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Family & Caregivers

Language and Hearing Milestones

Birth to 3 Months

  • Quiets when spoken to.
  • Changes sucking behavior in response to sound.
  • Startles when there is a sudden, loud sound.
  • Makes vowel sounds like “ooh” or “ahh”.
  • Begins to squeal, coo, smile, and gurgle.

3-6 Months

  • Looks for sounds with eyes.
  • Enjoys toys that make noise.
  • Laughs.
  • Begins to babble by making sounds like “baba”, “gaga”, “mama”, or “dada”.
  • Vocalizes excitement and disapproval.

6-9 Months

  • Moves eyes and head in the direction of quiet and loud sounds.
  • Enjoys games like peek-a-boo and pat-a-cake.
  • Uses non-crying sounds to get and keep someone’s attention.
  • Imitates different sounds they hear.
  • Understands “no-no” or “bye-bye”.
  • Makes babbling sounds even when alone.

9-12 Months

  • Responds to their name being called.
  • Changes their voice to go up and down in pitch when babbling.
  • Responds to music by bouncing or making sounds in response.
  • Correctly uses 1 or 2 words (bye-bye).
  • Correctly uses mama and dada.

12-18 Months

  • Begins to say consonants in speech like m, n, p, b, d, w, h.
  • Learns new words each week and can understand many words.
  • Begins to develop a vocabulary of 10-20 meaningful words mixed with jargon.
  • Understands simple yes-no questions or “not now” and “no more”.
  • Points to body parts when asked.

18-24 Months

  • Follows simple commands and understands simple questions.
  • Uses two-word phrases that are somewhat understandable such as “where kitty?” or “more cookie”.
  • Vocabulary of more than 20 words, with more words each month (has a word for most objects.)
  • Points to pictures in a book when named.
  • Listens with interest to songs, rhymes, and stories.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • The hospital said my baby “referred” on the newborn hearing screening, what does “refer” mean?

    Refer means that your baby did NOT pass the newborn hearing screen. It does not mean your child definitely has a hearing loss, but it does mean that additional testing is critical to determine what your baby’s hearing status is. The follow up hearing test should be completed by 3 months of age or sedation may be required to complete the test. The hospital should have referred you directly to an audiologist in your area who is equipped and experienced in testing the hearing of babies. There is a list of audiologists in the state who can provide hearing tests on babies on our website www.hearing.in.gov (list is labeled “Comprehensive and Limited Audiology Provider Facilities”)

  • What is an audiologist?

    An audiologist is a licensed health care provider (with a doctorate or master’s degree) who has the education, training and specialized equipment to test and diagnose hearing loss and make necessary recommendations for follow up. Not every audiologist is equipped and experienced to provide hearing tests on infants. Please find a list of audiology providers throughout the state of Indiana who can complete audiology testing on babies and children on our website at www.hearing.in.gov. The list of audiologists is listed under "FAMILY RESOURCES” and is labeled “Comprehensive and Limited Audiology Provider Facilities”.

  • My baby reacts to loud sounds, does he/she still need testing?

    Hearing isn’t “all or none”. There are different levels of hearing loss. Even if your baby can hear loud sounds or your voice when you are close, he/she may not be able to hear soft or medium level sounds or speech. Sounds in our speech have different loudness levels. A child with hearing loss may only hear parts of words (i.e. they may only hear “a” in a word like “sat”). An audiology exam (hearing test) should be completed by the time your baby is three months of age.

  • Is hearing loss and deafness common?

    Hearing loss is one of the most common conditions that can be identified at birth and is present in 1-3 babies per thousand. There are also risk factors that put a child at risk for developing hearing loss later in childhood. Ninety percent of children who are born as deaf or hard of hearing are born into families where no one else is deaf or hard of hearing, so it is important to have your baby tested even if there is no family history.

  • My baby can’t talk yet, so there isn’t a rush to see if he has hearing loss. Can we just test again later if we notice anything?

    Even though children don’t start using their first words until closer to 12 months, they do LISTEN from the moment they are born. These early months of listening are critical for development of brain function and development of speech and language skills. For example, they may hear you say “mama”, “dada” or “bye-bye” hundreds of times before they actually say it. Hearing words over and over again is how they learn to say them. The earlier the hearing loss is found in an infant, the earlier he/she can start receiving services to improve speech, language and learning.

  • I don’t have insurance. How will I pay for the hearing test? How much does it cost?

    Medicaid and most private health insurance plans cover the costs of the hearing test and any resulting testing until the infant is 24 months of age. You should confirm the cost of the evaluation with the provider when you schedule. There are also some locations in Indiana who provide testing at no charge or on a sliding scale. There is a list of audiology providers in Indiana who can test babies after newborn hearing screening listed on our website at www.hearing.in.gov.

  • Will the test still be accurate if my baby has fluid in his/her ears?

