says a study from the
University of Colorado in Denver, and
Yeshiva University in New York.
2
Early childhood ear infections, which plague many of our children, often succeed in ad- ministering an effective, “
one-two;punch”;to;a;child.;First,;the;sub-sequent, repeated use of antibiotics to
clear up the infection upsets the child’s
natural intestinal ecology, resulting in
an irritated nervous system. Second,
infection and inflammation of the ear
often;cause;some;damage;to;the;“cilia”
of the ear, the tiny hairlike structures
of the ear that help transmit sound, affecting both language abilities and auditory processing.
These effects can be felt throughout a
child’s school career. However, once the
cause is established, many natural things
can be done to greatly reduce and eliminate these problems.
Effects of Repeated Antibiotic Use
We are very grateful for the discovery of
antibiotics. Their timely use has saved
many lives. However, the multiple uses
of antibiotics, particularly the use of
broad-spectrum antibiotics, tend to sterilize a child’s intestines, eliminating the
good bacteria while feeding the naturally occurring yeast in the intestines.
Early childhood ear
infections . . . often
succeed in administering
an effective, “one-two
punch”;to;a;child.
This causes an upset balance in the ecology that directly affects a child’s nervous
system.
3 Some books that explain this
process in more detail are Help for the
Hyperactive Child by William Crook,
M.D. and Superimmunity for Kids by
Leo Galland, M.D. It is not unusual to see
this upset ecology manifesting itself as
problems with learning or with behavior.
The learning problems associated with
this condition tend to be poor memory,
difficulty with sustained attention (of-
ten seeming “spacey”), and difficulty
understanding new concepts. Behavior
problems that are frequently reported
are hyperactivity, anger, moodiness, ir-
ritability, or inappropriate behavior, such
as talking too loudly or invading others’
space regularly.
4 In my experience work-
ing with bright but struggling students in
special education and regular education
programs, I have seen many children
exhibiting these symptoms. Some of the
children are placed on medication to help
with focusing. Others are labeled with a
learning disability, often with an auditory
or language processing dysfunction.
