Dyslexia vs Hearing Loss or Glue Ear
One review looked at glue ear and later speech and language (Roberts and colleagues, 2004). That review looked at speech and language, not reading. We hold no study of glue ear and reading. Glue ear can affect hearing at the time. Ask your child's doctor whether hearing has been checked recently.
TL;DR
- One review looked at glue ear and later speech and language (Roberts and colleagues, 2004). That review looked at speech and language, not reading. We hold no study of glue ear and reading. Glue ear can affect hearing at the time. Ask your child's doctor whether hearing has been checked recently.
- We hold no study of glue ear and reading. We hold no study of permanent hearing loss and reading. Have hearing and vision checked too. A child who cannot hear well needs that found. So does a child who cannot see the print clearly. Ask your child's doctor whether hearing has been checked recently.
- A 2025 schedule from the American Academy of Pediatrics has hearing checked at routine visits. Ask your child's doctor whether hearing has been checked recently. In our view, take a hearing concern to your child's doctor or an audiologist.
- We cannot tell you whether your child has a hearing problem. Ask your child's doctor whether hearing has been checked recently.
- In our view, a child may need both a hearing check and reading help. One does not replace the other. Ask your child's doctor whether hearing has been checked recently.
Dyslexia is a name for a pattern of trouble reading words, spelling, or both. Struggling to read says nothing about how smart your child is.
”DyslexiaWhat one review of glue ear looked at
Glue ear is also called otitis media with effusion. One review looked at glue ear and later speech and language (Roberts and colleagues, 2004). That review looked at speech and language, not reading. Glue ear can affect hearing at the time. Ask your child's doctor whether hearing has been checked recently.
What we do not hold
We hold no study of glue ear and reading. We hold no study of permanent hearing loss and reading.
Have hearing and vision checked too. A child who cannot hear well needs that found. So does a child who cannot see the print clearly. Ask your child's doctor whether hearing has been checked recently.
Getting hearing checked
A 2025 schedule from the American Academy of Pediatrics has hearing checked at routine visits. In our view, take a hearing concern to your child's doctor or an audiologist. We cannot tell you whether your child has a hearing problem. In our view, a child may need both a hearing check and reading help. One does not replace the other. Ask your child's doctor whether hearing has been checked recently.
If reading is hard too
Find which job of reading is going wrong, and work on that one. The exception is a skill that was there and has gone. Our position is that a lost skill goes to a doctor first, not a tutor.
Reading improves with reading instruction.
When to ask for help
Each of these is a reason to ask for help on its own.
- Little change, even with steady practice and good teaching.
- Reading well below what school expects.
- A teacher who raises a concern about reading.
- Extreme upset about reading.
- Complete avoidance of reading.
- Hopelessness about learning.
- Sadness or worry that lasts.
- Significant delays in speech, language or motor development.
- A skill that was there and has gone. Our position is that a lost skill goes to a doctor first, not a tutor.
If no skill has gone, start with the teacher. Say what you are seeing at home, and what you have tried. Beyond the teacher, the right person depends on what it turns out to be about. If the work is too hard, someone who works on that school skill. If worry or mood is the thing, someone who works with children's mental health. In our view, delays in speech, language or movement are worth raising with your child's doctor. In our view, if you are worried enough to ask, a professional evaluation is worth asking about.
Any talk of hurting themselves is a same-day call to your doctor or a crisis line.
In the classroom
If a child often misses what is said, suggest the family ask about hearing.
Check for a missed step early. Teach it again, and see what the child does with it.
Two sentences for an email home: "In class, your child sometimes misses what I say. Has your child's hearing been checked recently?"
Key Takeaways
One review looked at glue ear and later speech and language (Roberts and colleagues, 2004). That review looked at speech and language, not reading. We hold no study of glue ear and reading. Glue ear can affect hearing at the time. Ask your child's doctor whether hearing has been checked recently.
We hold no study of glue ear and reading. We hold no study of permanent hearing loss and reading. Have hearing and vision checked too. A child who cannot hear well needs that found. Ask your child's doctor whether hearing has been checked recently.
A 2025 schedule from the American Academy of Pediatrics has hearing checked at routine visits. Ask your child's doctor whether hearing has been checked recently. In our view, take a hearing concern to your child's doctor or an audiologist.
In our view, a child may need both a hearing check and reading help. One does not replace the other. Ask your child's doctor whether hearing has been checked recently.
Reading improves with reading instruction.
Notice when your child misses something you said. Was the room noisy? Was your child facing you? Take the note when you ask the doctor or audiologist about hearing.
”What to do tonightWhat to use next
A set of questions you answer about what you see at home. A screener is a starting point, not a diagnosis. If your child might need formal accommodations (an IEP or 504 plan), or you suspect a vision, hearing, or medical cause, pursue a professional evaluation too — that's the only route to those supports.
A short reading and spelling practice. Each word appears letter by letter. The picture comes only once the word is complete. So guessing from the image is not available. It includes writing words from memory. That practices the spelling and the writing of a word at the same time.
Common questions from parents
Is glue ear linked to reading trouble?
One review looked at glue ear and later speech and language (Roberts and colleagues, 2004). That review looked at speech and language, not reading. We hold no study of glue ear and reading. Glue ear can affect hearing at the time. Ask your child's doctor whether hearing has been checked recently.
Is hearing loss linked to reading trouble?
We hold no study of permanent hearing loss and reading. Have hearing and vision checked too. A child who cannot hear well needs that found. So does a child who cannot see the print clearly. Ask your child's doctor whether hearing has been checked recently. In our view, take a hearing concern to your child's doctor or an audiologist.
Do ear infections affect phonics?
Ear infections can affect hearing at the time. We hold no study of ear infections and learning phonics. Ask your child's doctor whether hearing has been checked recently. Reading improves with reading instruction.