A free resource has been made available to parents and children providing them with information on glue ear and how it is treated. The comic booklet, Harvey gets Grommets, has been produced by the National Deaf Children’s Society (NDCS). It follows the story of a young boy, Harvey, who undergoes grommet surgery following a sudden loss of hearing due to glue ear.
Glue ear is a condition that blocks the middle ear with fluid and, if untreated, it can lead to delayed speech development and affect a child’s behaviour. Glue ear is the most common reason for children to visit a doctor and grommet surgery is the most common surgery performed on young children; in the last year, 32,000 children had grommet surgery in England.
“Glue ear causes hearing problems but can also be painful, making children unhappy and irritable”, says NDCS Audiologist Vicki Kirwin. “It’s important that parents are able to identify glue ear and talk to their child about what it means and how it can be treated.”
Free copies of Harvey gets Grommets can be ordered at:
www.ndcs.org.uk
