“I heard that!”

Children learn to talk through listening, and detection is first in the hierarchy of auditory skills. Detection is the ability to determine when sound is present or absent. There are many sounds outside we can capitalize on when it comes to building a child’s auditory skills. For a new listener, it is easier to detect louder nearby sounds than softer sounds. Think of “nearby” as around the length of a yard stick. Let’s discuss some ways we can take advantage of these environmental sounds to build a child’s listening skills. 

1. Name the sound: Point to your ear and say, “I heard the dog! Woof! Woof!” Remember to always name the sound source. This will help develop your child’s vocabulary. If you can see where the sound is coming from, point it out. This will help the child begin to localize sound.  
2. Observe the child: The next time the sound occurs, observe how your child responds to the sound. Did they pause? Did they look around? Did their eyes get big? Observing your child will help you determine if and how they respond to sounds in their environment. When they detect the sound, encourage them and say, “Yes! I hear the dog, too! Woof! Woof!” If your child did not appear to detect the sound, point it out to them. 

It is also important for a child to determine when a sound is no longer present. 

1. As soon as the dog stops barking, point to your ear, shake your head “no” and have a facial expression that shows you are confused.  
2. Say something along the lines of, “I don’t hear it,” “The dog is not barking,” or “No more barking.” 

Children communicate with you through observable behaviors long before they’ve learned their first words! By consistently talking about and labeling sounds in a child’s environment, parents can promote sound awareness and beginning listening skills-essential components of language development.   

Cole Renn, EdD, CED, LSLS Cert. AVEd is a parent educator in the Joanne Parrish Knight Family Center at CID- Central Institute for the Deaf, working with families and children ages birth-3. She has presented at various professional conferences and spent time lecturing at Fontbonne University. Cole earned her educational doctorate in Collaborative, High Impact instruction from Fontbonne University.  She earned her Master’s degree in Early Intervention in Deaf Education from Fontbonne University and her Bachelor’s degree from Illinois State University in Deaf Education.