Development of Hearing, Speech, Language, and Cognition before Birth Up to Eight Years of Age

The study of hearing development in human fetuses and infants is relatively young. Hearing plays an important role in normal development of speech, language, learning, memory, and cognition even prior to birth. The aim of the present study was to review articles on development of hearing, speech, language, and cognition before birth up to eight years of age. In present study, articles on development of hearing, speech, language, nervous system, memory, limbic system, and learning that were published between 1932 to 2016 on Pubmed, Elsevier, Science Direct, Springer, Scopus, ISI, Google Scholar, and Wiley databases were searched and reviewed using the following keywords: development of hearing, development of speech and language, development of nervous system, development of memory, and development learning and cognition. In contrast to vision, early experience of hearing begins before birth and its development continues along the development of speech, language, and cognition to years after birth. Fetal auditory memory plays an important role in acquisition of future language skills. Also, hearing is vital in normal development of speech, language, memory, learning, and cognition.