Signs of Hearing Loss
Signs in Adults
- You frequently complain that people mumble
- Family complains the TV, radio, or stereo is too loud
- People complain you either talk too loudly or too softly
- You have difficulty hearing the waitress/waiter at restaurants
- You can hear people speak but cannot understand what is being said
- You miss the punch line of jokes
- You don’t like watching movies or programs on TV because you can’t hear the dialogue over the sound effects
- You isolate yourself from difficult listening environments
- Your spouse/partner is your interpreter
- You frequently ask people to repeat themselves
Signs in Infants and Children
Some hearing milestones your child should reach in the first year of life:
- Most newborn infants startle or “jump” to sudden loud noises
- By 3 months, a baby usually recognizes a parent’s voice
- By 6 months, an infant can usually turn his or her eyes or head toward a sound
- By 12 months, a child can usually imitate some sounds and produce a few words, such as “Mama” or “bye-bye”
As your baby grows into a toddler, signs of a hearing loss may include:
- Limited, poor, or no speech
- Frequently inattentive
- Difficulty learning
- Often increases the volume on the TV
- Fails to respond to conversation-level speech or answers inappropriately
Signs of possible hearing loss among children:
- They ask you to repeat things
- Need to search right and left to find the voice or sound
- Start talking later than children the same age (based on reports by teachers, etc.)
- Can’t say words and sentences the right way
- Have difficulty hearing one voice when several people are talking
- Miss quick or soft sounds
- Perform poorly in reading, writing and/or mathematics
- Difficulties with attention span and concentration at school
- Don’t seem to notice that you have spoken to them
