E
EAR INFECTIONS/OTITIS MEDIA
Otitis media, commonly called an ear infection, is the
most frequent illness of early childhood except for the
common cold. Otitis media is an inflammation of the
middle ear. There are two types: (1) acute otitis
media, an infection of the middle ear with accompa-
nying fluid; and (2) otitis media with effusion, in
which the middle ear fluid is not infected. Fluid in the
middle ear can persist for several weeks or months
after an infection is gone. Otitis media is more com-
mon in boys, children from low-income families,
those exposed to tobacco smoke, bottle-fed children
(compared to breast-fed children), and children who
are under two years of age and attend child care. In
most cases, otitis media is accompanied by mild to
moderate hearing loss (equivalent to plugging one’s
ears with a finger), which goes away once the fluid re-
solves. Some studies have shown that frequent hear-
ing loss in children with otitis media may lead to
speech, language, and school difficulties. Other
studies, however, have failed to find these associa-
tions. Researchers are still studying the otitis media
developmental linkage. Special attention should be
paid to the hearing and language development of
children who have frequent otitis media.
See also: LANGUAGE ACQUISITION DEVICE
Bibliography
Paradise, Jack. L., Christine A. Dollaghan, Thomas F. Campbell,
Heidi M. Feldman, Beverly S. Bernard, Kathleen Colborn,
Howard E. Rockette, Janine E. Janoky, Dayna L. Pitcairn,
Diane L. Sabo, Marcia Kurs-Lasky, and Clyde G. Smith. ‘‘Lan-
guage, Speech Sound Production, and Cognition in Three-
Year-Old Children in Relation to Otitis Media in Their First
Three Years of Life.’’ Pediatrics 105 (2000):1119–1130.
Roberts, Joanne E., Margaret R. Burchinal, Sandra C. Jackson, Ste-
phen R. Hooper, Jack Roush, Martha Mundy, Eloise Neebe,
and Susan A. Zeisel. ‘‘Otitis Media in Early Childhood in Rela-
tion to Preschool Language and School Readiness Skills
among African-American Children.’’ Pediatrics 106 (2000):1–
11.
Stool, Sylvan E., Alfred O. Berg, Stephen Berman, Cynthia J. Car-
ney, James R. Cooley, Larry Culpepper, Roland Eavey, Lynne
Feagans, Terese Finitzo, Ellen Friedman, et al. Otitis Media
with Effusion in Young Children: Clinical Practice Guideline, Num-
ber 12. Rockville, MD: Agency for Health Care Policy and Re-
search, Public Health Service, U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services, 1994.
Joanne E. RobertsEARLY INTERVENTION PROGRAMS
Early intervention programs provide special services
to children from birth through age five who are at-
risk or have special needs. The scope of these pro-
grams may also include the child’s family. Early inter-
vention services and programs focus on the areas of
cognition (thinking skills), speech/language, motor
skills, self-help skills, and social-emotional develop-
ment. It is not uncommon to find programs that also
include services such as nursing, social work, nutri-
tion, and counseling. For example, the Head Start
early intervention program offers two meals a day to
children as part of its nutritional services.
Professionals, including early intervention teach-
ers, occupational therapists, physical therapists, and129