Otitis media and the development of speech and language.

Otitis media is one of the most common infectious diseases of childhood, and many children have many episodes in infancy. Fluid persists in the middle ear for weeks to months after every episode of acute otitis media in spite of apparently appropriate antimicrobial therapy. Persistent or fluctuating hearing loss accompanies middle ear fluid. Children from a high socioeconomic group with recurrent and persistent otitis media in infancy scored lower on tests of speech and language administered at 3 years of age than did their disease-free peers.