About middle ear disease

Middle ear infections are common in young children, but they can cause permanent ear damage and affect speech and language if they're ongoing or not treated.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children get more severe middle ear infections and more often.

Watch our video and learn why it’s important to have healthy ears and good hearing. This video may contain images and voice/video recordings of those who have passed away.

Ear disease can affect a lot of our children. Doctors call it otitis media. But sometimes you might hear people calling it an ear infection. It can all start right after a child is born. They come into the world and start to pick up the little bugs and germs that are all around us. Some of them are good and don't make us sick, but some are bad, and if they breed up, they can be a problem.

The bad germs that cause ear disease live in the back of the throat and the nose. Once the bad germs get in there, they can be really hard to get rid of. Children get ear disease when there are more bad germs than good germs. The bad germs make it hard for children to hear, because they make the ears sick.

When a child's ear is sick, the different parts of the ear can't work properly, making all sounds hard to hear. Good hearing is really important, especially for our children, because they need to learn to speak and understand what's going on around them. Sometimes it's really hard to tell if a child has ear disease, and if they are having trouble hearing.

That's why it's important to get their ears checked regularly. Remember too that ear disease can come back. This is when bad germs come back and take over again. If you'd like to know more, you can contact your local health centre, or Deadly Ears team, or visit these websites.

Learn more about middle ear disease.

Signs of ear troubles

  • Temperature
  • Runny nose
  • Runny ears
  • Cranky and upset
  • Hard to settle
  • Pulling at ears
  • Not reacting to noises
  • Complaining of sore ears

Sometimes children with ear disease don't have any pain or symptoms. That's why it's important they get an ear check every time they visit a health worker, nurse or their GP.

If you're worried about your child, get their ears checked or call 13 HEALTH (13 43 25 84) for more information. They'll help you decide if your child should be referred to Deadly Ears.

Keeping ears healthy

You can keep ears healthy and get less ear and chest infections by:

  • keeping hands and faces clean
  • keeping up to date with jabs - ask your local child health nurse if you're not sure
  • teaching your child to blow their nose
  • giving them crunchy vegetable and fruit to eat – like apples, pears, carrots and cucumber
  • breastfeeding bubs as long as possible – this helps protect their immune system and unblock ears
  • not propping bottles up for feeds
  • not smoking around kids – they can get ear and chest infections from secondary smoke.

There are also things you can do at home to help build their language skills. Read more about yarning and listening on the Plum and Hats website.

For teachers and early childhood workers

Learn how to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children with middle ear disease.

If you notice problems

If a child can't hear properly, they won't understand what's happening at school or daycare. They'll find it hard to concentrate and will struggle to:

  • learn to talk
  • play with others
  • say words clearly
  • listen to others
  • learn new things.

They may also not hear the same sounds as you or they might watch your face to hear you.

Find out how you can talk to parents and children on how to keep ears healthy on the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care website.

If you're worried about a child, talk to their parent or carer. Encourage them to get their ears checked by a GP, nurse or health worker.

They can also call 13 HEALTH (13 43 25 84) for more information.


Help in the classroom

There are some simple things you can do to help children with hearing difficulties in the classroom.

  • Sit them at the front so they can hear you better
  • Make sure they can see your face when you're talking
  • Don't cover your mouth with your hands or a book when you're reading to the class
  • Arrange chairs in a u-shape or a circle to help them interact with their classmates
  • Reduce background noise if you can
  • Use actions and pictures when you're talking
  • Use pictures to show when you're moving to a new activity

Find out how you can help children who are having trouble hearing in early childhood centres.

This website may contain images and voice/video recordings of those who have passed away.

Watch the Strategies that help children with hearing loss in early years environments video on the Queensland Education YouTube channel.

Order free books, stickers and flipcharts

There are free resources for early childhood and primary school teachers who care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children with middle ear disease.

You can order activity books, crayons, stickers, and flipcharts and watch videos and talking books from the following websites.

If you're not sure about a child's hearing, you can use the Sound Scouts tool as a basic online hearing test. You'll get a report straight away that will also tell you what the next steps should be if it detects a hearing loss.

Getting a referral to Deadly Ears

Any Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander child up until their 16th birthday, can be referred to Deadly Ears if they have ongoing middle ear concerns.

They must also live in of these areas or close by, and be referred by a GP, a nurse or an ear trained health worker.

  • Thursday Island
  • Northern Peninsula Area
  • Palm Island
  • Mornington Island
  • Doomadgee
  • Normanton
  • Mt Isa
  • Woorabinda
  • Cherbourg.

If you're a health professional, find out how to refer a child to our program.

Last updated: May 2024

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