Central Auditory Processing Disorder (C)APD is a condition where an individual has difficulty making sense of sounds they hear, even if they have normal hearing. Auditory processing can be considered what the brain does with the sounds the ears hear. According to the American Speech Language and Hearing Association (ASHA), central auditory processing disorder refers to deficits in the neural processing of auditory information in the central auditory nervous system (not due to higher order language or cognitive factors) demonstrated by poor performance in one or more of the following skills:
Individuals with (C)APD often demonstrate difficulties in the following areas:
There is not a clear cause for auditory processing disorder. Common etiologies may include: genetics, developmental delays, brain injuries, or other neurodevelopmental processes.
According to the American Academy of Audiology, assessment of auditory processing skills can begin as early as 5 years old. However, a diagnosis of auditory processing disorder is withheld until the age of 7 due to the maturation of the auditory system not being fully developed yet.
Testing and diagnosis of auditory processing disorder is performed by an audiologist. Other professionals, including but not limited to speech- language pathologists, educators, and psychologists, are also involved in the assessment of the patient’s functional deficits and intervention.
The assessment will be comprised of 2 parts: evaluating hearing sensitivity and the diagnostic evaluation of your child’s auditory skills and abilities. The appointment will take approximately 1.5 hours total.
The first portion of the test will include objective measures of hearing where we will confirm normal hearing sensitivity. Further recommendations will be discussed based on your child’s performance and if APD testing can be continued.
The second portion of the appointment will consist of your child completing a diagnostic assessment of their auditory skills via an app. Your child will wear headphones and be prompted to complete a series of tasks or “games.” This portion should take about 20-40 minutes.
A report of the evaluation’s results, recommendations, and intervention options will be discussed. If it is determined your child would benefit from therapy or a trial with a remote microphone (Roger) system, they will discuss these recommendations with you.
At Hearts for Hearing, we offer multiple possible intervention solutions for individuals with (C)APD. These include:
