Auditory Processing Disorders
Listening difficulties have multiple causes, which can be quantified. One area contributing to listening and listening difficulties, is auditory processing.
(Central) Auditory Processing or (C)AP is often described as “what the brain does with what the ear hears” and involves the pathway of sound from the ear to the pre-language areas of the brain. The brain must accurately decode what the ear tells it, to attach meaning to the sound.
A (Central) Auditory Processing Disorder or (C)APD is the inability to attend to, discriminate between, organize, recognize or understand aspects of the auditory signal that does not result from an impairment in hearing sensitivity or low cognitive functioning.
(C)APD is not limited to children and is in fact, more prevalent in adults.
Do I, or does my child have a (C)APD?
• Is there difficulty following verbal instructions?
• Is there a need for frequent repetition of verbal instructions?
• Is there difficulty hearing in background noise?
• Is there difficulty remaining attentive?
• Are you/your child easily distracted?
• Is there difficulty recalling information and taking notes?
• Is there difficulty following fast speakers or speakers with accents?
• Are there reading, spelling and writing difficulties?
• Does there appear to be a hearing loss even though a hearing assessment has shown normal hearing sensitivity?
• Is there sensitivity to, or a sense of being overwhelmed by too many sound sources (such as at a party, or in a shopping mall)?
If the answer is YES to some of these questions, iCAN recommends a (C)AP assessment to better understand your auditory information processing and provide intervention for improvement.
What to expect at your first appointment
At an appointment with an audiologist regarding auditory processing disorders (APD), you can expect a thorough evaluation focused on how your brain processes the sounds that your ears detect.
The process typically involves several key components:
Case history and symptom discussion: Your audiologist will ask detailed questions about your listening difficulties, medical history, developmental and educational background, and any related cognitive or language issues.
Hearing tests: To establish whether there is any hearing loss which reduces detection of sound, your audiologist will first perform a standard hearing assessment. Difficulty processing sound can exist with or without hearing loss, but it is essential to pre-evaluate whether you can hear the sounds in the processing assessment, prior to embarking on it.
Auditory processing test battery: Audiologists use a variety of specialized listening tests to evaluate how well you process different auditory information. These may include:
- Tests of auditory figure-ground (focussing on speech sounds in noisy environments)
- Dichotic listening tests (ability to hear and process competing speech in both ears)
- Auditory closure (filling in gaps when the speech signal is incompletely provided or heard)
- Temporal processing (timing aspects of sound perception, such as identifying spaces between words or processing speech at different speeds)
- Binaural interaction tests (locating and localising sound; separating or integrating sound inputs when the same or different sounds are presented to both ears)
Electrophysiological tests: In some cases, tests like auditory brainstem response (ABR) or evoked potential tests are conducted to measure how sound signals travel through the auditory pathways between the ears and the brain.
Collaboration with other professionals: If you have had any other assessments that relate to this problem, such as an evaluation by a speech-language therapist, clinical or educational psychologist, or occupational therapist, please bring these results with you to your auditory processing assessment, as these factors should be considered when your audiologist tests you, and interprets your results. You may also be referred to one of these professionals, should your results indicate a need for a more holistic view of other abilities that influence auditory processing.
Individualized interpretation: Audiologists select specific tests based on your age, history, and initial findings and will explain each test before administering it.
Duration and environment: Some tests are done in a quiet room, and some may be performed in soundproof conditions using specialized equipment. Due to the wide-ranging processing tasks our brains perform, testing can take several hours and may be spread over one or more sessions to aid concentration.
In summary, an APD appointment with an audiologist is a multi-step process involving history-taking, hearing tests, several auditory processing tests tailored to your needs, and potentially electrophysiological measurements, all aimed at defining how well your brain interprets sound information, to guide appropriate management.
Contact
Email: info@ican.org.za
WhatsApp: 0649155840
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