Is this normal or cause for concern?

[Anonymous]

My almost 3 year old has always been super aware of noises but lately it has gotten a bit out of control but I am also wondering if it is just developmental?

With any noise in the neighborhood, he asks "Whats the noise?" It can be an airplane, a lawnmower, a leaf blower, or kids laughing down the street. He will ask 100x times even if its the same noise just a different object. For example, if a helicopter flies over and then 5 minutes later another one flies over- he will ask what those noises are.

Today we were at the park and it was quite windy. He looked up and noticed the clouds moving fast and got freaked out. He kept pointing and then would hide under the playground structure.

We used to go to the Thomas Dixon airplane park every 2-3 months for a year, maybe more. We went during late summer and he freaked out about the airplanes. Like screamed and tried to run away, ended up running into a wood pole. I thought it because they were taking off, which is louder so we went back when they were landing and it was the same reaction. Mind you, he loves planes. Points them out the window when driving, tries to race and catch up to them, loves the show "Super Wings", etc.

For some background, he was evaluated by Early Intervention due to speech but he was signing and had a normal level of receptive language so they werent concerned. He was a "late" talker but nothing that required intervention. I expressed concern about his hearing because he didnt respond consistently, but normally it was during certain activities that he likes so the ped didnt investigate further.


He is in playschool/daycare with 3 of those days FT. His providers haven't expressed any concerns, he plays well, sleeps 12 hours overnight but does take a long time to decompress and fall asleep. He is very affectionate and loving, makes eye contact, and is very empathetic.

Should I have a hearing test performed? Are these behaviors normal, albeit quirky or should I ask for his development to be followed more closely? We have the 3 year old well child visit coming up in a few months so I wanted to be prepared to request additional testing.

[Anonymous]

I would have him looked at again. Early intervention is key, if there is a problem.

[Anonymous]

It's not normal. I would refuse to answer after the first time. "Same thing it was when you asked five minutes ago." "What do you think it is, since we heard that noise just a couple of minutes ago."

[Anonymous]

My 3 year old sometimes asks what a sound is repeatedly because it’s a bit scary for him and he’s looking for reassurance. You might just have a sensitive kid.

As far as the hearing goes, you can make an appointment with a pediatric audiologist without seeing your ped. Make sure it’s someone who has a lot of experience with young kids. They’re not the easiest to test but 3 is an easier age than 2. A significant hearing loss would likely be causing a significant speech delay and lack of intelligibility by now, but kids with a milder to moderate level of hearing loss can potentially slip under the radar. It is possible, but unlikely, that your kid gets startled by loud sounds because he isn’t hearing the softer “lead up” to the louder parts, if that makes sense. But I know a lot of kids with hearing loss and I’ve never heard a parent say that sensitivity to loud sounds was a first sign that something was wrong. Speech delay and lack of intelligibility are by far the most common signs.