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Testing the hearing of babies is not easy, since they cannot tell us what they hear. A health visitor explains it is important to test a baby’s hearing as soon as possible because of the impact any hearing loss can have on speech and language development. The tests are carried out when babies are roughly the same age. They must be easy to administer, not too costly and cause no pain or discomfort for the baby. The distraction test is part of this process. The baby’s attention is attracted by a toy and various sounds are made behind the baby to distract it. If the baby is distracted and looks around for the noise, this generally indicates the baby can hear.

Students could play a game to test their own hearing. Students could sit in a circle and one could be chosen to sit in the middle and cover their eyes. Another student from the circle could then be given an instrument to bang or shake and then hide behind their back. All students should pretend they are also hiding something behind their back, and the student in the centre should try to guess where the noise came from. Students could also explore what happens if we cover one ear whilst playing this game. Does it make it easier or more difficult? Students could consider other variables which could make this game more difficult, for example what if everyone was talking while the noise was made.

Alternatively, use the clip to talk about how hearing is important for safety. Ask the students to identify and write down “warning” sounds e.g. police sirens, fire alarm, sounds of a zebra crossing. Discuss why these sounds are important and what they are telling us.