    Yes, the test can still be completed. Special testing will determine if the hearing loss is from the fluid or if there is a permanent hearing loss. Your baby may need repeat testing to determine his/her hearing after fluid is resolved and also to make sure the fluid is gone.

  • If my baby passed in one ear, does he/she still need testing?

    Absolutely! Hearing loss in one ear does impact speech, language and learning. This becomes even more apparent in groups or noisy situations. It impacts a child’s ability to tell what direction sounds are coming from, so knowing if a child has a loss in one ear is a safety issue as well. Also, hearing loss in one ear puts a child at risk for developing a loss in the other ear so it is important to monitor hearing levels in both ears.

    The Early Hearing Detection and Intervention program (EHDI) at the Indiana State Department of Health is committed to the state and national goals of “1-3-6”. EHDI is tasked with making sure that every baby born in Indiana receives a hearing screening by 1 month of age, if they don’t pass newborn hearing screening, receive a diagnostic audiology exam by 3 months of age, and if identified as deaf or hard of hearing, enrolled in early intervention services by 6 months of age.

    Our staff is able to support and help parents and health care providers throughout the process of newborn hearing screening and follow up services. Please contact one of our parent consultants for any questions regarding newborn hearing screening or follow up services.

Audiology Facilities That Test Infants

This list was compiled from a survey sent to audiologists by the Indiana Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Program (EHDI) to help families and professionals in finding diagnostic audiology testing for infants. The facilities were ranked by equipment available for infant audiologic testing as recommended by the Joint Committee on Infant Hearing (JCIH) and the National Center for Hearing Assessment and Management (NCHAM) and reported by survey responses. Comprehensive (formerly Level 1) facilities have the recommended equipment to provide comprehensive diagnostic audiology services for newborns after they do not pass newborn hearing screenings. Limited (formerly Level 2) facilities also provide diagnostic assessment but are without one piece of the recommended equipment and therefore provide limited diagnostic audiology services.

**Facilities that provide sedated ABR testing.

Note: Blue shading indicates a county with at least one audiology facility. Gray shading indicates no audiology facilities present.

County Name Here

Parkview Pediatric Rehabilitation (Comprehensive)
3439 Hobson Road
Fort Wayne, IN 46805
phone: (260) 373-7925
fax: (260) 373-7929

Ear, Nose, & Throat Associates ** (Comprehensive)
The Hearing Center
10021 Dupont Circle Ct.
Fort Wayne, IN 46825
phone: (260) 459-6924
fax: (260) 416-0347

Give Hear (Comprehensive)
130 W Main Street, Ste. 150
Fort Wayne, IN 46802
phone: (260) 602-3276
fax: (260) 444-3656

Columbus Regional Health (Comprehensive)
3015 10th St. Suite B
Columbus, IN 47201
phone: (812) 376-5373 Opt. 2
fax: (812) 375-3702

Witham Health Services (Comprehensive)
Frankfort and Crawfordsville
2705 N. Lebanon St. Suite 355
North Pavilion, Entrance B
Lebanon, IN 46052
phone: (765) 485-8687
fax: (765) 485-8689

Memorial Logansport Hospital (Limited)
Memorial Hospital - Logansport Surgical Services
105 Michigan Ave., Suite 125
Logansport, IN 46947
phone: (574) 753-2222
fax: (574) 753-0522

Flex Audiology (Comprehensive)
401 W Eads Pkwy Suite 410
Lawrenceburg, IN 47025
phone: (812) 532-3011
fax: (812) 650-7550

Decatur Co. Memorial Hospital (Limited)
720 N. Lincoln St.
Greensburg, IN 47240
phone: (812) 663-1119
fax: (812) 663-1324

Ball State University Audiology Clinic (Comprehensive)
1613 W Riverside Ave HPB 254
Muncie, IN 47306
phone: (765) 285-8160
fax: (765) 285-5623

The Hearing Doctor, LLC (Comprehensive)
671 3rd Ave. A2
Jasper, IN 47546
phone: (812) 482-9444
fax: (812) 671-9694

Memorial Audiology Services (Comprehensive)
721 West 13th Street Suite 222
Jasper, IN 47546
phone: (812) 996-0227
fax: (812) 996-0142

Give Hear (Comprehensive)
808 N 3rd St
Goshen, IN 46528
phone: (260) 602-3276
fax: (260) 444-3656

Elkhart Clinic (Limited)
303 S. Nappanee St.
Elkhart, IN 46514
phone: (574) 296-3291
fax: (574) 296-3383

Family Hearing Center, Inc. (Limited)
2134 College Ave.
Goshen, IN 46528
phone: (574) 533-2222
fax: (574) 533-6868

Doctors Hearing Care (Limited)
3211 Grant Line Rd, Ste 37
New Albany, IN 47150
phone: (812) 949-3272
fax: (812) 949-3271

Ascension Fishers Hospital Rehab** (Comprehensive)
13914 Southeastern Parkway, Suite 206
Fishers, IN 46037
phone: (317) 415-9260
fax: (317) 415-9264

