Signs and Symptoms of Hearing Loss in Infants and Children
Hearing loss in children can be attributed to a variety of etiologies, and the cause is sometimes unknown. It may be congenital (i.e., present at birth) or acquired (i.e., develops after birth). Hearing loss due to genetic causes may present at birth or develop later in life. Although each child is unique, the following are ...
Hearing loss in children can be attributed to a variety of etiologies, and the cause is sometimes unknown. It may be congenital (i.e., present at birth) or acquired (i.e., develops after birth). Hearing loss due to genetic causes may present at birth or develop later in life. Although each child is unique, the following are the general stages of communication development in babies and children with normal hearing.
From birth to 3 months
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Startle in reaction to a loud noise
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Relax, calm down when hearing familiar voices
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Pay attention to familiar voices
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Cry differently to express different needs
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Make sounds to express pleasure (cooing)
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Play at making sounds like “aah” and “ooo”
From 3 to 6 months
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Move or wake up to the sound of voices when sleeping
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Turn the head when their name is said or there’s a noise, even if they don’t see you
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Play at making sounds that progressively begin to resemble words/speech
From 6 to 18 months
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React and turn head when name is said
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Understand common words like “no” and “bye-bye”
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Repeat simple words and sounds
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Try to grab or point to familiar objects when the objects are named
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Understand simple instructions
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Imitate familiar animal sounds
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Correctly say “dada” or “mama”
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Regularly use seven real words or more
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At 18 months, 25% of the child’s speech should be intelligible
Starting at 24 months
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Have a vocabulary of 50 to 250 words
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At 2 years old, 50 to 75% of the child’s speech should be intelligible
Starting at 3 years old
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Name just about anything with one word
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Have conversations with self or with toys
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Have a vocabulary of 450 words
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Construct sentences of 4 or 5 words
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Follow conversations
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At 3 years old, 75 to 100% of the child’s speech should be intelligible
Some of the most common causes of hearing loss in babies and children are;
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Lack of startle to loud noises
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Absence of reaction to sounds
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Lack of attempts to find the source of a sound
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Paying attention to some sounds and not others
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Interruption in babbling and making new sounds
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Delayed speech and/or language development
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Speech sound disorder
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Difficulty in following or understanding instructions
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Frequent requests for repetition
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Use of increased volume on the TV or other listening devices
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Difficulty effectively expressing themselves
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Academic, behavioral, or social difficulties at school (e.g., concerns regarding literacy, pragmatic and social communication skills, and executive functioning) If you are concerned about your child's development and suspect hearing loss, make an appointment for a hearing test at our ISKELE HEARING CENTER in Cyprus. Check out the causes of congenital or acquired hearing loss in infants and children.