Hearing loss among children is a serious affair, whether temporary or permanent, because of its possible impact on their speech and language development.

The key is diagnosis as early as possible. A new app from Aston University here in the UK wants to help with that process. It’s called Early Ears, and is aimed at parents with 2-8 year-old children.

“Early Ears presents simple instructions at various sound levels, such as “touch the cow”, and will take your child about 1 to 3 minutes to complete depending on their age and level of hearing difficulty,” explains its App Store listing.

“The results are personalised to your child and given in an easy-to-understand way. Early Ears also provides reassuring information about the common causes of hearing difficulty in children and how you can protect your child’s hearing.”

The app is based on a clinical test called the McCormick Toy Test which (it says here) has been used in the UK since 1977. Note, this doesn’t replace a diagnosis by medical professionals. It’s more something to use if you suspect your child may have a hearing problem, as a prompt to seek further medical advice.

Early Ears costs £0.69 for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch on Apple’s App Store.