Baby’s Hearing and Communicative Development Checklist

Last updated: February 8, 2026Reviewed date: February 8, 2026Reading time: 5 min read
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Baby's Hearing and Communicative Development Checklist

Article Summary

Some babies are born with hearing problems. Other children are born with normal hearing and begin to have hearing problems as they grow older. It’s important to know what to expect as your baby grows because hearing problems can delay the development of voice, speech, and language skills. The checklist below presents the average age by which most babies accomplish a variety of early speech...

Key Takeaways

  • This article explains Talk to your doctor in simple medical language.
  • This article explains Your baby’s hearing and communicative development checklist in simple medical language.
Educational health guideWritten for patient understanding and clinical awareness.
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Emergency safety firstUrgent warning signs are highlighted below.

Seek urgent medical care if you notice

These warning signs are general safety guidance. Local emergency numbers and clinical judgment should always come first.

  • Severe symptoms, breathing difficulty, fainting, confusion, or rapidly worsening illness.
  • New weakness, severe pain, high fever, or symptoms after a serious injury.
  • Any symptom that feels urgent, unusual, or unsafe for the patient.
1

Emergency now

Use emergency care for severe, sudden, rapidly worsening, or life-threatening symptoms.

2

See a doctor

Book a professional medical evaluation if symptoms persist, worsen, recur often, affect daily activities, or occur in a high-risk patient.

3

Learn safely

Use this article to understand possible causes, tests, treatment options, prevention, and questions to ask your clinician.

Some babies are born with hearing problems. Other children are born with normal hearing and begin to have hearing problems as they grow older.

It’s important to know what to expect as your baby grows because hearing problems can delay the development of voice, speech, and language skills. The checklist below presents the average age by which most babies accomplish a variety of early speech and language skills. Typically, a child may not accomplish all the items in an age category until he or she reaches the upper age in the age range.

Find your child’s age range in the checklist. Check “yes” or “no” for each item. After you complete the checklist if any of the items are checked “no,” show it to your child’s doctor. Tell the doctor if you think your child has trouble hearing.

Talk to your doctor

If you think your child may have a hearing problem, here are some things that your doctor might ask you about:

  • Do others in the family, including brothers or sisters, have a hearing problem?
  • Did the child’s mother have medical problems in pregnancy or delivery (experienced a serious illness or injury or needed drugs or medications)?
  • Was the child born early?
  • How much did the child weigh at birth?
  • Did the child have physical problems at birth?
  • Does the child rub or pull on his or her ear(s) often?
  • Has the child ever had scarlet fever?
  • Has the child ever had meningitis?
  • How many ear infections has the child had in the past year?
  • How often does the child have colds, allergic symptoms, or ear infections?

Some words the doctor may use are:

  • Audiogram: a chart that shows how well you can hear.
  • Audiologist: a person who tests and measures hearing.
  • Earache: pain deep inside the ear.
  • Otitis media: middle ear infection.
  • Otolaryngologist: a doctor who treats diseases and problems of the ear, nose, and throat.
  • Otologist: a doctor who treats diseases of the ear.
  • Pediatrician: a doctor who takes care of infants and children and who treats their diseases.
  • Speech-language pathologist: a health professional trained to evaluate and treat people with speech or language disorders.

What are voice, speech, and language?

Voice, speech, and language are the tools we use to communicate with each other.

Voice is the sound we make as air from our lungs is pushed between vocal folds in our larynx, causing them to vibrate.

Speech is talking, which is one way to express language. It involves the precisely coordinated muscle actions of the tongue, lips, jaw, and vocal tract to produce the recognizable sounds that makeup language.

Language is a set of shared rules that allow people to express their ideas in a meaningful way. Language may be expressed verbally or by writing, signing, or making other gestures, such as eye blinking or mouth movements.

Your baby’s hearing and communicative development checklist

Birth to 3 Months

Reacts to loud sounds

  
Calms down or smiles when spoken to

  
Recognizes your voice and calms down if crying

  
When feeding, starts or stops sucking in response to sound

  
Coos and makes pleasure sounds

  
Has a special way of crying for different needs

  
Smiles when he or she sees you

  

4 to 6 Months

Follows sounds with his or her eyes

  
Responds to changes in the tone of your voice

  
Notices toys that make sounds

  
Pays attention to music

  
Babbles in a speech-like way and uses many different sounds, including sounds that begin with p, b, and m

  
Laughs

  
Babbles when excited or unhappy

  
Makes gurgling sounds when alone or playing
with you

  

7 Months to 1 Year

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

  
Turns and looks in the direction of sounds

  
Listens when spoken to

  
Understands words for common items such as “cup,” “shoe,” or “juice”

  
Responds to requests (“Come here”)

  
Babbles using long and short groups of sounds (“tata, upup, bibibi”)

  
Babbles to get and keep attention

  
Communicates using gestures such as waving or holding up arms

  
Imitates different speech sounds

  
Has one or two words (“Hi,” “dog,” “Dada,” or “Mama”) by the first birthday

  

1 to 2 Years

Knows a few parts of the body and can point to them when asked

  
Follows simple commands (“Roll the ball”) and understands simple questions (“Where’s your shoe?”)

