Our sense of auditory awareness helps us to understand and navigate the world we live in.

What is auditory awareness?

Auditory awareness is the ability to detect, locate and attend to sound. It describes someone’s ability to perceive and make sense of what’s going on around him through sound.

When sound waves hit your ear, the vibrations are translated into electric signals that travel through your hearing mechanism to the auditory nerve and are received in the auditory processing center of the brain.

One of the most important parts of auditory awareness is the way it helps you understand the position of your body in relation to other objects. When something is going on behind you, your sense of hearing can help to fill in the blanks.

Why is auditory awareness important for learning?

Auditory awareness is the foundation of learning to read. Children first need to be able to hear the sounds in speech. If they are not aware of these sounds, they won’t be able to read.

Without the awareness of sound, the brain is unable to move forward and interpret the sound.

How can you tell if your child has trouble with auditory awareness?

When everyday activities are occurring around your child,

1. Does he indicate the presence of the sound?
   • For example, his eyes widen when he hears his mother’s voice.
2. Does he appear to listen to what he hears for at least a few seconds or longer?
   • For example, he pauses to listen to his father’s voice.
3. Does he search for the source of the sound?
   • For example, looks around or moves in search of the sound.
4. Does he turn to the sound?

If you answered “no” to any of these questions, your child is having difficulty being aware of the sounds around him.

How can you help your child develop auditory awareness skills?

Children learn best through play. Here are some games and activities to promote awareness of the sounds around him.  

1. Blindfold your child, then call to him from different locations nearby and let him turn towards you.
   • Ask, Did you hear a noise? Where did it come from?
   • Increase the difficulty by doing this outside.
2. Play musical statues with your children. Play music and dance. When you stop the music they must stand still.
3. Clap a rhythm and ask your child to imitate it. Repeat with your backs to each other so that he cannot see you clap.
4. Let your children listen to a wide range of different types of music.
5. Take listening walks for sound awareness in your neighborhood.
   • Create a checklist to monitor improvement.

When a child’s auditory awareness skill is deficient, he will have difficulty reading. Once this deficit is addressed and improves, learning becomes easier.

How auditorily aware is your child?