Microtia: Ear Surgery and Self-Esteem

For any parent raising a child with microtia, the implications can be heartbreaking, even with new breakthroughs in the realm of ear surgery. Hitting approximately one child in every 10,000, the disorder causes the ears to be underdeveloped. In some cases, it can create a situation where there is no outer ear at all. When you think back to when you were a child and take what you know about the brutal teasing that other kids can inflict, you know life is not going to be easy for your son or daughter. Thankfully, you have options.

In many cases, microtia can be treated with a procedure which aims to correct or reconstruct the ear through plastic surgery. This procedure could take a number of different forms, but one of the most common treatments involves taking cartilage from the rib cage and using it to construct the outer portion of the ears. Doctors differ as to the appropriate age a child should be before having such an operation, though 10 years old is not an uncommon answer. Any younger and the procedure may have to be repeated, as the ears have not finished growing.

Not all cases of microtia are accompanied by hearing loss, but many are. In the case of full or partial deafness, you will have options open to you and your child. These options could take the form of hearing aids, whether they be outer assistance or cochlear implants. There may also need to be a certain degree of special training not only to help your child cope with his or her disability but to help you learn to communicate and teach your child. This could involve learning sign language and using special aids that are designed to assist the deaf.

Of course, any parent with a child suffering from disabilities will be naturally concerned with how they will be treated at school and around kids their age, even with the option of ear surgery treatment. It would be nice to live in a world where kids who are different did not have to worry about being bullied and teased, but this simply isn’t the case. You’ll need to keep an open line of communication with your child about such teasing and try to prepare them for it. Do all you can to build your child’s self-esteem so that it can withstand any such attacks. If possible, you may wish to speak to your child’s classmates about their condition and gently explain that they are otherwise no different from any of them. Counselors and psychologists can help you through a difficult time such as this and offer you the best advice for your situation.