If one or more of the following statements is true for your child, you should speak to your child's primary health care provider about a referral for a audiological examination (hearing test). It is important to make sure that your child hears well. Treatment for hearing loss is more successful if the problem is identified early. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends universal screening for hearing impairment for all newborns and repeated screenings for infants at high risk for delayed onset hearing loss. Any child who is suspected of hearing loss should have an audiological examination done by a Pediatric Audiologist.
- Infant does not respond to sounds.
- Infant turns to look at movement and colors, but does not look toward sounds.
- Infant does not babble or stops babbling after a period of normal babbling.
- Older infant does not respond to his/her name.
- Child does not begin saying words around 12 months or does not continue to make good progress in learning to talk.
- Child's voice tends to sound too loud or too soft or unusual in some way.
- Child's speech is hard for other people to understand.
- Child seems to misunderstand instructions frequently or often seems not to listen to instructions.