Hearing is an essential contributor to your child’s development. If hearing loss is not addressed, it can delay critical development milestones, such as language learning, and affect vital life skills like socializing. Fortunately, there are many ways to help a child cope with hearing loss, and the first step is identifying the problem.

Read more about why hearing is important for children.

Your Child's Development in the First Three Years

Your child goes through significant developmental changes during their first three years, which makes it challenging to generalize hearing loss signs in children under 3. Additionally, children master skills like language at different paces, so it’s important to consider any potential challenges your child may face. Hearing loss can delay language development during this critical learning period, which may also impact other skills, as they might not fully perceive verbal instructions.

We’ve compiled a list of guidelines to help you recognize potential signs of hearing loss in children up to 3 years of age.

Signs of Hearing Loss for Children Under 6 Months

It can be hard to detect hearing loss in such a young child, especially if the loss is mild. However, some signs may indicate hearing loss, such as:

• Not responding to sound or music
• Not turning their eyes toward a sound
• Not recognizing or responding to your voice
• Not noticing toys that make sounds
• Not making different noises when happy or upset

Signs of Hearing Loss for Children Up to 1 Year Old

By the time your child turns one, they will have reached several developmental milestones. In terms of hearing, they should be able to:

• Respond to their name
• Turn and look in the direction of sound
• Understand and respond to simple words like "No," "More?" "Up," "Daddy," etc.
• Listen to songs and stories for short periods
• Recognize familiar voices, music, and sounds
• Play peek-a-boo or similar games
• Make simple sounds, possibly saying their first words