Auditory Processing Disorder

Andrea Deliso

What is auditory processing?

• term used to describe what happens when your brain recognizes and interprets the sounds around you.

Auditory Processing Disorder

• The "disorder" part of auditory processing disorder means that something is adversely affecting the processing or interpretation of the information.

APD

• central auditory processing disorder (CAPD).

• auditory perception problem,• auditory comprehension deficit, • central auditory dysfunction, • central deafness, • "word deafness."

• We are not sure!

• The many possible causes of APD include head trauma, lead poisoning, and chronic ear infections. Sometimes the cause is unknown. Because there are many different possibilities — even combinations of causes — each

child must be assessed individually.

What causes auditory processing difficulty?

What are the symptoms of possible auditory

processing difficulty?• Have trouble paying attention to and

remembering information presented orally • Have problems carrying out multistep

directions • Have poor listening skills • Need more time to process information • Have low academic performance • Have behavior problems • Have language difficulty (e.g., they confuse

syllable sequences and have problems developing vocabulary and understanding language)

• Have difficulty with reading, comprehension, spelling, and vocabulary

How is suspected auditory processing difficulty diagnosed

in children? • Teacher: may be the first person to notice

symptoms of auditory processing difficulty. There may need to be ongoing observation.

• Initially it is important to rule out other problems. • An audiologic evaluation is necessary. • A speech-language pathologist can find out how

well a person understands and uses language. • A mental health professional can give you

information about cognitive and behavioral challenges that may contribute to problems

• Because the audiologist can help with the functional problems of hearing and processing, and the speech-language pathologist is focused on language, they may work as a team

Detecting APD

• Children with APD are thought to hear normally.

• Most kids with APD do not have a loss of hearing sensitivity, but have a hearing problem in the sense that they do not process auditory information normally.

• If the auditory deficits aren't identified and managed early, many of these kids will have speech and language delays and academic problems.

Symptoms• Symptoms can range from mild to severe and can take

many different forms. If you think a child might have a problem with how he or she processes sounds, consider these questions:

~ Is the child easily distracted or unusually bothered by loud or sudden noises?

~ Are noisy environments upsetting to the child? ~Does the child's behavior and performance improve in

quieter settings? ~Does the child have difficulty following directions,

whether simple or complicated? ~Does the child have reading, spelling, writing, or other

speech-language difficulties? ~Is abstract information difficult for the child to

comprehend? ~ Are verbal (word) math problems difficult for the child? ~Is the child disorganized and forgetful? ~Are conversations hard for the child to follow?

APD Behaviors

• APD is an often misunderstood problem because many of the behaviors can also appear in other conditions such as:

• learning disabilities, • attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

(ADHD), • and even depression. • Although APD is often confused with ADHD,

it is possible to have both. • It is also possible to have APD and specific

language impairment or learning disabilities.

What treatments are available for auditory processing

difficulty? • Several strategies are available to help children with auditory

processing difficulties. Strategies you may hear about include:

• Auditory trainers• Environmental modifications : ways to improve the listening

environment~ classroom acoustics, ~ placement, ~ seating

Exercises to improve language-building skills can increase the ability to learn new words and increase a child's language base.

• Auditory memory enhancement• informal auditory training techniques can be used by

teachers and therapists to address specific difficulties. • Auditory integration training may be promoted by

practitioners as a way to retrain the auditory system and decrease hearing distortion. However, current research has not proven the benefits of this treatment.

Key Points• APD is an auditory disorder that is not the result

of higher-order, more global deficit such as autism, mental retardation, attention deficits, or similar impairments.

• Not all learning, language, and communication deficits are due to APD.

• No matter how many symptoms of APD a child has, only careful and accurate diagnosis can determine if APD is, indeed, present.

• Although a multidisciplinary team approach is important in fully understanding the cluster of problems associated with APD, the diagnosis of APD can only be made by an audiologist.

• Treatment of APD is highly individualized. There is no one treatment approach that is appropriate for all children with APD.