Ascension Rehabilitation Clinic ** (Comprehensive)
14828 Greyhound Court, Suite 150
Carmel, IN 46032
phone: (317) 582-9029
fax: (317) 582-9037

Ascension Rehabilitation Clinic ** (Comprehensive)
13430 N Meridian St. 
Carmel, IN 46032
phone: (317) 582-9029
fax: (317) 582-9037

Hendricks Regional Health -ENT (Limited)
100 Hospital Lane Suite 220
Danville, IN 46122
phone: (317) 745-3758
fax: (317) 745-3749

Community Hospital at Sandridge Professional Center (Comprehensive)
9046 A Columbia Ave
Munster, IN 46321
phone: (219) 703-2460
fax: (219) 703-6776

Community Hospital (Comprehensive)
St. John Outpatient Center
9660 Wicker Ave
2nd Floor
St. John, IN 46373
phone: (219) 703-2460
fax: (219) 703-6776

St. Catherine Hospital** (Comprehensive)
4321 Fir Street
2nd Floor
East Chicago, IN 46312
phone: (219) 703-2460
fax: (219) 703-6776

Franciscan Health-Dyer (Comprehensive)
24 Joliet Street
Dyer, IN 46311
phone: (219) 864-2004
fax: (219) 864-2217

St Mary's Hospital Audiology (Comprehensive)
1500 South Lake Park Ave., Suite 404
Hobart, IN 46342
phone: (219)703-2460
fax: (219) 703-6951

Franciscan Physicians Network Family Wellness Audiology (Limited)
9800 Valparaiso Dr.
Munster, IN 46321
phone: (219) 934-9845
fax: (219) 934-9846

Franciscan Physician Network** (Comprehensive)
Coolspring Health Center
1225 E. Coolspring Ave.
Michigan City, IN 46360
phone: (219) 873-2992
fax: (219) 878-5052

Advanced Hearing Care (Comprehensive)
1827 N Madison Ave, Suite C
Anderson, IN 46011
phone: (765) 608-3277
fax: (765) 608-3278

Ascension Anderson (Limited)
2101 Jackson St. Suite 116
Anderson, IN 46016
phone: (765) 646-8172
fax: (765) 646-8412

Hear Indiana (Comprehensive)
4740 Kingsway Dr. Suite 33
Indianapolis, IN 46205
phone: (317) 828-0211
fax: (888) 887-0932

Balance Point ** (Comprehensive)
5255 East Stop 11 Rd
Suite 405
Indianapolis, IN 46237
phone: (317) 807-0744
fax: (317) 807-1359

Riley Hospital IU Health ** (Comprehensive)
705 Riley Hospital Dr. Ste 0860
Indianapolis, IN 46202
phone: (317) 962-9830
fax: (317) 962-9834

Pediatric Ear, Nose, & Throat Clinic ** (Comprehensive)
Peyton Manning Children's Hospital
8402 Harcourt Rd. Suite 400
Indianapolis, IN 46260
phone: (317) 338-6815
fax: (317) 338-6582

Riley Hospital IU Health** (Comprehensive)
3660 Guion Rd. Suite 100
Indianapolis, IN 46222
phone: (317) 962-9830
fax: (317) 962-9834

Family Hearing Center, Inc. (Limited)
123 N. Center St.
Bremen, IN 46506
phone: (574) 533-2222
fax: (574) 533-6868

Indiana University Hearing Clinic (Comprehensive)
2631 East Discovery Parkway
Bloomington, IN 47408
phone: (812) 855-7439
fax: (866) 981-1874

Northwest Medical Group Audiology (Comprehensive)
650 Dickinson Road
Chesterton, IN 46304
phone: (219)531-0355
fax: (219) 531-2855

Beacon Medical Group (Comprehensive)
ENT & Audiology- South Bend
100 Navarre Place Suite 4460
South Bend, IN 46601
phone: (574) 235-1010
fax: (574) 232-2064

Purdue University (Comprehensive)
715 Clinic Dr.
Lyles-Porter Hall
West Lafayette, IN 47907
phone: (765) 494-4229
fax: (765) 494-0771

Indiana University Health Arnett (Limited)
2600 Greenbush St.
Lafayette, IN 47904
phone: (765) 838-7580
fax: (765) 448-7625

Easter Seals Rehabilitation Ctr. (Comprehensive)
3701 Bellemeade Ave.
Evansville, IN 47714
phone: (812) 479-1411
fax: (812) 437-2636

UMG Clinic (Comprehensive)
Audiology Department
1429 N 6th St.
Terre Haute, IN 47807
phone: (812) 234-3788
fax: (812) 231-4742

Hometown Hearing and Audiology (Comprehensive)
225 E. Main St.
North Manchester, IN 46962
phone: (260) 306-3444
fax: (260) 306-3777

Reid Hearing Center (Comprehensive)
1434 Chester Blvd
Richmond, IN 47374
phone: (765) 935-4477
fax: (765) 939-0007

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