Children's hearing milestones

reacts to loud sounds with a startle reflex

calms down or smiles when spoken to

recognises your voice and calms down if crying

turns head to you when you speak

when feeding, starts or stops sucking in response to sound

coos and makes pleasure sounds

has different ways of crying for different needs

looks or turns towards a new sound

responds to changes in the tone of your voice

enjoys toys that make sounds, e.g. rattles

babbles and begins to repeat sounds such as “ooh”, “aah” and “ba-ba”. Especially sounds that begin with p, b, d or m.

laughs

babbles when excited or unhappy

makes gurgling sounds when playing with you, e.g. blowing raspberries

recognises and responds to own name, telephone ringing and other familiar voices

enjoys playing peek-a-boo and pat-a-cake

understands words for common items such as “cup”, “drink”, “bye-bye”

understands and responds to simple requests “come here”

babbles using groups of sounds such as “tatt”, “upup” and “bibibi”

imitates different speech sounds

looks at things or pictures when someone talks about them

communicates using gestures such as waving or holding up arms

has one or two words by first birthday (e.g. “dog”, “dada”, “mama”, “no”, “bye-bye”)

simplifies certain words (e.g. biscuit becomes “bi”)

points to pictures when asked

points to or looks at familiar objects or people when asked to do so

enjoys simple songs, rhymes and being read to

understands a few body parts and can point to them when asked

understands 10-20 words

may use a few single words meaningfully

understands simple yes/no questions (e.g. “are you hungry?”)

understands and follows simple phrases/commands (e.g. “on the table”, “roll the ball”)

uses 1-2 word phrases (e.g. “more milk”, “bye-bye daddy”)

asks 1-2 word questions (e.g. “where’s mummy?”)

uses lots of different constant sounds at the beginning of words

acquires new words on a regular basis

understands “not now” and “no more”

chooses things by size (e.g. big or little)

follows 2 step commands (e.g. “get your shoes and come here”)

understands several action words (e.g. run or jump)

has a word for almost everything

uses 2-3 word phrases to communicate

uses speech that can be understood by family members and friends

names objects to ask for them

uses k, g, f, t, d and n sounds

uses sentences with 4 or more words

speaks easily without having to repeat syllables or words

hears you when you call from another room

hears the television or radio at the same loudness level as other family members

answers simple who, what, where and why questions

talks about activities at day care, play dates or other family/friend’s homes

hears and understands most of what is said at home

pays attention to a short story and answers simple questions about it

uses adult grammar

names some letters and numbers

uses rhyming words

communicates easily with other children and adults outside the family

uses detailed sentences and tells stories that stay on topic

says most sounds correctly except for a few (l, s, r, v, z, ch, sh and th)