Question 1 (7 marks)
Otitis Media (OM) is a common middle ear infection that occurs from a build up of fluid within the middle ear (Williams, 2003). This build up of fluid, or pus, is caused by a viral or bacterial infection within the middle ear (Williams, 2003). It is a common disease in childhood that can affect children and infants from as young as 6 weeks of age (Williams, 2003). Some symptoms include redness and inflammation within the ear canal, a bulging tympanic membrane, earaches, loss of hearing, and even nausea, dizziness and vomiting (Williams, 2003; Rural Health Education Foundation, 2014). As young children who develop the infection may not be able to communicate that their ears are sore, they will instead try and relieve this
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pain by ‘ear pulling’, so this is also considered a sign and symptom of this OM (Williams, 2003). There are four different types of OM, these being; Acute otitis media without perforation, acute otitis media with perforation, otitis media with effusion (OME), and chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM) (Williams, 2003).
Acute OM without perforation involves fluid build up in the ear, as well as a bulging tympanic membrane from a pressure build up inside the ear (Williams, 2003). Acute OM with perforation involves a pussy discharge coming out of the ear, which means that the tympanic membrane has been perforated (Williams, 2003). OME is when no symptoms of an ear infection are present, and there is no perforation of the tympanic membrane, only constant redness and inflammation of the ear (Williams, 2003). CSOM is the most dangerous kind of otitis media as it involves a perforation of the tympanic membrane and continual discharge from the middle ear (longer than 6 weeks) (Coates, Morris, Leach, and Couzos, 2002). If left untreated, this infection can lead to other complications and permanent hearing loss, which can snowball into behavioural and cognition problems in the future (Coates et al., …show more content…
2002). Question 2 (6 marks) Otitis media is referred to as a ‘disease of poverty’ and so is very uncommon in First World countries (Coates et al., 2002). Its high prevalence is linked with families with a lower socioeconomic background and so affects more Indigenous Australians than those who are Non-Indigenous (Williams & Jacobs, 2009). Children who identify as Indigenous Australians are more affected by otitis media due to overcrowding, passive smoking, and lack of evident symptoms. (Williams, 2003; Coates et al., 2002). The term overcrowding is in relation to children living within close proximities to other children. Indigenous households are known to consist of families with more children, with an average of 3.3 persons per household, compared to that of other households having an average of 2.5 persons (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2006). This overcrowding increases the likelihood of children coming into contact with someone who carries the organism that causes otitis media (Rural Health Education Foundation, 2014). As a result, the infection is consistently transmitted between the children both within the family and the community. Passive smoking is also something that can increase the likelihood of developing OM (Williams & Jacobs, 2009). As smoking rates are high in Indigenous communities, this means there are many children and infants that are exposed to the secondary smoke (Williams, 2003). Smoke exposure leads to an increase the bacteria in the respiratory epithelium due to it being able to cling there with ease (Jacoby et al., 2008). Smoke exposure has also been linked with a high to moderate risk of OM in Indigenous children and infants (Williams & Jacobs, 2009). Another reason why Indigenous Australian children are more affected is because OM is often asymptomatic in Aboriginal children (Williams, 2003). This means that they would not show any signs or symptoms of having the infection, which subsequently means that their parents or carers would not get them checked for it. This can lead to the infection getting worse, which could meant that acute otitis media could develop into chronic suppuratives otitis media given enough time (Williams, 2003). Question 3 (5 marks) An area of cognition that can be affected by hearing loss is speech and language development (Williams & Jacobs, 2009).
