If your child seems slow to respond to your spoken requests, doesn't pay attention to directions, or has difficulty speaking, she may have a hearing loss due to an ear infection. "It's not unusual for ear infections to go undetected in infants and young children, and these can cause short-term hearing loss," says Dr. Richard Smith, professor of otolaryngology at the University of Iowa College of Medicine and staff physician at the UI Hospitals and Clinics.

Common symptoms of ear infections include redness inside the ear, fever, sharp pain, irritability, trouble sleeping, and rubbing or tugging of ears. In more serious infections, a yellow or yellow-red drainage may occur, indicating the eardrum has burst. A fever means that the fluid behind the ears is infected and treatment by a physician is indicated. Antibiotics my be prescribed.

"It is difficult to prevent ear infections because children have immature immune systems and are prone to infection," Smith says. "Also, a child's eustachian tubes do not function as well as an adult's eustachian tubes." Children with allergies are also more likely to have ear infections, he adds.

Often children will have slight hearing loss after an ear infection due to fluid remaining behind the ear drum. Usually the fluid will disappear by itself, but in some children, it may persist. If fluid remains behind the ear drum for three months or longer, or if a child has recurrent ear infections, the insertion of pressure equalizing (PE) tubes may be recommended, Smith notes. "PE tubes help to ventilate the middle ear, and once the fluid is removed, hearing is usually restored to normal," he explains.

If you think your child has a hearing loss, consult your physician.