Most parents will remember their child's first steps, or even their first word, (often times in glorious detail), but most will not remember when their child first turned toward a sound. This is unfortunate because it is an important stage in auditory development. Many parents are aware of approximate ages and early stages of development that are related to behaviors like crawling, sitting, walking, and even talking. However, there are also approximate ages and early stages of development for hearing or auditory behaviors that are often overlooked or unnoticed. Hearing or auditory behaviors grow and change as a baby matures. It is important to note that the development of eye and motor coordination is closely linked to the development of auditory skills. Thus, if motor skills are lagging, auditory development may also be delayed. This article will outline auditory or hearing behaviors that can be expected at various ages and stages of development. Please use it as a reference to see how your child is developing.
A newborn (from birth to three months of age) will startle in response to a sudden, loud sound. For a baby who is quiet, the eyes may widen or blink, and arms and legs may flail and kick. For a baby who is restless or crying, all activity may stop for a few seconds. A lightly sleeping baby may move or begin to awaken. Most newborns will cry , but will be soothed and comforted by their mother's voice.
A two to three month old infant will exhibit a searching response. Thus, he will search with his eyes to find the source of a sound. Babies of this age should respond to interesting sounds like noise-making toys that rattle, squeak, or play music. They will also begin to laugh, coo, gurgle in response to pleasant sounds. Their cries will be different for pain, hunger, and other needs. They may vocalize simple vowel sounds like "aah" and "ooh.
A three to six month old baby will search with his eyes and eventually turn his head to the left or right to try to find the source of a sound if it is out of his line of sight. When speech and environmental sounds occur, they may stop play activity and appear to listen to these sounds and watch the speaker's face. They can distinguish changes in tone of voice that indicate a question or a happy statement. Babies of this age will make non-speech sounds like squeals, grunts, or raspberries.
A six to nine month old baby should easily directly localize the source of a sound to the left or right or below. He should respond to his name when called, and to speech at soft levels. He should also understand simple common words like "up" and "bye-bye" when they are accompanied by a hand gesture. Your baby will begin putting together consonants and vowels to form repetitive syllables like "ba-ba-ba". Vocal play, or making various babbling sounds with rising and falling pitches is also common at this age.
At nine to twelve months of age, a baby should be able to locate the source of a sound in any direction (up, down, left, right). He should follow simple directions that are accompanied by a gesture, like "give it to me", or "come here". Your baby may vocalize to get your attention, and will produce imitations of simple words and sounds that you make. He may also use a few single words meaningfully, like "go" or "up".
A 12 to 18 month will know the names of familiar objects, persons or pets, and may be able to identify them from photographs. He should follow simple spoken directions without visual cues, like giving you a toy upon request. Your growing child may point to objects to request them or draw attention to them, but he should also use several words spontaneously. He should be able to identify sounds coming from another room or form outside. Children of this age begin to enjoy music and may even try to dance.
An 18 to 24 month old should respond to speech correctly by pointing to pictures of common objects, like a cup, or by pointing to body parts like his nose or mouth. His vocabulary may contain 20 or more words, and he may voice "yes/no" in response to a simple question.
A 24 to 30 month old will respond to 2-part commands, like, "get the shoe and bring it to me". He may have a vocabulary of more than 50 words and will put several words together to form a sentence.
A 30 to 36 month old can understand up to 3600 words and can use up to 900 words. He should speak in three to four word sentences and can ask and answer "who", "what", "where" questions. For example, he should know and be able to say his full name, and the street on which he lives when asked. He may also have an understanding of basic concepts, like big/little and off/on. Most children of this age like to tell stories, sing songs, and participate in conversations.
There are things you can do as a parent to help your child learn to listen and speak. Use finger-play activities like "Pat-A -Cake" and the "Itsy-Bitsy Spider". Sing songs to and with your child, like "Old MacDonald's Farm", and encourage your child to imitate the animal sounds. Read a story to your child and ask questions about the pictures that accompany it. Encourage your child to try to name objects that he wants instead of simply pointing to them.
To learn to talk and to understand speech, a baby must be able to hear. If your baby does not seem to respond to sound appropriately, or is not developing speech and language properly, please talk to your doctor about your concerns. You may need to have your baby's hearing tested. An audiologist can evaluate your baby's ability to hear at any age. |