Especially for infants and children, loss of hearing at such a young age can be detrimental for a developing child (Williams & Jacobs, 2009). The first two years of life are the most important as they hold critical milestones of language acquisition (Zumach, Chenault, Anteunis, and Gerrits, 2011). If these milestones are not met, then the subsequent ones will be harder and take longer to learn. The loss of hearing in young individuals can alter the perception of words and sounds, and this can lead to a difficulty in learning language (Williams & Jacobs, 2009). For example, the child will not be able to determine the difference between similar sounds, which negatively affects speech perception, which then leads to the inability to interpret and acquire language later on (Williams & Jacobs,
2009). If speech and language development have been compromised earlier in life, and they have not been able to see a specialist to help, then it will continue to cause problems later on. This can be in the form of simple things such as having conversations. If someone is not able to distinguish between different phonemes (may be due to varying accents) it may cause tension and frustration for both the individual affected by OM and the second party, as they will not be able to determine what they are saying (Williams & Jacobs, 2009). This would mean a lack of employment opportunities, as most jobs would have to include the ability to speak and interact with others thoroughly (Scott-Visser, 2012). Question 4 (5 marks) OM and its consequential partial deafness that follows have been thought to have negative educational outcomes. Children with OM who partake in the educational subjects of reading, spelling and mathematics have been seen to underperform when compared to their peers (Gravel and Wallace, 1998). This being due to the fact that these subjects have such a high demand for verbally presented content and information (Roberts, Burchinal, & Zeisel, 2002). The children’s inability to listen and understand what their teachers and their peers are saying leads to problems with keeping attention (Department of Education and Training, 2006). This results in children with OM becoming easily distracted, and not being able to comprehend and therefore complete their schoolwork (Department of Education and Training, 2006). Difficulty with schoolwork and completing education can then lead to prospective students dropping out of school, which can lead to limited employment opportunities for that individual with insufficient education (Scott-Visser, 2012). Lack of employment opportunities has been found to increases the likelihood of coming into contact with the criminal justice system by the House Of Representative’s Enquiry into Indigenous youth. (Scott-Visser, 2012) Question (5a) 1) Ray does not like going to school, and as a result is stubborn in terms of getting out of bed in the morning. This can upset him, which leads to him becoming distressed and crying. As you are at school 5 days a week, this is a daily difficulty for Ray. 2) He also does not interact with his peers or teachers at school, and this shows that he has not properly learnt the correct way to do so. This could lead to him becoming and feeling isolated, which would be upsetting at such an age, and would contribute to his dislike of school. 3) Ray is also disruptive in class and ignores his teacher’s requests. Because of this, he is not able to create any bonds with his teacher or his peers, which would be incredibly frustrating in such an involved and interactive environment. 4) Ray has been known to show antisocial behaviour both because of his short temper and his frustration. In some cases where he acts out physically, he has had to be removed from the classroom. Question (5b) One psychological problem that may be associated with Ray’s hearing problem is Anxiety. Anxiety is the feeling of uncertainty and fear about certain situations, but anxiety disorder is when they feel this more often than others and it is trigger more easily and is more intense than others their age. Ray shows signs of this when he shows distress before going to school. This distress can be seen in the way Ray cries, which could be due to the fact that he is anxious about school and does not want to go. This anxiety can also be seen in the way he does not interact in class discussions, and instead chooses to sit on his own. This may be due to the fact that Ray does not like contributing because he is anxious that he may be wrong, and so does not want to put himself in that position. Another problem that may be caused due to his hearing loss is Oppositional Defiance Disorder (ODD). This is when a child shows a pattern of inappropriate defiance, disobedience and hostility towards authority figures (Greene, Biederman, Zerwas, and Monuteaux, 1998). Signs can be the refusal to comply with rules, and frequent temper-related outbursts (Greene et al., 1998). This defiance can be seen in Ray’s case where he ignores the teacher’s instructions at school, and as a result becomes very disruptive in class. He also frequently has fights with other boys, showing signs of an unusual pattern of hostility, and is quick to show his temper in class. The result of this disorder can be that it hinders adult-child and child-child relationships, which is also evident in the way that Ray does not seem to have made a bond with any teachers at the school, and is isolated in a way that he doesn’t seem to be able to make any friends (Greene et al., 1998).
Mark Drolsbaugh, the author of Deaf Again, was born to deaf parents at a time when the deaf population didn’t have and weren’t given the same availability to communication assistance as they have today. He was born hearing and seemed to have perfect hearing up until the first grade when he started having trouble understanding what was being said but was too young to understand what was happening. (Drolsbaugh 8).
The labyrinthitis is an inflammatory disease of the ' inner ear, whose main symptoms are dizziness, nausea and loss of balance. Inflammation of the labyrinth, which is that part of the inner ear that governs our sense of balance, it is in usually caused by an infection of viral or bacterial origin.
The “deaf and dumb” stigma as well as the delayed language and cognitive development of some Deaf children concerns this topic. “Ninety percent of deaf children have hearing parents, and usually there’s a significant communication gap” (Drolsbaugh 48). Therefore, it is not that being born deaf or hard of hearing that makes children unintelligent. It is the lack of access to language in the critical early years, as hearing parents often do not know sign language, that causes later issues in education. This can be seen from the fact that the brain’s plasticity, or its ability to acquire new information and establish neural pathways, is the greatest at birth and wanes throughout development. Therefore, if a child does not have sufficient access to language before five, significant language, and thus cognitive impairment, can result (100). Additionally, children learn about the world around them and develop critical thinking skills through asking questions. However, hearing parents often “wave off” such questions as unimportant due to difficulty explaining them (48). Therefore, early exposure to an accessible language such as ASL is crucial in developing language and cognitive abilities. When hearing families are fully aware and understanding of this, it can greatly facilitate improvements in education for Deaf
Meningitis by definition is the inflammation of the meninges, the three layered protective membrane that surrounds the central nervous system. The meninges are comprised of the Dura mater, the Arachnoid mater, and the innermost Pia mater. It is of utmost importance to determine if bacteria, virus, fungus, toxins, or parasites, caused the inflammation, and treat the microorganism quickly and efficiently to give the best prognosis. It is of utmost importance to determine the cause of inflammation (i.e. bacteria, virus, fungus, toxins). While viral or aseptic meningitis only need supportive treatment, bacterial meningitis is one of the ten most common causes of death by infectious disease killing approximately 135,000 people a year (Waghdhare, Kalantri, Joshi, & Kalantri, 2010).
