Health Tip: Recognizing Hearing Loss in Infants

(HealthDay News) -- If an infant has hearing loss, it can affect the child's ability to develop speech, language and social skills, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.

An infant's first hearing screening is recommended typically within the first month of life.

Even if the child passes the initial screening, the CDC recommends watching for signs of hearing loss. These signs may include:

  • The child does not startle at loud noise.
  • The child does not turn to the source of a sound at 6 months of age or later.
  • The child does not say single words, such as "dada" or "mama," by age 1 year.
  • The child turns the head when he or she sees you, but doesn't if you only call his or her name.
  • The child seems to hear some sounds, but not others.

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