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The first few months of life are extremely important for the development of language and communication. Difficulty hearing will drastically decrease a child's understanding of the world. It will also affect the child's ability to learn, speak, and develop thinking and social skills. Pay attention to the way your child responds to your voice and other noises. There are many different warning signs that your child may be hearing impaired.

• Your child does not react (looking startled, jumping) to loud or sudden noise.
• Your child sleeps through loud noises.
  
• Your child does not turn head in the direction of your voice.
  
• Your child does not imitate words freely.
  
• Your child is frequently inattentive.
  
• Your child has difficulty learning.
  
• Your child suffers from frequent ear infections.
• You have to raise your voice to get your child's attention.
  
• Your child sometimes hears noises and sometimes does not.
  
• Your child turns her head so that one ear is in the direction of the sound.
  

Warning signs that your 3 to 5-year-old child's hearing may be impaired include:

• Your child watches the speaker's face carefully when listening.
• Your child has a history of ear infections.
• Your child frequently says "huh?" or "what?" when someone is talking.
• Your child talks in either a very soft or a very loud voice.
• Your child often confuses like sounds.
• Your child is lagging behind significantly in communication and language skills.
• Your child frequently asks you to repeat what you just said or misunderstands your questions.