...ME can combat against possible hearing loss, speech and language delays, and can further protect against structural damage to the middle ear.
There are different categories of otosclerosis. "Subclinical Otosclerosis" occurs when the tissue does not interfere with the ossicles. A person may have this form for many years and not know it. Another category is "Clinical Otosclerosis." This type can be present in the teen years, but not detected until the young adult years. It is rare for it to occur after the age of fifty. The last category of"Histologic Otosclerosis" occurs when the tissue is present, but it may or may not cause hearing loss. "Cochlear Otosclerosis" has been used to refer to sensorineural hearing loss. This is caused by abnormal blood flow to the middle ear, rather than growth of tissue (Otosclerosis, 1998).
When infected with this virus several other symptoms other than swelling may occur. Mumps is the leading cause of deafness and it also infects the central nervous system (CNS) resulting in aseptic meningitis and sometimes severe encephalitis with some cases being fatal (Hunt, 2008 & Chamberlain, 2013). It will cause temporary defects in immune response with fever of 103 F, trouble eating or drinking, perhaps confusion and disorientation, as well as abdominal pain (Hunt 2008).
Otitis Externa or swimmer's ear as it's commonly known, is an acute painful inflammatory disorder of the ear canal. This condition is characterized by a rapid onset of an external ear canal infection, that may extend distally to the pinna and proximal to the tympanic membrane resulting in otalgia, itching, canal edema, erythema, and otorrhea that often occurs after swimming or a minor trauma from inadequate cleaning. This form of ear bacterial infection is often caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus pathogens and can affect individual of all ages (Schaefer, & Baugh,
Patient describes months of an illness with symptoms waxing and waning, that includes a cough, coughing so hard that she pees on herself sometimes. That she has pain in her chest with the cough and at times get short of breath. This morning she got extra short of breath that she was playing with a relative and that prompted this visit. She notes with it rhinorrhea, ear pain, hoarseness, inability get sputum up, nausea and vomiting, and diarrhea which alternates with constipation. She has not eaten in a week. She notes ear pain bilaterally.
Meniere’s Disease is unclear in this article but is thought to be due to the swelling of the inner
Deafness is not a uniform phenomenon but exists to varying degrees, ranging from profound prelingual deafness, in which the person has had no experience of hearing sound at all (acquired prior to 3 years of age), to restricted hearing only in those frequencies required for verbal communication, to central auditory processing deficits in which a person has the full frequency range of hearing but cannot meaningfully process these sounds (1,2,3).
If your infection doesn't respond to treatment, your specialist might take a discharge sample or debris from your ear at a later appointment and send it to a lab to determine the exact cause of infection.
Acute meaning that is for a short period of time and it can be present for a few days and chronic meaning that the symptoms are present for more than three weeks. Acute laryngitis is often caused by viral infection, bacterial infections, fungal infections, phonotrauma, supraglottis, and environmental irritant (Ferrand, 2012, pg. 225). “Acute infection results in swelling and edema of the vocal folds, leading to hoarseness and even aphonia” (Ferrand, 2012, pg. 226). Chronic laryngitis as mentioned before is when the inflammation or irritation stays longer than three weeks. With chronic laryngitis the vocal fold epithelium can cause “hyperkeratosis, fibrosis and scarring.” Chronic laryngitis is commonly seen in adults due to laryngopharyngeal reflux and smoking. The signs of chronic laryngitis include thickening of the vocal fold epithelium, the soft pliant epithelium ma become replaced by fibrosis. Therefore the person’s voice is low pitched, hoarse, and breathy (Ferrand, 2012, pg. 227).
Growing up as a bilingual child I never realized that there was more to a language than the obvious difference. Of course I could tell the difference between English and Spanish, but what I did not realize was that the two languages had a set of sounds that were specific to that language. This of course applies to all languages and not just the two that I speak. According to Dr. Elena Izquierdo, phonology is the sounds of a language, the rules that govern those sounds. Phonology directly dictates how a person learns a language. All babies are born with the ability hear all the different sounds of any language. Their brains are receptive to learn which ever language he/she is to grow up with. At about the age of 10 to 12 month babies begin to tune out other language sounds, sounds that will not be part of the language he/she will speak (Franco). These sounds are called phonemes and they are the smallest unit of sound that exists within a language. As a child learns their native language, many of the sounds they can produce become developmental; however, the child can hear that specific sound even without being able to produce the sound themselves. Learning a second language, however, differs from this because a child past the age of 12 months has already discriminated against the sounds of their native language. Take English for example, when a kindergarten aged child first learns to read or write, they will use more consonant sounds because to them consonants are more consistent, but a Spanish speaking child will use vowels to guide their learning (Izquierdo). Spanish has only five definite vowel sounds whereas standard English has 11...
Heward, W. (2013). Deafness and Hearing Loss. In Exceptional Children An Introduction to Special Education (10th ed., pp. 330-337). Boston, Massachusettes: Pearson.