My child was born premature and had a global developmental delay (followed by ADHD and ASD later on). The anesthesia as a toddler was to rule out specific issues. He also has a gifted IQ. I don't think the anesthesia did anything to his cognitive abilities, OP.

Ear tubes at 1. Diagnosed at 7 with ADHD but it runs in the family.

Nope!

Age 2 surgery, ear tubes in + tonsils out + adenoids out. 3 more surgeries to replace ear tubes as they got older and had repeated issues with fluid in the ears and not being able to hear!

Happy to report no language or learning issues, was in MCPS and went to GT for 4th and 5th grade, a magnet for MS and another magnet for HS. Was a National Merit Scholar and is currently at a top university

Ear tubes=language explosion for my kid (then 4).

Nope, not before -- went under twice within a few weeks (MRI and then ear tubes) and language exploded in the month after.

You should also read this very comforting study in Lancet:
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(18)32485-1/fulltext#seccestitle160

"363 children were randomly allocated to the awake-regional anaesthesia group and 359 to the general anaesthesia group....

"The 5-year follow-up assessments were done between March 13, 2012, and April 27, 2018....

"When multiple imputation was used to account for missing data, WPPSI-III FSIQ means appeared equivalent between the two groups in both the per-protocol analysis (adjusted mean difference for awake-regional anaesthesia minus general anaesthesia 0·23, 95% CI −2·59 to 3·06) and the intention-to-treat analysis (0·16, −2·45 to 2·78; table 3)."

Authors go on to say about other studies:

"Cohort studies have yielded mixed evidence for an association between anaesthesia in early childhood and a subsequent diagnosis of ADHD or other learning disability....In all these cohort studies, any associations found between exposure and poor outcomes could be explained by confounding. For instance, because children receive anaesthesia for surgery or invasive investigations, the condition warranting the procedure might itself be associated with increased risk of adverse neurodevelopmental outcome. Similarly, children with pre-existing but as-yet-undiagnosed behavioural problems might be at greater risk of needing the procedure."

Nope. Mine is only five now though. He's doing 8th grade math (algebra). No identified LDs or signs thereof.

Anonymous wrote:Nope. (Had hydrocele fixed.) Is 9 now.

Same except 8/now.

Anonymous wrote:Did he or she develop any language or learning difficulties or behavioral issues in the long term?

My kid had language and learning difficulties before the surgery. They were mostly better two months afterwards. Insurance fought me on that surgery. I would have paid out of pocket if I knew how much it would help. Tubes rock!

Yes. Age 1, tubes were placed. Language delay diagnosed at age 3 1/2, many other things since then: pragmatic language disorder, expressive receptive disorder, LD for reading, writing, and math, anxiety, achilles contracture, fine and gross motor delay, social delay, sensory sensitivities...I'm probably missing something.

I don't think it had anything to do with the anesthesia. He was quiet and passive from birth, but I missed it because, in contrast, his older brother was extremely verbal and active. I just thought he was normal.

(He's had two more surgeries since. One to remove the tubes and another to correct the contracture. He was 5 and 9 for those, and no ill effects from the surgery.)

Nope. (Had hydrocele fixed.) Is 9 now.

I have a special needs child who is 15. I’ve never heard of that and he’s had many surgeries.

Mine did for ear tubes. No long-term effects.

Nope

Did he or she develop any language or learning difficulties or behavioral issues in the long term?