Auditory Processing Disorder
 

Have any parents here had any experience with their child one you know of -maybe a teacher here or Dr, and you know about the behavioral modification and procedural changes of directive for a child with an auditory processing disorder?

Any advise, sharing would be helpful.:)

We've done the audiologist consult and testing, met with the educational psychologist, no we don't have a formal diagnosis my son is too young for that, however we do have a neurology consult we are also awaiting...impatiently.

I am not an expert with auditory processing disorders; however, I have worked with children with autism for a very long time and know a little about "The Listening Program" which is "treatment" for auditory processing. Occupational Therapists believe strongly in it but I am not sure if research has found this to be an effective treatment. Basically, it is a type of noise therapy that stimulates the brain using classical music, weird sounds, etc. Children can wear the headphones while doing other activities so it is a simple thing you can do at home...if you pay for the program. I think it is very expensive and you may need to be trained on it.

In order to experience what my students were experiencing, I used the listening program on myself at one point. I wore the headphones for the specified time two times a day. I think it improved my ability to filter noise and focus when there is a lot of noise around me. However, I am sure there are many other treatments I am unaware of.

In regards to changing procedures, I have been taught that children with processing disorders need a minimum of 5 seconds to respond to a cue. Then, if they do not respond use a different cue (could be verbal, light touch, a gesture). With that being said, repeating directions/questions to children with processing disorders is only damaging them.

I don't know if any of this will help you at all. I am sure you will get some great advice from doctors.

Here is a link for that program.

The Listening Program- Music-Based Auditory Stimulation® method

Nope great help yhanks I'll look into it.

Milo's APD is specific to "mishearing" certain sounds so he doesn't require geadphones in class and he can filter background noise very well through some cognative therapy.
The issue has been specific to like gearing q soubds as t sound and things like that his mind will also take strings of language and group it into unclear understabding so thus fat we are doing everything in steps like step 1 do this step 2dads we're up to 5critism now with him being sucessful in getting all parts and in general the poor kid gates it but he has to repeat what it was he heard so we know he actually heard what was really said.

Everyone thought it was so cute he said wasabi as mow-zombie...we thought it was just his speech until later it was understood that's actually how he heard it...or more appropriately how his brain interpreted what he heard.

I definitely think the outcome for children learning to hear/process sounds and speech is good with the right therapist. I work with a couple of awesome therapists and I will ask them for suggestions on activities you can do at home. From what you were saying, it seems like you are going through benchmarks as recommended by a thearpist??

If you think there could also be a disconnect with the way he thinks he is saying something and the way it is coming out, there is an ap that you can record him and play it back so he can hear it. I think there are a lot of applications for the ipad or phone that could be useful. I start work in one week so I can get a list of aps for you.

It doesn't sound like he has a "delayed" ability to process what he hears which is good news. I think the "Listening Program" would not be an effective treatment for what you described.

We are working with a private speech pathologist however Milo no longer needs her services he has mastered the sounds appropriately.

We will check in with her annually as he grows but its unlikely he was in speech since preschool agr and it was the pathologist educational psychologist that noted it could be apd.

Milo did have much success with elevate tongue exercises...tongue on back of front teeth to learn to make the th sound instead of d...but speech therapy lead to the diagnosis of apd.

We have just had a nonverbal lsd done too and he only seems to test as "qualifying" under obe of the requirement which was the fine graphite spacial orientation.


I'm totally going to ask about and on our own look at ipod app thanks!

This whole thing has been so frusterating in maby ways lasy school year we gad a teacher refuse to let him take spelling test because she didnt think he could do it.

No problem! I will find out if there are any websites that can help as well. I know of one that works with visual/spatial awareness so I am sure there is something for auditory processing.

I have never heard of a teacher being able to choose whether or not to include a child in general education or regular academics. Typically, it is a "team" decision to create an individualized program. I am not sure what state your in but you may want to look into a different school setting like a charter school for example. A lot of charter schools have smaller class sizes which may be beneficial for him while he is young. Hopefully, his new teacher will at least attempt to communicate with you about your expectations.

Good luck with everything! I am sure he will catch up given he has a dedicated mom like you. :)

Thanks again!

Uh, no she was "reprimanded" for making the decision without consulting me, she and the school psychologist made the decision and based it on spelling test not being a requirement so during spelling test times on Fridays my son was doing speech therapy...he had an IEP for speech, but I still feel this was very sneaky in a way to withhold it from me he was being excluded from spelling tests, Milo actually told me about it and how he didn't understand why he did the work all week and didn't have to take the tests...he was given in-completes in spelling test. I was livid to say the least.

needless to say he is no longer enrolled in that school, it very difficult to have two children at one school, one an honor student the other has a learning disability to to see all the inappropriate differences in the way they are treated, very sad.

Some people think they are doing him favors, of course these are some of the same people who just talk louder in his face thinking that will help and talk to him in a way to lead one to beleive he is mentally impaired,

It is really sad that even teachers in this day and age don't understand that someone with a learning disability is no less intelligent than someone without, in fact Milo tested with his IQ above his age by two years in some areas, those with learning disabilities in many ways are smart they have learned to assimilate in creative way to compensate.

However we have the other end of the spectrum too some kids learn something after 3 tries Milo will take about 30 and we have to be very repetitive, he will miss something in the basic concept of an understanding and it throws everything off, but once he gets it he's fine. I think it's when people see a child struggling because the concept of something wasn't understood they just think the child in somewhat incapable and forget to go back to the beginning and start there-the end works itself out.

You've been very helpful in this it is very appriciated!

Mi8lo was in charter from k in second grade I switched him to a large traditional school and chose to put him into first grade (which was actually age appropriate for him since he has an August birthday) we are returning to a charter environment.

My daughter has auditory processing difficulty AND she's ADHA! Ya...that was fun in school...I was not a fan of giving meds that made her go into a zombie state...All her teachers wanted me to put her on meds....this would have made THEIR job easier....She wasn't DX'd with APD until she was in middle school. I didn't put her on meds until she was a sophomore in high school. School was difficult for my daughter but, she made it through! PHEW! She is now 34 yrs old and still takes her smart pills...as she calls them...She needs them to help her focus. She is pregnant right now and can't take them...after she has the baby (YAY) she will go back on them.

No problem! :)

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup: This is very true! All children can learn! We are no longer living in the days where a teacher should only use worksheets and text books. A lot of childen are kinesthetic learners and need to be manipulating materials or provided visual supports.

Not sure if this is the same...

I had spinal meningitis when I was 6 months old and the fever slightly damaged my hearing, leaving me with a hearing discrepancy problem, trouble distinguishing letters/sounds.

I went to a speech therapist. My parents told me that the woman was teaching me to learn how to read before pre-school so that I would be ahead of the class. Reading out loud helped me.

I still can't distinguish words in songs as readily as other people, and I have trouble when people don't enunciate, especially on the phone.

There are no meds of apd however antianxiety drugs have been addressed as the situation at the last school became a nightmare.

Yes Krusten it is for different reasons Milo has this but same effect as you.

Its hard to explain he has a hearing issue but he in now way cant hear or has an issue with actually hearinh like he gets perfect scores on hearing tests but when tested on how he processes neurologically we find rhe issue.

When I would tell people Erin had APD they would automatically assume she couldn't hear...I would explain it this way.....imagine putting a sponge in water..the sponge will only hold so much water and the rest will drip out.