●  The auditory system structures start to develop at 8-9 weeks of gestation

●  By 16-18 weeks of gestation, the auditory system starts functioning and the fetus starts hearing sounds

●  The structural parts of the auditory system develop in the first 20 weeks of gestation and the neurosensory part develops after the 20th week of gestation.

●  The period from the 25th week of gestation to 5-6 months age is the most critical period for developing auditory systems.

●  Unlike the visual system, the auditory system requires outside auditory stimulation like speech, music, voices, meaningful sounds for optimal development.

● Babies’ hearing is fully functional from birth. It is very important to know what to expect as a baby grows because hearing problems can go unnoticed for a long period of time and can cause a significant delay in the develop

Absolute Red Flags in the Development of Hearing, speech, and language need immediate attention.

●  No response to sound at any age

● No vocalisation by 6 months

● No polysyllabic babbling by 12 months

● No spontaneous single words by 18 months

● No spontaneous phrases by 24 months

● No spontaneous sentences by 36 months

● Any loss of babbling, single words or phrases at any age

● Any loss of comprehension, including responding to name, at any age.

●  Poor voice quality at any age

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