51 I HEAR YOU... I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND! WORDS: Jennifer Colombo, M.S., CCC-SLP Speech Language Pathologist If a parent starts to notice that their child is demonstrating academic problems, is easily distracted, often struggles with following directions and completing tasks, they often question whether or not their child has ADD/ADHD. Although some of the characteristics are similar, ��ve percent of school age children present with an Auditory Processing Disorder (APD). Dr. Terri J. Bellis, a leading researcher in the area of audiology, best describes APD in her informative book When the Brain Can’t Hear. Individuals with APD have normal hearing abilities; the problem is a central auditory processing issue in which the brain is unable to interpret and understand the meaning of incoming sounds accurately (Flexer, 1994). Signs and Symptoms of APD: • There are several pro��le types of APD so not all symptoms may be present • Dif��culties paying attention to communication, especially in the presence of background noise • Not interested in reading/dif��culties with reading: some types of APD make it dif��cult for people to understand how different sounds work together to form words • Dif��culties with completing multi-step auditory directions, and asking for frequent repetition and/or clari��cation • Dif��culty recognizing and/or discriminating between sounds, especially sounds that are similar (s/z, f/v) • Mispronouncing words and the order of words, dif��culties repeating back sentences • Dif��culties recalling information that they have heard: may struggle remembering instructions or basic facts taught in school • May have poor conversational skills such as answering questions, formulating ideas, expressing emotions, understanding ��gurative language, sarcasm, jokes Jennifer Colombo, M.S., CCC-SLP Owner of Therapeutic Potentials, Inc. www.TPIKids.com Assessment/Diagnosis: Only a licensed audiologist–utilizing calibrated audiometric equipment and speci��c auditory processing tests in a sound protected environment can fully diagnose or rule out APD. It is recommended that a student be at least 7-8 years of age. Treatment: Once the Audiologist has determined the profile type of Auditory Processing Disorder a student presents with, a plan of care is provided for the student’s TEAM which often includes parents, teachers, and a speech-language pathologist. They will be provided with strategies and techniques to develop the speci��c areas that warrant interventions. If you are concerned that your child may have an Auditory Processing Disorder, it is always best to consult with a trained Speech-Language Pathologist to screen your child and determine if a full Auditory Processing Assessment would be bene��cial.
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