Hearing in Athletes with Intellectual Disabilities: The Need for Improved Ear Care

Background: The Special Olympics offer the opportunity for athletes with intellectual disabilities to participate in a range of sports at regional, national and international level. A parallel Healthy Athletes programme was introduced to ensure safety at the games but also to collect data on the health needs of those with intellectual disabilities (ID). Method: This study reports on the introduction of a hearing screen for the first time at national games in Great Britain. Given the availability of free local healthcare it was unclear whether the screen would simply duplicate services already accessed locally. Results: Of the 996 athletes who went though the hearing screen 40% were identified with a previously unrecognised hearing loss, 52% required medical ear care and 43% required wax removal. Despite complex competing stimuli within the screening area only 15 of the subjects were unable to complete the full screen. Local clinical services are carried out in more controlled environments therefore it is reasonable to presume that it would be possible for them to provide assessment of ear care and ongoing audiological assessments where needed. It was found that carers and sports coaches were generally unaware of the hearing needs of the athletes, in spite of the fact that they worked so closely with them. Conclusions: The importance of imparting information to carers and coaches, together with the need for access to regular ear care locally is underlined in this study. (Contains 8 tables and 1 figure.)