Otitis media: precursor of delayed reading

To investigate the connection between otitis media in the language acquisition years and the occurrence of delayed reading between the ages of 8 and 10.

Participants were 40 children, half of whom had a history of otitis media between the ages of birth and three years and half who were free of the disease. These children, now ages 8-10, were tested with the WISC-R and a variety of reading measures.

Children with a history of otitis media scored over a year below grade level in reading and significantly below controls on a variety of literacy measures as well as on the Verbal Comprehension factor on the WISC-R.

Children with early onset otitis media (birth to three years) tend to be at greater risk for delayed reading than age-matched controls.