Hearing Developmental Milestones for Children

Hearing Developmental Milestones for Children

 

Did you know that a baby starts to hear sounds even before it is born? 

Yes! Further, the development of hearing happens when the baby is in the mother’s womb and by around 6-7 months of gestation, it starts to hear sounds.

This blog is on, Hearing Developmental Milestones for Children. 

 

Given below are the developmental milestones of hearing from birth to 5 years:

 

Birth- 3 months:

• Firstly, Responds to loud sounds by startling or smiling
• Secondly, Reacts to sounds coming from a close source and by 2-4 months, the baby begins to hear the sound coming from a distance
• Thirdly, Towards the end of the third month, an infant recognizes mother’s voice and stops crying listening to her sound
• Finally, Begins to listen to his/her sounds

4-6 months:

• Now, Begins to turn their head and look for the source of sound
• Then, Produces more sounds through laughing, gurgling, and babblings and enjoys listening to these sounds
• Next, Enjoys listening to the sound of musical toys such as rattles
• Also, Responds to changes in the voice such as pitch and loudness
• Babble in response to others speech
• Starts to distinguish  between environmental and speech sounds
• Begins to recognize family members  voice

7-9 months:

• While in the sitting position, begins to localize the sound source by turning head towards the sides, but not in the up and down direction
• Begins to distinguish between vowel and syllable contents
• Understands simple verbal requests
• Responds to his name
• Enjoys and pays attention to music and songs

10-12 months:

• Enjoys music by moving body or dancing
• Begins to search for an asked object that is out of sight
• Begins to associate more meanings to words
• Develop an understanding of some commonly used phrases

12-18 months:

• Enjoys listening to television
• Pays attention  to simple stories and rhymes
• Develops auditory memory of one item, towards the end of the sentence or the phrase
• Follows one-step commands (Give me the ball)
• Associates more words to related objects such as body parts, clothing, food items, etc.

 

18-24 months:

• Response to sounds coming from another room
• Identifies categories (Animals, Vehicles, Fruits, etc.)
• Remembers information heard  in the correct sequence (e.g. “Put the car on the table and the ball on the chair”)
• Engages in a conversation when the topic is known
• Begins to give answers from a picture book

2-2.6 years:

• Listens to familiar rhymes again and again
• Develops auditory memory of 2 items
• Listens from a distance
• Comprehends long stories and gives answers to the questions based on the stories

2.6-3 years:

• Develops auditory memory of 3 items with different features
• Follows 2-3 steps commands
• Begins to think and make judgments based on what was heard, e.g. “Tell me about your new toy car.”
• Answer questions about any familiar topic

3-4 years:

• Develops a greater understanding of auditory stimuli in a variety of settings (home, kindergarten, park, etc.)
• Auditory memory of 5 items
• Processes sentences with slightly complex structures
• Listens to stories carefully and retells them
• Understands open set questions and begins to identify objects based on their description

4-5 years:

• Firstly, Recalls 5 or more events from a known story
• Secondly, Retells a long story in detail
• Thirdly, Identifies words that rhyme and does not rhyme

It is also important to understand that not every child follows the same rate of development and attains the milestones exactly. Nevertheless, if you ever develop concern over your child’s hearing skills, you must get your child’s hearing evaluated at the earliest by a certified Audiologist.

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