Hearing Childhood Milestones You Should Not Ignore

From the moment that your children are born, you need to look after their health. One aspect that you want to pay attention to is their hearing health. There are certain milestones that your child should achieve when it comes to hearing. It's important to know what those are. If you notice that your kiddo isn't meeting those milestones, you need to seek help.

Main Milestones

It's important to start by saying that every child is going to be different from the next. It might take one child more time than another to develop certain hearing milestones. We're going to provide you with a list of some key milestones that children should be making. We also include the age when they should be experiencing these milestones.

Between birth and three months, your child should:

• Startle or cry at loud noises
• Stop moving when they appear to be listening
• Wake up when a loud sound is present

Between three and six months, your child should:

• Recognize your voice
• Enjoy rattles
• Smile why you talk to them
• Look towards sounds and speakers

Between six and nine months, your child should:

• Respond to their name
• Respond to the word "No"
• Babble and make sounds

Between 9 and 12 months, your child should:

• Look when you say their name
• Listen to people that are talking to them
• Respond to commands

Between 12 and 18 months, your child should:

• Imitate simple words/sounds
• Follow spoken instruction
• Say a couple of words
• Point to familiar objects and people

Between 18 months and 5 years, your child should:

• Have normal voice qualities
• Hear when you call them
• Understand your conversation
• Hear music/television at the same volume as others

Signs Of Hearing Loss In Children

If your child is not meeting their milestones for their age, it could be a sign that they have hearing loss. When they fail to respond to sounds that happen near them, it can become clear that they don't hear you at all. As your children start to get older, you may notice that their speech is very unclear. It doesn't seem to be developing at a steady pace. This could be another sign that they're experiencing some sort of hearing loss.

What To Do If Your Child Hasn't Met Their Next Hearing Milestone?

If your child hasn't met most of the milestones for their age group, then it's time to get a professional test. You should schedule a hearing test at your local audiologist. This can help determine if hearing loss is why your child was unable to meet the normal milestones. You should also speak to your medical professional. They can test your child to see if there are any other health conditions that may be causing their hearing loss.

Call Us Today

If you want to get a hearing test for your child, then it's time to contact our hearing care professionals. Let our helpful hearing care professionals test your children's hearing. We can explain all the test results so that you understand what is going on.