Testing Your Baby’s Hearing

 

Your baby’s hearing, and the learning that results from it, begins while they are still in the womb. Research has shown that early identification of hearing loss is extremely important in enabling prompt management of hearing problems and in preventing delayed speech and language development.

Identification and management of hearing loss within the first few weeks or months of life, in the absence of other difficulties, can lead to normal or near-normal speech and language development. This significantly increases the likelihood of a child being able to attend a mainstream school.

Expected language development:

0 to 3 months
The baby should react to loud sounds by startling, extending the arms and legs, or widening the eyes.

3 to 6 months
The baby should turn towards and search for different sounds, and respond to their name. They should begin to play with sounds by cooing or babbling, and may smile or stop crying when spoken to. Different cries may be used for different needs, and sounds or gestures may be used to indicate wants.

6 to 10 months
The baby should look towards the speaker when their name is called and respond to both soft and loud sounds, as well as to speech. Good eye contact should be present, and the baby should respond to simple gestures (e.g. “ta”). Babbling should include a wide variety of sounds and have a song-like or rhythmic pattern.

10 to 15 months
Babbling should increase and begin to resemble speech more closely. The child should understand simple phrases and recognise words for common objects (e.g. cup, juice). Imitation of adult speech should begin, along with the use of single words.

15 to 18 months
The child should understand simple phrases, identify basic body parts, and follow simple instructions. Speech may still be largely unintelligible, but by 18 months the child should have a vocabulary of approximately 15 to 20 words.

18 to 24 months
Speech should become easier to understand, and vocabulary should increase to approximately 50 words. The child should begin combining nouns and verbs (e.g. “daddy car” or “baba juice”).