Middle ear infections are common in young children, but they can cause permanent ear damage and affect speech and language if they're ongoing or not treated.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children get more severe middle ear infections and more often.
Learn more about middle ear disease.
Sometimes children with ear disease don't have any pain or symptoms. That's why it's important they get an ear check every time they visit a health worker, nurse or their GP.
If you're worried about your child, get their ears checked or call 13 HEALTH (13 43 25 84) for more information. They'll help you decide if your child should be referred to Deadly Ears.
You can keep ears healthy and get less ear and chest infections by:
There are also things you can do at home to help build their language skills. Read more about yarning and listening on the Plum and Hats website.
Learn how to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children with middle ear disease.
If a child can't hear properly, they won't understand what's happening at school or daycare. They'll find it hard to concentrate and will struggle to:
They may also not hear the same sounds as you or they might watch your face to hear you.
Find out how you can talk to parents and children on how to keep ears healthy on the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care website.
If you're worried about a child, talk to their parent or carer. Encourage them to get their ears checked by a GP, nurse or health worker.
They can also call 13 HEALTH (13 43 25 84) for more information.
There are some simple things you can do to help children with hearing difficulties in the classroom.
Find out how you can help children who are having trouble hearing in early childhood centres.
This website may contain images and voice/video recordings of those who have passed away.
Watch the Strategies that help children with hearing loss in early years environments video on the Queensland Education YouTube channel.
There are free resources for early childhood and primary school teachers who care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children with middle ear disease.
You can order activity books, crayons, stickers, and flipcharts and watch videos and talking books from the following websites.
If you're not sure about a child's hearing, you can use the Sound Scouts tool as a basic online hearing test. You'll get a report straight away that will also tell you what the next steps should be if it detects a hearing loss.
Any Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander child up until their 16th birthday, can be referred to Deadly Ears if they have ongoing middle ear concerns.
They must also live in of these areas or close by, and be referred by a GP, a nurse or an ear trained health worker.
If you're a health professional, find out how to refer a child to our program.