Deaf Today: Check children early for hearing loss

January 3, 2003

Check children early for hearing loss

From: News 8 Austin, TX - 03 Jan 2003

By: Ivanhoe Broadcast News

One in every 2,000 children is born with some degree of hearing loss. Unless a child fails a screening test and is diagnosed with hearing loss on follow-up, parents may not realize there is a problem until the repercussions become permanent.

Parents can detect problems by watching for developmental milestones. It starts at just a few months with babbling. By one year children should say one or two words and by three they should put together understandable short sentences.

The following are milestones to indicate if a child's hearing is where it should be at various stages of development.

At Birth:
Does your child awaken to a loud sound?
Does your child make pleasurable (cooing) sounds?

0-3 Months
Does your child watch your face when you speak?
Does your child repeat some sounds ("cooing," "gooing")?

4-6 Months
Does your child babble?
Does your child use simple sounds and gestures to communicate?

7-12 Months
Does your child recognize words for common items (cup, juice)?
Does your child use 1 or 2 words ("bye-bye", "Mama")?

1-2 Years
Does your child follow simple commands ("Roll the ball")?
Does your child use 1-2 word questions ("What's that")?

2-3 Years
Does your child follow 2 requests ("Get the ball and put it on the table")?
Does your child use 2-3 word sentences?