| Abstract: | The effect of prior otitis media with effusion (OME) or current middle ear effusion (MEE) on phonetic perception was examined by testing infants' discrimination of boo and goo syllables in 2 test sessions. Middle ear function was assessed following each perception test using tympanometry. Perceptual performance was compared across 3 infant groups: (a) history‐negative, infants with normal middle ear function who had never received medical treatment for OME; (b) history‐positive, infants with normal middle ear function who received medical treatment for prior episodes of OME; and (c) MEE, infants presenting tympanograms indicating middle ear effusion on the day of testing. History‐negative infants performed significantly better than MEE infants in both test sessions. History‐negative infants also performed significantly better than history‐positive infants in the 2nd test session. Findings suggest that OME has a negative impact on infant phonetic discrimination that may persist even after middle ear function has returned to normal. |
