EARLY IDENTIFICATION

Early Identification is important… 
We experience our world through our five senses: sight, hearing, smell, touch and taste. The senses are our tools for learning and communicating. Our sense of hearing is critical for speech and language development. It is therefore important that hearing loss is identified as early as possible. Significant delays in speech and language development can be avoided if amplification is provided early.

Normal hearing development
Rudimentary hearing begins at just 20 weeks of gestation when your baby’s hearing sensory organ, or cochlea, actually reaches its normal adult size. Your baby’s hearing develops and matures during the remainder of gestation.
Upon birth, “normal” development is difficult to define as every child develops in his or her own way and at his or her own pace.Nevertheless, there are general milestones for hearing development to serve as a guide. Realize that it is more important to note whether your child progresses naturally through the different developmental stages rather than focusing on reaching a specific milestone by a specific age. You may choose to use the information in this guide to help you start a conversation with your child’s pediatrician regarding any concerns you may have about your child’s hearing development.

 Milestones for hearing development

  
• 0-4 months
  
    Startles to sudden or loud sounds  
  
    Begins to localize sounds with eyes or head movements  
    
• 3-6 months
  
    Shows interest in different sounds  
  
    Experiments with making own sounds  
  
    Seemingly recognizes familiar voices  
    
• 6-12 months
  
    Babbles  
  
    Begins to understand simple words such as “mommy” and bye-bye”  
  
    Begins to follow simple instructions  
    
• 12-18 months
  
    Words begin to form from the babble  
  
    Can use around 20 words and understand around 50 words  
    
• 2 years
  
    Can usually speak in simple sentences using a vocabulary of around 200-300 words  
  
    Enjoys being read to and can identify and name many things in picture books  
    
• 3-4 years
  
    Uses words and sentences to express needs, questions and feelings  
  
    Vocabulary, pronunciation and understanding improve markedly during these years