  
Enjoys simple stories, songs, and rhymes

  
Points to pictures, when named, in books

  
Acquires new words regularly

  
Uses some one- or two-word questions (“Where kitty?” or “Go bye-bye?”)

  
Puts two words together (“More cookie”)

  
Uses many different consonant sounds at the beginning of words

  

2 to 3 Years

Has a word for almost everything

  
Uses two- or three-word phrases to talk about and ask for things

  
Uses k, g, f, t, d, and n sounds

  
Speaks in a way that is understood by family members and friends

  
Names object to ask for them or to direct attention to them

  

3 to 4 Years

Hears you when you call from another room

  
Hears the television or radio at the same sound level as other
family members

  
Answers simple “Who?” “What?” “Where?” and “Why?” questions

  
Talks about activities at daycare, preschool, or friends’ homes

  
Uses sentences with four or more words

  
Speaks easily without having to repeat syllables or words

  

4 to 5 Years

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

  
Hears and understands most of what is said at home and in school

  
Uses sentences that give many details

  
Tells stories that stay on topic

  
Communicates easily with other children and adults

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

  
Uses rhyming words

  
Names some letters and numbers

  
Uses adult grammar

  

This checklist is based on How Does Your Child Hear and Talk?, courtesy of the American Speech–Language–Hearing Association.

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Hi, I am RX Symptom Navigator. I can help you understand what to read next and what warning signs need care.
Warning: Do not use this in emergencies, pregnancy, severe illness, or as a substitute for a doctor. For children or teens, use with a parent/guardian and clinician.
A rural-friendly guide: warning signs, when to see a doctor, related articles, tests to discuss, and OTC safety education.
1 Symptom 2 Severity 3 Safe guidance
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Start here: Write or select a symptom. The guide will show warning signs, doctor guidance, diagnostic tests to discuss, OTC safety education, and related RX articles.

Important: This tool is educational only. It cannot diagnose, treat, or replace a doctor. OTC information is not a prescription. In an emergency, contact local emergency services or go to the nearest hospital.

Doctor visit helper

Prepare before seeing a doctor

A simple rural-patient checklist to help you explain symptoms clearly, ask better questions, and avoid unsafe self-treatment.

Safety note: This is not a prescription or diagnosis. For severe symptoms, pregnancy danger signs, children with serious illness, chest pain, breathing difficulty, stroke-like weakness, or major injury, seek urgent care.

Which doctor may help?

Start with a registered doctor or the nearest qualified health center.

What to tell the doctor

  • Write when the problem started and how it changed.
  • Bring old prescriptions, investigation reports, and current medicines.
  • Write allergies, pregnancy status, diabetes, kidney/liver disease, and major past illnesses.
  • Bring one family member if the patient is weak, elderly, confused, or a child.

Questions to ask

  • What is the most likely cause of my symptoms?
  • Which danger signs mean I should go to hospital quickly?
  • Which tests are necessary now, and which can wait?
  • How should I take medicines safely and what side effects should I watch for?
  • When should I come for follow-up?

Tests to discuss

  • Vital signs: temperature, pulse, blood pressure, oxygen saturation
  • Basic physical examination by a clinician
  • CBC, urine test, blood sugar, or imaging only when clinically needed

Avoid these mistakes

  • Do not use antibiotics, steroid tablets/injections, or strong painkillers without proper medical advice.
  • Do not hide pregnancy, kidney disease, ulcer, allergy, or blood thinner use.
  • Do not delay emergency care when danger signs are present.

Medicine safety and first-aid guide

This section is for patient education only. It does not replace a doctor, pharmacist, or emergency care.

Safe first steps

  • Drink safe fluids and monitor temperature.
  • In dengue-prone areas, discuss CBC and platelet count when fever persists or warning signs appear.
  • Use tepid sponging for high fever discomfort; avoid ice-cold bathing.

OTC medicine safety

  • For fever, common fever medicine may be discussed with a clinician or pharmacist.
  • Avoid aspirin/ibuprofen-like medicines in suspected dengue unless a doctor says it is safe.

Avoid these mistakes

  • Do not start antibiotics without a proper medical decision.
  • Do not use steroid tablets or injections casually for quick relief.
  • Do not delay emergency care because of home remedies.

