Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 7, 2026
Behavioral Assessment of Hearing in 2 to 4 Year-old Children: A Two-interval, Observer-based Procedure Using Conditioned Play-based Responses
Published on: January 23, 2017
Impact of middle ear effusion on balance performance in children
B Engel-Yeger1, A Golz, S Parush
1Occupational Therapy Department, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel. Batya@research.haifa.ac.il
Insights
Children with middle ear effusion (MEE) show poorer balance skills compared to healthy peers. The Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Performance (BOTMP) effectively identifies these balance issues in children with MEE.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Neurology
- Audiology
Background:
- Middle ear effusion (MEE) is a prevalent childhood condition causing fluid buildup in the middle ear.
- Current treatments for MEE primarily address associated conductive hearing loss.
- Emerging research explores the impact of MEE on children's balance and motor skills.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the balance abilities of children diagnosed with MEE against a control group of healthy children.
- To investigate the potential relationship between balance performance and muscle strength in children with MEE.
- To assess the efficacy of the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Performance (BOTMP) in evaluating balance deficits in this population.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 20 children with MEE and 20 healthy children (aged 4.5-7.5 years) participated in the study.
- Balance and strength assessments were conducted using the BOTMP.
- Electronystagmography (ENG) was performed, and parental questionnaires on perceived balance abilities were collected.
Main Results:
- Children with MEE demonstrated significantly poorer performance on the BOTMP balance sub-test compared to the control group.
- While children with MEE showed a trend towards weaker muscle strength, the difference was not statistically significant.
- No pathological findings were observed in ENG recordings for either group.
- A significant correlation was found between parental reports of balance and the child's BOTMP balance sub-test scores.
Conclusions:
- Middle ear effusion may adversely affect balance in children, though muscle strength appears less impacted.
- The BOTMP serves as a sensitive tool for detecting balance impairments in children experiencing MEE.
- Parental perceptions of their child's balance align with objective performance measures.
Unlabelled:
Middle ear effusion (MEE) is a common childhood disease characterized by accumulation of fluid in the middle ear. MEE treatment focuses on the resultant conductive hearing loss. Recently, researchers have investigated the potential effects of MEE on balance.
Purpose:
The purpose of this study was to compare balance of children with MEE to that of healthy children and to examine whether a relation exists between balance skills and the degree of muscle strength.
Methods:
Twenty children with MEE and twenty healthy children aged 4.5 - 7.5 years underwent balance and strength sub-tests of Bruininks - Oseretsky Test of Motor Performance (BOTMP) and electronystagmography recordings (ENG). Parents completed a questionnaire designed to elicit their perceptions of their child's balance abilities in daily living activities.
Results:
MEE children performed significantly worse than did the control group on BOTMP balance sub-test. BOTMP strength subtest indicated that children with MEE had poorer muscle strength than the control group, although the difference was not significant. ENG results showed no pathologic recordings in both study group and control group. Finally, a significant correlation was found between parents' responses on the questionnaire and their child's performance on BOTMP balance subtest.
Conclusions:
MEE may negatively impact children's balance, while muscle strength is less affected. Furthermore, the BOTMP appears to be a sensitive assessment of balance disturbances in children with MEE.
