what can your child hear? 57
Check for speech sounds a baby or child can hear
In a speech test, instead of shaking a can to make a sound, the tester
makes the sounds using his voice.
In this test you will use simple sounds.
1. The sound ‘m-m-m-m-m’ (humming) (low-pitch sound).
2. The sound ‘oo-oo-oo-oo’ (‘oo’ as in ‘boot’) (middle-pitch sound).
3. The sound ‘s-s-s-s-s’ (hissing) (high-pitch sound).
The soft sound should be as quiet as possible. Ask a person with normal
hearing to listen to you and tell you if she can hear the sound when you
say it softly.
Sssssss.
The test is done in the same way as the loudness
and pitch test. You start with the lowest pitch
‘m-m-m-m’, making the sound softly for 3 to 4
seconds behind the child’s left ear. Continue
in the same way — softer to louder, left ear
then right ear, lower pitch to higher pitch. Be
careful not to increase pitch as you increase the
loudness.
Children can help too
Children can also play an important role in helping to check the hearing
of brothers, sisters, and other children in the community.
How to check babies 4 months and older
• Make a rattle from a can or gourd with small
stones inside. A child can creep up quietly
behind the baby. Make sure the baby does
not see you first. Shake the rattle behind
her head, first on one side and then the
other. See if she is surprised.
• Call the baby’s name from different
places in the room. See if she
responds in any way.
Salima!
Helping Children Who Are Deaf (2004)