Difficulty with reading may be result of hearing loss

 Children who struggle to read and write, or who have been diagnosed with dyslexia, may actually have hearing problems, scientists have discovered.

A study at Coventry University found a quarter of participants aged eight to 10 with reading difficulties showed mild or moderate hearing impairment, which parents and teachers were unaware of. The study of 196 children also found that a quarter of dyslexics had undiagnosed hearing problems, while one third of children who had repeated ear infections had problems with reading and writing.

The research, published in Developmental Science, concluded that hearing problems can stop pupils understanding how sounds and language translate into words on a page.