Healthy Child Fall/Winter 2003 - Saint Barnabas Medical Center

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Healthy Child Fall/Winter 2003

Identifying Speech And Hearing Problems In Infants

Lisa Barsky, Ph.D.
DIRECTOR OF THE SAINT BARNABAS SPEECH AND HEARING CENTER

Should you be concerned if your baby’s babbling does not quickly turn into words? Does your baby have a hearing problem if she does not consistently turn to look when you call her name?

Hearing Problem in Kids These are some behaviors to be aware of as you enjoy watching your baby grow and develop:

From birth

Hearing: Infants should listen to speech; startle or cry at noise; and wake up if there is a loud sound in the room.

Speech: Baby should make pleasure sounds.

By three months:

Hearing: Children should turn to you when you speak, smile when spoken to, recognize your voice and quiet down when he or she hears you.

Speech: Baby should repeat the same “cooing” sounds often and cry differently for different reasons.

Between four and six months:

Hearing: Child should react to the command “no” or changes in your tone; look for the origin of new sounds such as a doorbell or cell phone; and should be aware of toys that make sound or play music.

Speech: Child should make babbling sounds or gurgling sounds at play and alert a caretaker of his or her wants through sound or gesture.

Between seven months and one year:

Hearing: He or she should respond to the sound of his/her name and recognize common words such as “juice” or “cup.”

Speech: Your child should be babbling with both long and short groups of sounds, using speech or non-crying sounds to obtain attention, imitating different speech noises, possibly using one or two words (which may not be clear) such as “mama” or “dada.”

Slight deviations do not necessarily mean that your child has a problem. If you are concerned, have your child evaluated by an audiologist or speech/language pathologist. Early identification and treatment of hearing and speech disorders are important to provide your child with the skills he/she needs to develop normal speech, language and hearing skills. These are the foundation for learning.

For further information, please call Lisa Barky, Ph.D., Director of the Speech and Hearing Center at the Saint Barnabas Ambulatory Care Center, at
(973) 322-7102.

NEW PARENT “GET-TOGETHERS” OFFERED

The FOCUS Parenting Center, in conjunction with the Medical Center, is now offering “New Parent Get-Togethers.” The get-togethers are designed for parents and their babies up to 12 months of age. Each session, lead by pediatrician and parent educator Dr. Ruth Frank, features a different a topic.

Topic schedule:
Nov. 6, Traveling with Your Baby;
Nov. 13, Parents and Caregivers;
Nov. 20, Transitioning to Solid Food;
Dec. 4, Grandparents;
Dec. 11, Parenting and Other Work.

Get-togethers will be held on Thursday mornings from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. in the Pediatric Conference Room at the Ambulatory Care Center. A $10 fee will be charged per session and is payable at the door. Free babysitting is available on-site for older siblings by pre-arrangement.

For more information, please call Women’s Health Education at
(973) 322-5360.

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