Hearing , speech and vision are an essential part of your child’s life. A  newborn’s eyesight is immature. The baby later develops  the ability to focus. Hearing appears  early in fetal development  and is important for the  progression of speech and language.  It is important to monitor your child’s ability  to see, hear and speak . This is an important part of the health of your growing child.

The American Academy of Ophthalmology, the American Optometric Association, and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends the following screening  stages .

• Newborn :  All newborns are examined in the nursery for eye infections  and other eye disorders such as  glaucoma.
• 6 months : Visual screening of infants  should be performed during the  well-baby visits , especially   checking for how the eyes work together.
•  3 to 4 years :Formal visual acuity tests and complete eye test should be performed.
• 5 years and older : Annual visual screening tests  and eye exams should be performed.

Speech , language and  hearing skills are developed at different ages in children. Hearing loss can delay the ability to make sounds, learn to speak and communicate.  Talk to your child care  provider about your child’s hearing and speech concerns or if you notice the following :

• No response to sounds at any age.
• Baby doesnt don’t move or jump at loud noise.
• No babling sound by the time the baby is 9 months.
• No words spoken by age 18 to 24 months .
• Doesnt follow simple commands by age 2.
• Poor voice quality at any age.