Auditory Processing is the ability to understand spoken language in a meaningful way. An Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) is a deficit in one or more of these areas.
If there is a concern regarding auditory processing, it is important to identify problems early in order to help a child learn strategies to compensate.
An APD evaluation will evaluate an individual's hearing and identify possible processing problems.
Common Symptoms:
Normal hearing sensitivity, but difficulty understanding
Easily distractible (especially when competing-background-noise is present
Poor listener
Says "Huh?" and "What?" frequently
Difficulty following multiple-step directions
Asks speaker to repeat, often
Poor performance, even when normal IQ
Difficulty with phonics and speech sounds
Reading and spelling difficulties
Assessment of Auditory Processing
Following a traditional hearing assessment, your child will be asked to do a variety of tasks specifically assessing different aspects of auditory processing, depending upon his or her age. Some of these things may include: - Listen to and repeat words that will sound fuzzy or distorted
- Listen and repeat words and/or sentences that s/he hears while hearing other people talking (chattering) in the background
- Listen and repeat words which have been broken down into their sound components
- Listen to different beeps or tones and either indicate the number of beeps heard or play a pattern game
Management of Auditory Processing Disorders
There are a variety of management approaches and strategies that may be used to remediate and/or accommodate an auditory processing disorder. Recommendations are tailored to the individual needs of each child. The following is a list of some components which may be incorporated into your child's therapy program- Management of acoustical factors in the learning environment.
- Training of compensatory strategies
- Remediation therapies based upon traditional aural rehabilitation strategies to address specific deficits, including auditory discrimination, auditory closure abilities, and auditory comprehension
- Commercial programs such as Earobics® and FastForward®.
For further information about auditory processing evaluation, please contact our office.
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