Cognitive ability and academic attainment in unilateral microtia
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Association between cognitive abilities and academic achievement in children with unilateral microtia.
IRAS ID
272777
Contact name
Robert Nash
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 11 months, 27 days
Research summary
Microtia is a condition that describes being born with one (or occasionally two) abnormally small, or even absent, external ear(s). This is almost always associated with the ear canal not forming, and the middle ear not functioning correctly. Microtia therefore has a cosmetic effect, but it also causes hearing loss. The cognitive and academic effects of that hearing loss on children with unilateral microtia has not been studied. Whilst there are hearing devices that can rehabilitate this hearing loss, many children with microtia do not use them, and very few children with microtia receive additional support at school to ensure that their learning is optimised. This may be due to a perception (amongst parents, clinicians and educators), that because a child is developing spoken language, and their academic skills may be within the average range, their hearing loss is not having a detrimental impact. However, previous evidence suggests that it is possible that while these children are making academic progress, their rate of progress may not be what should be expected relative to their cognitive potential, i.e. there is a discrepancy between what they are capable of achieving, and what they are actually achieving. The aim of this study is to compare academic attainments in literacy and numeracy with those predicted on the basis of intellectual ability, in children with unilateral microtia.
Participants will be children aged 6 to 13 years with unilateral microtia, recruited at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children by a member of the clinical care team. They will undertake standardised tests of cognitive ability and academic attainment (literacy and numeracy). This will require one visit to the hospital as an outpatient, and is an addition to their routine clinical care, which will not change.
The research is being funded by the charity Microtia UK.
REC name
South Central - Hampshire A Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
20/SC/0456
Date of REC Opinion
1 Feb 2021
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion