Why is Communicating so Important for Children?
Newborns start to learn to about the world and communicate during the first months of life as they interact with their parents using all of their senses. When babies hear their parents speak and sing, they start to learn spoken language. When babies hear everyday sounds, their hearing system develops as one way to continue to learn about the world. By about 3 months of age, these babies will usually smile when spoken to. By 6 months of age, they will begin to babble and imitate simple sounds. By one year, most will say their first word.
A young child who does not hear well can communicate, learn and thrive too! However, it is important that we know about hearing ability as soon as possible so we can be sure every child has opportunities to learn to communicate and interact with the world they are rapidly learning about.