My little girl is 6 months old, and she hardly responds to us.?

Question

She just turned six months old on June 24th. Everything that I have read says that she should be responsive to her parents by now. But it seems to me that she hardly ever does. My wife and I will be playing her, beckoning her to do her "shuffle-crawl" and come to us, but she does not always respond when we call her name. We had her tested a short while after her birth, and the doctors believe she is partially deaf in her left ear. Upon observing her these last couple months, however, I do not think that partial deafness is the case, as she does respond on occasion.

Could there be something wrong with my daughter? Is there something I can do to get her to respond?

Answer 1

Talk to a development specialist. Ask your pediatrician for a referral.

Partial deafness means that she hears *somewhat* but at a reduced level compared to most babies. So, it is *possible* that she is listening to you when she hears you and not when she doesn't. Even if you don't see a difference in the environment, she may be hearing at different levels depending on the amount of background noise, where you are standing relative to the position of her head, and what she is doing at the time.

She may also hear you and choose not to respond. Babies are human beings with their own thoughts and desires. If you interrupt her when she is playing, she may not want to crawl to you.

If she is *rarely* responding--in *any* way--you should find out why. But first determine if this is, in fact, the case. If you say "Baby!! Crawl over here!" and she looks up at you, then goes back to playing, she is *choosing* not to respond in the way you want her to. If she stops playing briefly, she is probably also responding (but not the way you intended). If you don't see *any* difference when you talk to her, then investigate further.

Answer 2

If she is partially deaf then she has partial ability to respond. There is no reason to agonize over any other neurological conditions for her. I mean, you can keep getting tests done and all, because she might be partially deaf in the other ear too, and it might have not been caught.

Try taking a course in sign language, and buying books on sign language for babies.
Remember shes only 6 months old, and very curious. She is partially deaf, and may not always understand what you want from her. Not even a 6 month old infant that has full hearing ability will always respond. Theyre stupid. Seriously, no offense, theyre just teeny babies. They dont know ANYTHING.
Do alot more physical touching, and visual signing with her, and be consistent with it, and eventually, like most babies, she will grow to understand you. Remember to sign I love you, by pointing to your heart, then crossing your arms over your chest, in a big X, touching your shoulders and then pointing at her. She might not understand much now, but give her some time and she will learn.. and so will you.

^ ^
oo
l
U

Just be patient, and everything will work out.

Answer 3

being deaf is definitly something that would cause her to respond less however also keep in mind that she is 6 months. I have a 13 month old that has no hearing impairment and he always acts like he cant hear me even though I know he can. Its called selective hearing. Also keeo a close eye on how shw responds to other things such as colors, any pets you may have in the house, baby einstein videos. Does she smile or laugh at you or anything else? If it gets too severe you may think about having her tested for Autism. I dont mean to scare you and thats probably not the case but have her checked, early intervention in the key! Good Luck!

Answer 4

First of all, I would get a second opinion. It also depends on weather she is facing you when you call to her. Another thing is, weather she likes to be held, or if she responds negatively to be touched . Does she seem to be in her own little world? Ask each other these questions. If you can answer these questions with a yes, then have her tested by an expert, that deals with autism. I'm not saying she has it but still these are questions you need to be asking yourselves.
If there is a possibility that she may have a hearing problem, then see an eyes, ears, nose and throat doctor, who specializes in children and babies.
I hope that these ideas, and suggestions can help you. I am linked to 360 yahoo, and would be very interested in what you find out. I hope I have helped you to some degree at least and may God bless you during this time of worry, and uncertainty

Answer 5

Some babies are more responsive than others, especially at this age. I would get her hearing tested again - when my daughter was newborn, they just stuck a little thing in her ear and it gave a reading - I guess they can tell by the vibrations they get back how their hearing is. I'm sure it can probably be treated with tubes or aids of other sorts if there is a problem. You could probably wait it out though as well - my daughter still doesn't consistently respond to me calling her name and she's 10 months old! (though i wonder often if it's because she doesn't want to listen)

Answer 6

Be sure to check the answer here given by the NURSE - she knows what she's talking about.

I agree with her - I'd see a doctor. My daughter just turned 6 months and is completely captivated by both mommy and daddy's attention. The only time she starts to "zone out" is if she is getting sleepy.

If there is a loud noise my daughter has been known to jump from being startled. If I call her name, or whistle, or clap, even if she can't see me she will turn and look.

Also at this point if you block her vision of me with something (mommy's hand, a book, whatever) she will attempt to look over/around/under it to see me.

When we open the door to the nursery to get her when she wakes up she instantly looks to the door.

Our daughter is not crawling yet (but can stand up with something to hold on to) but is highly alert.

As a quick check I would try whistling, clapping, calling her name, or otherwise making noises while standing behind her when she is not looking. You should be able to get a reaction.

But regardless, do what the nurse said - see a doctor.

Answer 7

It could be the hearing. Pay attention to where you are positioned when she doesn't respond. Also, a 6 month old isn't always consistant in responding and it is too soon to worry about autism. Also remember that babies are not perfect and they do not all progress at the same rate. Gestational age at birth makes a difference - was she premature? That can cause some delays. Beyond that - bring these concerns to her doctor. I hope it is only what I told you.

Answer 8

If the Dr said she may be partially deaf I would get a second opinion. There may be some other issues cuz yes I think a 6 month old should be responsive to her parents

Answer 9

Babies do not respond all the time. Usually they do not respond to their name until 9 months old. Babies have an overload of information to take in and if she was on her tummy trying to crawl then she was probably just over stimulated. I have a 6 month old also and she passed her hearing test but sometimes she is so busy taking things in that she does not respond either. That does not mean she has a hearing loss just she has so much coming at her. If you are concerned get it checked out but I would not worry too much.

Answer 10

Why Babies Need Quiet
The reason a noisy environment negatively affects your infant
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By Sherri Eisenberg

Know how tough it is to focus in a loud room? It's harder for your baby. A new study suggests a noisy environment may even interfere with language development. Even in a mildly noisy room — a fast-food restaurant, a living room with the TV always on — a baby may have trouble distinguishing between voices.

Especially in the first 6 months, but up to a year, babies have trouble differentiating between foreground sounds (like your saying her name) and background noise (radios, kids playing, adults talking). "Conversation directed at the child may simply go unrecognized," says study author Rochelle Newman, Ph.D., a cognitive psychologist at the University of Maryland in College Park. Quiet periods of time each day may be beneficial to a baby's language acquisition, she says, especially in the first year of life. To keep the decibels in check:

• Turn off the radio and television when you're reading to or playing with your baby.

• An hour or so every day, eliminate the subtle noises that don't bother you but could distract your baby, like her brother playing Game Boy in the same room. When you're talking to her, her ears should be on you.

• If your infant's in daycare, do a sound check: Is there constant background noise from radios, TV, telephones? Ask the staff what they can do to lower the volume — or find a center that's less noisy or includes quiet times.




Parenting, October 2005