Hearing from infancy onwards helps in the development of a child's thinking skills, language competency and emotional well-being. It is known that about 1 in 300 children is born with a serious hearing problem, such as hearing loss, and that the earlier the problem is identified, the better the chance of the best outcome, among others related with language competency.
Although universal screening of newborns, now carried out in some hospitals, is clearly a good part of the answer, all parents can do a lot to make sure, even in infancy, their own child has adequate hearing and does not suffer from hearing loss. Remember, even the newborn screening won't pick up acquired hearing loss later in childhood. Giving due consideration to hearing throughout infancy and childhood by everyone who is part of a child's life will help prevent any child from living in a silent world and will help develop his language competency. We reprint here a checklist to assess your child's hearing.
Find your child's age and go over each item with everyone who cares for your child, including grandparents and carers. If you answer "No" to any question or have any concern, make an appointment NOW with your child's GP to get it checked. Formal hearing tests are not part of routine care; testing usually follows from a parent's expressed concern or special risk factors in a specific child such as premature birth. Speak up!
| Yes | No | Birth to 3 Months |
|---|---|---|
| Reacts to loud sounds | ||
| Is soothed by your voice | ||
| Turns his head to you when you speak | ||
| Is awakened by loud voices and sounds | ||
| Smiles when spoken to | ||
| Seems to know your voice and quietens down if crying | ||
 | ||
| Yes | No | 3 to 6 Months |
| Looks upwards or turns towards a new sound | ||
| Responds to "no" and changes in tone of voice | ||
| Imitates your own voice | ||
| Enjoys rattles and other toys that make sounds | ||
| Begins to repeat sounds (such as ooh, aah and ba-ba) | ||
| Becomes scared by a loud voice | ||
| | ||
| Yes | No | 6 to 10 Months |
| Responds to his own name, telephone ringing, someone's voice, even when not loud | ||
| Knows words for common things (cup, shoe) and sayings ("bye-bye") | ||
| Makes babbling sounds, even when alone | ||
| Starts to respond to requests such as "Come here" | ||
| Looks at things or pictures when someone talks about them | ||
| | ||
| Yes | No | 10 to 15 Months |
| Plays with own voice, enjoying the sound and feel of it | ||
| Points to or looks at familiar objects or people when asked to do so | ||
| Imitates simple words and sounds; may use a few single words - meaningfully | ||
| Enjoys games like peekaboo and pat-a-cake | ||
| | ||
| Yes | No | 15 to 18 Months |
| Follows simple directions, such as "Give me the ball" | ||
| Often uses words he has learned | ||
| Uses two- to three-word sentences to talk about and ask for things | ||
| Knows 10 to 20 words | ||
| | ||
| Yes | No | 18 to 24 Months |
| Understands simple "yes/no" questions ("Are you hungry?") | ||
| Understands simple phrases ("in the cup", "on the table") | ||
| Enjoys being read to | ||
| Points to pictures when asked | ||
| | ||
| Yes | No | 24 to 36 Months |
| Understands "not now" and "no more" | ||
| Chooses things by size (big, little) | ||
| Follows simple instructions such as "Get your shoes" and "Drink your milk" | ||
| Understands many action words (run, jump) | ||
For more information please talk to your GP and check this US site:
