(HealthDay News) -- Children, especially the very young, aren't always able to verbalize when something's wrong. Hearing loss, which can affect a person for life, is no exception.

The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders says warning signs of hearing loss among young children could include:

• Among infants, the child fails to respond to his or her name or loud noises, and does not try to imitate sounds.
• By age 2, the child doesn't make playful sounds or imitate your voice.
• Among toddlers, the child doesn't participate in games such as pat-a-cake or peek-a-boo, or use sentences at least two words in length.
• By age 3, the child doesn't respond to simple directions or phrases such as "not now" or "no more."