Hearing milestones
Disease Information
In-Depth
The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) and other experts list the following age-appropriate hearing milestones:
Birth to 3 months
- reacts to loud sounds with startle reflex
- is soothed and quieted by soft sounds
- turns head to you when you speak
- is awakened by loud voices and sounds
- smiles in response to voices when spoken to
- seems to know your voice and quiets down if crying
3 to 6 months
- looks or turns toward a new sound
- responds to "no" and changes in tone of voice
- imitates his/her own voice
- enjoys rattles and other toys that make sounds
- begins to repeat sounds (such as ooh, aah, and ba-ba)
- becomes scared by a loud voice or noise
6 to 10 months
- responds to his/her own name, telephone ringing, someone's voice, even when not loud
- knows words for common things (cup, shoe) and sayings ("bye-bye")
- makes babbling sounds, even when alone
- starts to respond to request such as "come here"
- looks at things or pictures when someone talks about them
10 to 15 months
- plays with own voice, enjoying the sound and feel of it
- points to or looks at familiar objects or people when asked to do so
- imitates simple words and sounds; may use a few single words meaningfully
- enjoys games like peek-a-boo and pat-a-cake
- follows one step commands when shown by a gesture
15 to 18 months
- follows simple directions, such as "give me the ball" without being shown
- uses words he/she has learned often
- uses 2 to 3 word sentences to talk about and ask for things
- knows 10 to 20 words
- points to some body parts when asked
18 to 24 months
- understands simple "yes-no" questions (Are you hungry?)
- understands simple phrases ("in the cup," "on the table")
- enjoys being read to
- points to pictures when asked
24 to 36 months
- understands "not now" and "no more"
- chooses things by size (big, little)
- follows two step commands, such as "get your shoes and come here"
- understands many action words (run, jump)
