How to Detect Hearing Loss in Children

Children grow and mature in different areas at various times. A delay in certain developmental milestones could indicate a hearing loss. Looking for signs along the way and getting early treatment can make a significant difference to a child with hearing loss. If you suspect that your child has a hearing loss, consult your doctor right away.

Instructions

• 1

  Look for reactions to sound in babies 0 to 3 months old. Your baby can hear you if he reacts to loud noises, wakes at loud sounds and is comforted by the sound of your voice. She should also be able to make "gooing" noises from the back of her throat.

• 2

  Be aware of actions resulting from sounds in babies from 3 to 6 months old. He should react to your voice by turning his head or eyes towards you, enjoy playing with noisy toys, stop at the sound of familiar voices, smile when talked to or make different crying sounds when he needs to eat or be changed.

• 3

  Talk to baby regularly between the ages 6 to 12 months. She should respond to her name, make baby talk sounds, understand some words, turn her head when recognizing sounds like a ringing telephone and react to changes in your voice.

• 4

  Get baby to copy sounds that she hears by 12 months. She should also be able to answer simple questions, recognize her name and understand what "no" means.

• 5

  Ask baby for objects like toys from 12 to 18 months. He should be able to get things for you, point to body parts when asked and put sounds together. He should also have a few simple words like "mama."

• 6

  Test baby's word knowledge between 18 months and 24 months. She should understand 50 words or more, yes and no questions and words used often. She should also be able to make her own simple sentences and follow simple directions.

• 7

  Have conversations with babies over two years old. By age 2 and 3, he should have around 270 words, sing short songs and tell others about interesting sounds. He may also be making 3 to 4 word sentences, be able to repeat familiar stories and know people's names.