Speech Language and Hearing Expectations for Children with Hearing Loss

Your child needs to wear his or her cochlear implant(s)/hearing technology all waking hours. A typically hearing baby listens for 10 waking hours a day, 365 days a year. A typically hearing toddler listens for 12 hours a day 365 days a year. This is vital for your child to access language and to make adequate progress.

1 Month Hearing Age

  • Head turn as a physical response to sound (Speech/environmental ex: microwave, car horn, etc.)
  • Detection of ling 6 sounds (ah, oo, mm,ee, sh, ss)

3 Months Hearing Age

  • Imitate 3 of 6 Ling sounds
  • Pattern perception (long versus short, etc.)
  • Recognize intensity and pitch ( loud/soft, high/low)
  • Imitate 3 to 5 Learning to Listen sounds ( ex: meow, vroom vroom)
  • Start to teach conditioned play (“listen and drop”)

6 Months Hearing Age

  • Complete comprehensive speech, language and hearing evaluation (Celf-P 2, GFTA, ROWEVT, Auditory Placement Test, etc.)
  • Distinguish between consonants and vowels
  • Pattern perception for 1,2,3 syllable words
  • Identify at least 1 to 2 nursery rhymes with accompanying hand motions ( Wheels on the bus, Itsy Bitsy Spider)
  • Comprehend 3 to 5 familiar phrases ( ex: sit down)

9 Months Hearing Age

  • Identify at least 1 critical element in a message (Get the ball, Show me the cat, etc.)
  • Imitate 10-15 Learning to Listen sounds
  • Identify familiar Learning to Listen sounds by sound (ex: moo, meow, etc.)
  • Identify familiar nursery rhymes by picture pointing from a closed set
  • Imitate variety of consonants by manner( b,p,m,n,h,w)

12 Months Hearing Age

  • First spoken words (approximately 10)
  • Imitation of animal sounds ( expand imitation of Learning to Listen sounds)
  • Identify 3 to 5 body parts
  • Label familiar objects (ball, car, etc.)
  • Identify familiar pictures in a book by pointing
  • Identify early developing prepositions (on, in, etc.)

18+ Months Hearing Age

  • Advanced vocabulary development
  • Advanced spoken words
  • Readily uses power words and familiar phrases (help me, etc.)
  • Answers “WH” questions (Why? When? Where?)
  • Identifies 2+ critical elements in a message (Get the ball and the car.)

Complete Speech/Language re-evaluation completed every 6-12 months to monitor progress while child is enrolled in speech therapy. Annual Speech/Language evaluation thereafter. Minimally, evaluations scheduled at transition points - entering elementary school, middle school, high school, and post-secondary schooling.

Progress and prognosis are affected by age of identification, early intervention, type and degree of hearing loss, other contributing disabilities, cognition, communication choice, family involvement, etc.