Childhood

Snoring and Behaviour

Dr David McIntosh

Angel is a 6-year-old girl who is anything but her namesake. She is tired and often cranky, tends to burst into tears from the simplest of things, has very poor attention and her behaviour is such that her parents have been advised by the school to see a paediatrician in case she has Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD). The parents realise that something is not right with their Angel and start researching a bit and seeking advice from a range of professionals. there have been no infections, they won’t be taken out by the specialists. Having said that, nobody has organised for Angel to see the specialists in tonsil problems, the ENT surgeons. The dentist offers a referral to see one, which mum accepts.

The paediatrician confirms she is disruptive and meets the criteria for ADHD. The audiologist confirms she can hear OK. The optician confirms her vision is fine. The naturopath suggests it might be a sensitivity to wheat and dairy and faced with the alternative option of medication, the family give this a go but unfortunately, she is only getting worse.

They see the dentist for her 6-month check-up and the dentist notices that Angel is struggling to breathe in the chair. Her mum says she has been like that for a while and tends to walk around with her mouth open ‘catching flies’. The dentist proceeds to look at her teeth and notices some wear and tear suggestive of teeth grinding. Mum confirms she does this too. The dentist keeps probing - it turns out the child snores and is quite restless at night. The dentist takes a second look - this time past the teeth and looks at the back of the throat and notices the tonsils are large.

Mum confirms this has been noted by others and was told that kids with big tonsils just grow into them and because

At the consultation the ENT specialist considers things in more detail. Not only does Angel snore, but there are times when she may even stop breathing. She wakes up tired, wets the bed often, grinds her teeth, sleep talks and has issues with her