Get urgent help if

  • Fever with breathing difficulty, confusion, repeated vomiting, bleeding, severe weakness, stiff neck, or dehydration needs urgent care.
Medicine names, dose, and timing must be decided by a qualified clinician or pharmacist after checking age, pregnancy, allergy, other diseases, and current medicines.

For rural patients and family caregivers

Patient health record and symptom diary

Write your symptoms, medicines already taken, test results, and questions before visiting a doctor. This note stays on your device unless you print or copy it.

Doctor to discuss: Medicine doctor / pediatrician for children / qualified clinician
Tests to discuss with doctor
  • Temperature chart and hydration assessment
  • CBC with platelet count if fever persists or dengue/other infection is possible
  • Urine test, malaria/dengue tests, chest evaluation, or blood culture only when clinically indicated
Questions to ask
  • What is the most likely cause of my symptoms?
  • Which warning signs mean I should go to emergency care?
  • Which tests are really needed now?
  • Which medicines are safe for my age, pregnancy status, allergy, kidney/liver/stomach condition, and current medicines?
  • Do I need antibiotics, or is this more likely viral?

Emergency warning signs such as chest pain, severe breathing difficulty, sudden weakness, confusion, severe dehydration, major injury, or loss of bladder/bowel control need urgent medical care. Do not wait for online information.

Safe pathway to proper treatment

Fever care roadmap

Use this simple roadmap to understand the next safe steps. It is educational and does not replace examination by a doctor.

Go to emergency care if you notice:
  • Very drowsy/confused, severe breathing difficulty, stiff neck, seizure, severe dehydration, or persistent vomiting
  • Bleeding, severe abdominal pain, very low urine, or dengue warning signs during fever season
Doctor / service to discuss: Medicine doctor, pediatrician for children, or qualified clinician.
  1. Step 1

    Check danger signs first

    If danger signs are present, seek emergency care and do not wait for online information.

  2. Step 2

    Record the symptom story

    Write when symptoms started, severity, medicines already taken, allergies, pregnancy status, and test results.

  3. Step 3

    Visit a qualified clinician

    A doctor, nurse, or qualified healthcare provider can examine you and decide which tests or treatment are needed.

  4. Step 4

    Do only useful tests

    Discuss temperature chart, hydration, CBC with platelet count when needed, urine test, dengue/malaria testing, or other tests based on local disease risk and examination.

  5. Step 5

    Follow up and return early if worse

    If symptoms worsen, new warning signs appear, or treatment is not helping, return for review quickly.

Rural patient practical tips
  • Take a written symptom diary and all previous prescriptions/test reports.
  • Do not hide medicines already taken, even herbal or over-the-counter medicines.
  • Ask which warning signs mean urgent referral to hospital.
  • Do not start antibiotics blindly for every fever; many fevers are viral and need correct assessment.

This roadmap is for education. A real diagnosis and treatment plan requires history, examination, and clinical judgment.

RX Patient Help

Ask a health question safely

Write your symptom story. A health professional or site editor can review it before any answer is prepared. This box is not for emergency care.

Emergency first: Severe chest pain, breathing trouble, unconsciousness, stroke signs, severe injury, heavy bleeding, or rapidly worsening symptoms need urgent local medical care now.

Frequently Asked Questions

Talk to your doctorIf you think your child may have a hearing problem, here are some things that your doctor might ask you about:Do others in the family, including brothers or sisters, have a hearing problem? Did the child’s mother have medical problems in pregnancy or delivery (experienced a serious illness or injury or needed drugs or medications)? Was the child born early? How much did the child weigh at birth? Did the child have physical problems at birth? Does the child rub or pull on his or her ear(s) often? Has the child ever had scarlet fever? Has the child ever had meningitis? How many ear infections has the child had in the past year? How often does the child have colds, allergic symptoms, or ear infections?Some words the doctor may use are:Audiogram: a chart that shows how well you can hear. Audiologist: a person who tests and measures hearing. Earache: pain deep inside the ear. Otitis media: middle ear infection. Otolaryngologist: a doctor who treats diseases and problems of the ear, nose, and throat. Otologist: a doctor who treats diseases of the ear. Pediatrician: a doctor who takes care of infants and children and who treats their diseases. Speech-language pathologist: a health professional trained to evaluate and treat people with speech or language disorders.What are voice, speech, and language?

Voice, speech, and language are the tools we use to communicate with each other. Voice is the sound we make as air from our lungs is pushed between vocal folds in our larynx, causing them to vibrate. Speech is talking, which is one way to express language. It involves the precisely coordinated muscle actions of the tongue, lips, jaw, and vocal tract to produce the recognizable sounds that makeup language. Language is a set of shared rules that allow people to express…

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