Tracking Your Baby’s Hearing and Speech Development

As a parent, you naturally feel concerned about your baby’s development. There are many milestones to watch for as your baby grows — from holding up their head, smiling, sitting up, crawling, to walking and more.

One of the most exciting milestones for parents is hearing their baby babble and talk. Hearing plays a crucial role in these achievements. You might be wondering how to tell if your baby can hear properly.

Good Hearing Checklist

Even if your baby has passed the hearing screening, it’s important to regularly monitor their hearing. The checklist below will help you track your baby’s hearing as they grow.

• Newborn to 8 weeks:
• Startles or widens eyes at sudden sounds
• Awakens or stirs from sleep when hearing noise
• Reacts to loud sounds
• Smiles or calms when spoken to
• Recognizes your voice and calms when crying
• 8 weeks to 4 months:
• Looks towards the direction of sound
• Responds to tone of voice
• Enjoys toys that make sounds
• Pays attention to music
• May become uncomfortable with loud sounds
• 5 to 12 months:
• Turns head toward known voices or familiar sounds
• Responds to their own name
• Listens when spoken to
• Responds to simple requests like “come here”
• Begins to babble: “ba ba”, “da da”, “ma ma”
• 12 to 18 months:
• Begins to imitate simple words like “mama”, “bye-bye”
• Responds consistently to soft and loud sounds
• Points to favorite toys, people, or foods when asked
• Follows simple spoken directions like “get the ball”
• “Bounces” or moves along with music
• 18 to 24 months:
• Has a vocabulary of at least 20 words
• Understands simple directions like “give the ball to mommy”
• Combines two or more words: “more juice,” “what’s that?”
• Listens to simple stories and songs
• 2 to 3 years:
• Has a vocabulary of at least 40 words
• Uses sentences with two or three words
• Follows two-step instructions like “pick up the ball and put it in the box”
• At 2 years, speech is understood about 25%-50% of the time
• At 3 years, speech is understood about 50%-75% of the time

If you have concerns about your child’s hearing at any age, contact your pediatrician promptly.

How Is Your Baby’s Hearing Checked?

To check your baby’s hearing, tests are typically done soon after birth or within the first few weeks of life. These tests can be conducted using either the Otoacoustic Emission (OAE) or Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) methods.

• Otoacoustic Emission (OAE):
  During the OAE test, a hearing care professional places a small, soft probe into the baby’s ear canal. The probe sends gentle sounds into the ear and measures the sound responses produced by hair cells in the cochlea (inner ear). If a response is detected, it indicates normal hearing function.
• Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR):
  The ABR test involves placing small electrodes on the baby’s head to record electrical activity from the auditory nerve when soft sounds are presented through headphones or earphones. The test monitors the auditory nerve response up to the brainstem. The results show whether the baby’s auditory system is functioning normally.

These hearing tests are painless and usually done while the baby is sleeping or calm. If your baby passes the hearing test, it means their hearing response was normal at that time. However, it’s important to continue observing and monitoring your baby’s hearing as they grow.

A small number of babies who pass the newborn hearing screening may still develop hearing loss later in life. That’s why it’s important to keep paying close attention to your child’s hearing until around 3 years of age.