What is Auditory Processing Disorder and how does it affect my childs learning?
Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) refers to the process of how the brain takes in auditory information. Even though children with APD can hear well, they may have difficulty using those sounds in speech and language because their brain does not pick up the electrical signals coming from their ears. Children with APD may have trouble listening, following verbal directions, developing language, remembering auditory information, remaining attentive, and understanding speech. All of these difficulties may worsen in noisy acoustic environments, such as classrooms. It is important to understand that APD cannot be diagnosed from a checklist of symptoms. No matter how many symptoms of APD a child may have, only careful and accurate diagnostic tests can determine the underlying cause. To diagnose APD, an audiologist administers a series of tests in a sound-treated room. Most of the tests for APD require that a child be at least 5 years of age so that test interpretation is possible. There are
