Auditory Processing: Do You Hear What I Hear? (Part 2)

In Part 1 of this series I explained what auditory processing is and how you can help your child improve this necessary skill for learning.

Today, I want to go a step further and get into what an actual Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) looks like. 

What is an APD?

An APD, also called Central Auditory Processing Disorder, can manifest itself in a variety of ways. These can include difficulty understanding speech in noisy environments, trouble with reading, spelling, and sound discrimination. A disorder is a recurrent problem that interferes with daily functioning. 

"The five main problem areas that can affect both home and school activities in kids with APD are:

1. Auditory Figure-Ground Problems: when a child can't pay attention if there's noise in the background. Noisy, low-structured classrooms could be very frustrating.
2. Auditory Memory Problems: when a child has difficulty remembering information such as directions, lists, or study materials. It can be immediate ("I can't remember it now") and/or delayed ("I can't remember it when I need it for later").
3. Auditory Discrimination Problems: when a child has difficulty hearing the difference between words or sounds that are similar (COAT/BOAT or CH/SH). This can affect following directions, and reading, spelling, and writing skills, among others.
4. Auditory Attention Problems: when a child can't stay focused on listening long enough to complete a task or requirement (such as listening to a lecture in school). Kids with CAPD often have trouble maintaining attention, although health, motivation, and attitude also can play a role.
5. Auditory Cohesion Problems: when higher-level listening tasks are difficult. Auditory cohesion skills — drawing inferences from conversations, understanding riddles, or comprehending verbal math problems — require heightened auditory processing and language levels. They develop best when all the other skills (levels 1 through 4 above) are intact." -Excerpt from KidsHealth.org

An actual APD can only be diagnosed by an audiologist no matter how many symptoms a child has. Find a professional in your area.

"To diagnose APD, the audiologist will administer a series of tests in a sound-treated room. These tests require listeners to attend to a variety of signals and to respond to them via repetition, pushing a button, or in some other way. Other tests that measure the auditory system's physiologic responses to sound may also be administered. Most of the tests of APD require that a child be at least 7 or 8 years of age because the variability in brain function is so marked in younger children that test interpretation may not be possible." -ASHA

Treatment

It is important to remember that treatment is very individualized and no one treatment can work for every child. Here are some examples of the types of treatment available:

Auditory Integration Training 

Electronic Auditory Stimulation Effect 

LiPS Program 

Forbrain Headphones (to retrain the way you process information)