Auditory processing is part of receptive language. It may occur alone or co-occur with expressive language. An auditory processing disorder (APD) is a breakdown in the brain’s ability to use auditory information to hear and understand speech, even though no measurable hearing loss exists.
A Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD)" is more than difficulty with receptive language, and includes difficulty with sound localization, auditory discrimination, and the ability to recognize speech in the presence of noise, despite having normal hearing. It is a neurological disorder that only an audiologist can diagnose and it is extremely rare. It may be linked to genetics, prenatal or neonatal factors, neurological disease or damage. It may be linked to a specific lesion or the cause may never be known.
CAPD is a rare and complex disorder which requires a multidisciplinary team, spear headed by the audiologist. In addition to parents and a speech language pathologist, other disciplines may include a psychologist, counselor, ENT, physician, teacher and the IEP team. Environmental modifications may include the use of assistive listening devices such as the FM system. Specific auditory training techniques may be taught and compensatory strategies implemented.
Multi Disciplinary Team
I work with audiologists to assess deficit areas and provide intervention. This includes using formal and informal tools to examine:
