Microtia and Atresia Adoption

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Microtia and Atresia

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Facts about Microtia and Atresia

Microtia and atresia are birth defects that affect a child’s ears.
Microtia refers to a malformation of the outer ear, which may be small, misshapen, or missing altogether. Atresia refers to the absence of an ear canal. These two conditions can occur alone or in combination. Microtia and atresia can affect one or both ears.

Challenges

These children can lead normal lives even without medical intervention.

Treatment

Doctors do not always treat children with microtia and atresia, especially if only one ear is affected. Hearing aids, sign language, and synthetic prostheses may be useful in helping the child compensate. Sometimes surgeons use rib cartilage to reconstruct an outer ear that will grow with the child. Doctors do not perform this surgery before the child reaches the age of 3, and they often delay it until the child is 8 or 10.

Because of the impact that the deformed outer ear may have on a child’s social life, plastic surgery may be an option when it is possible to help improve the child’s body image.


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Articles On Microtia and Atresia

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Adopting the International Child with Special Needs
Over 30 years of evaluating special needs children gives auther, Teri Bell, a special insight into what parents need to be aware of.

Adopting a Special Needs Child...Is It For You?
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Attachment and the Special Needs Child
Meeting the needs of institutionalized and special needs children after adoption.

Homeschool: Another Learning Environment for Special Children
How home education can help the adopted child

Resources

Suggest a Link/Resource

Shriner's Hospital: Free Medical Care for SN Children