Loss of hearing can happen at any time, and it can cause delays in your child’s ability to learn. Your doctor will usually ask you questions which would tell him if there are any warning signs, but you, as a parent, as well as other caregivers, should look out for them as well.
At age 12 to 18 months, the warning signs to look out for are:
- Doesn’t like games like patty cake
- Doesn’t recognise the names of familiar pets, objects, or people
- “Come here” is a simple command, but your child can’t follow it.
- Doesn’t respond when there are sounds coming from another room
- When he wants something, doesn’t point to the object
- Can’t imitate simple words, use at least two words, or babble
- Shows no response to music,
- When asked about familiar body parts or objects, doesn’t point to them
The warning signs for age 19 to 24 months are:
- Can’t say more than five words,
- Doesn’t point to at least two body parts when asked to
- There is no response with a “yes” or “no” to a question or command
- Has a problem identifying common objects like a ball or a cat
- Doesn’t mix intelligible speech with babble
- Doesn’t like being read to
- Cannot understand “yes” or “no” questions
- Cannot understand simple phrases like “under the table” or “in the box”
- The warning signs to look out for when your toddler is 25 to 29 months old are:
- Doesn’t respond when you give a two-part command like “sit down and drink your tea”
- Doesn’t know how to answer “what” or “who” questions
- Cannot form simple two-word sentences such as “I see”
- Shows no interest in simple stories
- Doesn’t understand action words like walk, run, and sit
When your child reaches 30 to 36 months, and the following signs apply, he could have a hearing problem:
- Cannot understand possessive terms like “mine” and “yours”
- Isn’t able to select objects by size, such as big and little
- Doesn’t use any verbs or plurals
- Doesn’t ask any “what” or “why” questions
- Does not understand when you say “not now” or “no more”
