INFORMATION

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Flinders University's Speech & Hearing Clinic has provided services in the assessment of Auditory Processing (AP) abilities in children aged 7 and above and management of those with an auditory processing disorder for 15 years......by Linnett Sanchez.

With an increasing number of children being referred for suspected auditory processing disorders (APD), audiologists continue to look for improved methods of screening and diagnosis. Although the incidence of children with APD has been estimated to be 2 percent to 3 percent1, the rising referral rate has been attributed to the fact that there are a number of coexisting childhood disorders characterized by similar behaviors.

Auditory Processing impairments may have significant and pervasive effects on the afflicted individual's life. The two primary effects are in the areas of communication and learning, especially in academic and vocational settings. The difficulties experienced by an individual with auditory processing problems often involve such frustration and confusion that emotional and behavior problems are commonly induced. One of the most common behavior syndromes which is associated with auditory processing problems is that of Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD or ADHD).

With the recent publication of the WISC-III, four separate new factor scores have been added to the usual Verbal, Performance, and Full scale IQ scores. The third of these new factor scores has been designated as "Freedom from Distractibility" (FD). Within the Verbal Scale of the Wechslers (WISC-R, WISC-III, WAIS, WAIS-R), the fact that there is a separate and distinct factor from "g" or the general verbal factor is well documented (Wechsler, 1958; WISC-III Manual, 1992).

An auditory processing disorder can encompass any deficit in the information processing of audible signals........

A CAPD is a receptive language disorder. It refers to difficulties in the decoding and storing of auditory information (typically incoming verbal messages).

by Teri James Bellis, Ph.D., Educational Audiology Review, Spring 1999 (PDF format Acrobat Reader required)

A helpful chart of classroom strategies for a variety of processing deficits.

Is your child struggling in school? Does he have poor listening skills and difficulty following directions or understanding speech? Is he inattentive? Perhaps he has a central auditory processing disorder.

Sandra Cleveland, M.S., The ADHD Report, 1997 - This article explores the comorbidity of CAPD and ADHD, including a discussion of risk factors, evaluation and management.

Judith W. Paton, M.A., Audiologist - A thorough discussion of CAPD's, including an overview of the disorder, testing, and classroom tips.

The Learning Disabilities Association of America, January 1996 - A fact sheet which includes tips on how to help children with central auditory processing deficits in the classroom.

(www.apdfacts.com) by ALAN B. GERTNER, Ph.D.
DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION DISORDERS & DEAFNESS
KEAN UNIVERSITY
UNION, NEW JERSEY
908 527 3273
agertner@kean.edu

The National Center for Learning Disabilities - This information describes these two types of disorders, their educational implications, some basic interventions and what to do if there is a suspected problem.

Dr. Teri James Bellis' Subprofiles (primary and secondary) of CAPD

Coping With CAPD

Complied by Speech Pathology – South Group of District 1999 Excerpts from Keith 1982, Sanchez L 1995 and Internet Sites

Living and Working with (C)APD:

Judith W. Paton, M.A., Audiologist - This article focuses on the effect of CAPD in the workplace and make suggestions of some possible modifications which can be made.

Parents frequently ask how they can best help their child of home some common ways in which parents help children with specific learning difficulties (SLDs

Both indirect (environmental and direct (therapy) procedures are used to manage central auditory processing problems. Individual patients benefit from a combination of helpful interventions. Your audiologist can help you determine which procedures will be most useful for your child.

In different parts of the world, some people refer to Auditory Processing Disorder (APD), while others call it Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD). A few may even use both terms to mean the same set of difficulties with spoken language. There are many opinions about these conditions -- from whether they exist, to how they’re identified, to what to do about them.

Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) is a disability that affects how the brain processes spoken language. Kids with APD have difficulty interpreting and storing information despite normal hearing. In addition to hindering speech and language development, APD can affect other areas of learning, particularly reading and writing.

You wonder if your child has a Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD). What should you know before getting an assessment? If your child already has been assessed, what does it all mean?

The therapeutic use of music has a long history. Since the mid-1900's when Alfred Tomatis began his work with the application of sound to treat specific symptoms and behaviors, there has been a veritable explosion in the types of auditory interventions available.

Auditory Integration Training or AIT was developed by Dr. Guy Berard, a practicing otolaryngologist (Ear, Nose and Throat or ENT physician) in Annecy, France. Dr. Berard originally invented AIT to rehabilitate disorders of the auditory system, such as hearing loss or hearing distortion (hyper-acute or asymmetrical hearing).

Berard AIT was developed by Dr. Guy Berard, an otolaryngologist (Ear, Nose and Throat or ENT physician) in Annecy, France. Dr. Berard originally invented AIT to rehabilitate disorders of the auditory system, such as hearing loss or hearing distortion (hyper-acute or asymmetrical hearing).

This paper presents Wechsler (WISC-R) profiles and changes following the application of an EEG biofeedback treatment regimen for brain-based learning disabilities. EEG biofeedback trained increases in activation (increased amplitude of 14Hz brainwave energy) of the central and sensorimotor cortex's neural activation network resulted in increases in bi-hemispheric skills (complementary verbal-expressive and visual-motor abilities) prerequisite to a successful learning posture, the acquisition of reading and integration of higher-order learning

The study compared treatment programs with EEG biofeedback or stimulants as their primary components. An EEG group (EEG) was matched with a stimulant group (MED) by age, IQ, gender and diagnosis. The Test of Variables of Attention (TOVA) was administered pre and post treatment. EEG and MED groups improved on measures of inattention, impulsivity, information processing, and variability, but did not differ on TOVA change scores. The EEG biofeedback program is an effective alternative to stimulants and may be the treatment of choice when medication is ineffective, has side effects, or compliance is a problem. by Thomas R. Rossiter and Theodore J. La Vaque

Auditory processing disorders may affect, on average, one or two children in every Australian classroom. The condition is often unrecognised and untreated, or confused with conditions like Attention Deficit Disorder, according to experts speaking at the Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children in Sydney last week.

Some gifted children learn most effectively through non-auditory channels. Because these children do not learn effectively in a traditional classroom they often perform well below their mental age. Additionally, because they are gifted, they are intrinsically aware of their own lack of achievement (particularly in respect to other less gifted children). They are “turned off” school and are often disruptive in class or at home showing many of the characteristics of the gifted learning disabled. The frustration, inner conflict, boredom, lack of a suitable peers and fragile self-esteem of such children translates into unruly and unsettling behaviour. by Kay Pittelkow

Aspects of auditory processing related to the identification and sequencing of short stimuli were investigated in adult subjects with a history of reading difficulties (RD) and in a normal control group (NC). The RD group included individuals with persisting reading problems as well as compensated dyslexics with no remaining reading impairment.

Auditory integration training (AIT), as developed by French otolaryngologist Guy Berard and based on the work of his predecessor, Alfred Tomatis, typically consists of 20 half-hour sessions of listening to specially modulated music over a 10- to 20-day period. AIT has been reported to be beneficial in several conditions, including AD/HD, autism, dyslexia, and hypersensitive hearing at certain frequencies.

Sensory Processing Abnormalities currently has a diagnoses in one of the following areas: Autism, Pervasive Developmental Delay, Aspargers Syndrome, Dsylexia, Central Auditory Processing Disorder(CAPD), Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD)