Auditory Processing Disorder can be defined as difficulties in the perceptual processing of auditory information by the Central Nervous System. Put simply APD is a deficit in the neural processing of auditory information. The child has normal hearing but experiences difficulty in discriminating, processing and understanding sound signals. Difficulties discriminating between speech and noise /sounds are a common experience for the child with APD. Auditory processing disorder can often go undetected but can significantly impact a child's ability to cope with the language requirements of a classroom and to develop essential reading and writing skills. Typically a child with APD copes well in a one to one context but experiences difficulty in large classroom environments.
Signs of Auditory Processing Disorder
APD can even impact the child's ability to socialize and follow conversations. Typically a person with Auditory Processing Disorder may experience difficulties in the following:
Children with APD may exhibit:
* Short attention span
* Difficulty following instructions
* Easy distraction
* May be noise sensitive or reactive to loud noises eg. Vacuum cleaner
* May be overwhelmed by very noisy environments
School-aged children with APD may exhibit:
* Difficulty following complex verbal directions
* Spelling and reading difficulties
* Language delay / disorder
* Poor sound / phonological awareness needed for literacy skills (reading and writing)
* Difficulty maintaining attention to auditory information
* Frustration and distractibility
* Difficulty with sound localization
* Difficulty following the flow of discussions
* Difficulty listening / comprehending when there is background noise
* Difficulties with short term auditory memory
Facts about Auditory Processing Disorder
* Boys are 3 times more likely to have auditory processing disorder than girls
* Almost 75% of children with APD have had a speech or language difficulties
* Children with APD often have a history of middle ear infections (otitis media)
* A child with Auditory Processing Disorder does not have an intellectual or cognitive problem
What to do?
Consult an audiologist or speech pathologist in your area. An Audiologist can only conclusively diagnose Auditory Processing Disorder however Speech Pathologists do have an important role in supporting diagnosis and some forms on intervention particularly relating to language processing and literacy.
Treatment of Auditory Processing Disorder
Depending on the type of difficulty that your child is experiencing will indicate the treatment approach.
Environmental Strategies
* Seat the child close to the teacher and at the front of the classroom (within 3 meters to teacher)
* Seat the child away from distracting noise such as fans, heaters and open windows
* Improving the acoustic environment of the classroom to reduce the reverberation of noise and reduce the amount of background noise.
Carpet on floors
* Teachers to face the students when giving instructions and write keywords on the board.
* Teachers to check and clarify if the student has heard and understood instructions
* Give the child a 'listening buddy' who they can use to check their understanding of instructions
Listening Devices
If recommended by the audiologist and or speech pathologist a listening device may assist. A listening device reduces the interference of noise between the speaker and listener.
Speech Therapy
A speech pathologist can help your child develop skills important for the development of literacy / listening skills that are frequently affected by auditory processing difficulties. A speech pathologist will treat skills such as:
* Developing listening skills
* Identification of sounds, discriminating between sounds, breaking words into sounds, blending sounds and identifying rhyming words.
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