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We have compiled a list of things in children’s behaviour that may indicate hearing difficulties. Children develop at their own individual pace, so while none of these are a sure sign that there is a problem, any of them could indicate that your child is missing important aural information.
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 Failure to startle to loud sounds. |
| Inability to locate the source of sounds by, for example, turning the head towards the person speaking. Children with normal hearing will usually try and locate a sound source by around the age of 5-6 months. |
| Generally requiring louder sound levels in order to function – sitting too close to the television, turning up the volume, frequently asking "what?" when spoken to, not responding when called. |
| Babbling ceases or changes to more high-pitch screaming sounds at the age of around 6-8 months. |
| Lack of normal response to sounds – does not respond to his or her own name by around the age of 6 months. |
| Failure for babbling to evolve into recognisable speech sounds and finally to words during the child’s second year of life. |
| Failure to respond to simple commands such as "Bring daddy the ball" by around the age of 1 year, unless the child is looking directly at you and seeing your body movements. |
| Withdrawing from social contact and perhaps "acting out" aggressively. This can indicate frustration over the constant misunderstandings resulting from hearing loss. |
| Frequently misunderstanding spoken directions. |
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