Auditory processing issues

[lisaann]

Have any of you had to deal with this with your children?

I strongly suspect my dd is struggling with it. I am going to have her hearing tested just to make sure it isn't a medical problem first. I'm just not sure what to do though. :scratch

[Cookies4me]

I have an auditory processing disorder. :D

Actually a short term memory processing one.
I did kinda grow out of it over time but still have some issues with it.

What is making you think she has this?

[Sealed]

Hey, there! My 11 y/o ds has CAPD. He began SLT at about 18 months for expressive/ receptive lang delay, and was eventualy tested by an audiologist at age 9 and dx with CAPD. Also, Ed. Dev. Psychologist did a battery of tests and said that working and short term memory had deficits. We stopped SLT when he was 10. Just plain tired, and we didn't see any benefit from it. We also did Fast Forward, yet did not benefit from it either.

My 2 daughters (5 and 9) and I, have some degree of this as well, just not as severe.

[Sealed]

My suggestion to your OP (and it seems it has been forever since we have gone through the eval process so I am not sure if we would be able to go through the same chain today) but my thoughts would be to begin looking for Speech Lang Therapists in your area, and then set up an appt. That is how I would begin if I were going through it again today. (You may have to speak to your Ped to get a referral, I do not remember having to do that with our insurance. though)

We have had testing done through the public school system, but it took a LONG time to get it done....it took approx the whole year to go to get their audiologist to do it, get the results and by the time we had the results and could implement anything from it into the IEP the school year was almost over. (They wouldn't accept our private evaluation)That being said, if you could swing it, I would go private.

Homeschooling has been such a BLESSING to us this year. I wish we had started when he was younger!

Oh, and our experience has been like Cookies4Me has said.....Ds seems to have improved with age. Still a strjuggle, just not as bad.

[lisaann]

I am quite certain that she got this from me. :rolleyes I was never diagnosed but......... :whistle :heh



I have an auditory processing disorder. :D

Actually a short term memory processing one.
I did kinda grow out of it over time but still have some issues with it.

What is making you think she has this?

Well, I have been noticing problems for the last 2-3 years and was hoping she would grow out of it. To some extent she has but there is still some sort of glitch there. :idunno

She had many ear infections when she was 1-2 years old. One was so bad that her ear drum ruptured. :panic I have an apointment with her ped. on Monday. She can definately hear sounds and tell what direction they are coming from but I'm wondering, with her now rehealed eardrum, if the sounds are somehow getting "warped".

If it's not her hearing then I guess the next step would be checking out the auditory processing deal.

#1) I am noticing that she has alot of trouble articulating her thoughts. Often she will say something that has nothing to do with what she is actually trying to say. (if that makes any sense :hehee) For instance if she means "tomorrow" she will say "yesterday". I know what she means.....I think she knows what she means.........it just comes out wrong. She often cannot come up with the word she needs.

#2) She has a hard time with lessons that are read to her. I can tell that she is trying very hard to pay attention but somewhere along the way she just doesent get it. I usually try to give her something busy to do with her hands like coloring a picture or squish some PlayDoh. This seems to be the only way she can focus at all. If her hands aren't busy she isn't hearing it. For instance today we read about the 100 Years War in SOTW. Ok, this topic was a bit over her head but she should have gotten that there was a big war between England and France. When I asked her what two countries were at war she answered: "CHINA!!!!" :doh We did a Bible lesson on how Jesus showed his love for God this morning. When I asked her "How did Jesus show God that He loved him?" Her answer was "Because Jesus loves us". :scratch (the correct answer being something along the lines of "He obeyed") She does very well with hands on learning but that isn't practical with every lesson. She is extremely bright. That isn't the issue. In every subject, except math, she is at least a year ahead. Math she is about 1/2 a year ahead.

#3) She seems to have a very hard time following directions in groups like gym class and basketball practice. Last year at gym she came up to me crying several times because she didn't understand the simple directions the teacher gave her. I see her manuvering herself at the end of the line so she can watch what the other kids are doing because she apparently doesent understand it when the teacher speaks the directions. I can relate to this myself being a visual learner. When she watches the other kids she "get's it".


I am just worried that she is eather having hearing problems or the message is getting messed up somewhere between her ears and her brain.



Sealed I am glad to hear your experiances with professional help. I am leary of getting her tested with the public school and we absolutely cannot afford private help (unless insurance pays 100%). I think I would just like to know exactly what is going on here so I can better help her. It would give me a starting point at least. It really pains me to see such a bright girl struggle with such simple things to the point of tears and frustration.

[lisaann]

oh yeah.....

#4) It also takes her a very long time to answer a question that I ask out loud. She knows the answers it just takes her a very long time to process my words and then find the words for the answers.

[Cookies4me]

well for one thing she is not an auditory learner.

Step one would be getting her hearing checked. :nod


#1) I am noticing that she has a lot of trouble articulating her thoughts. Often she will say something that has nothing to do with what she is actually trying to say. (if that makes any sense ) For instance if she means "tomorrow" she will say "yesterday". I know what she means.....I think she knows what she means.........it just comes out wrong. She often cannot come up with the word she needs.
I still do this. :pound. When dh is driving and he needs to know what way to go. I will say left and point right. he knows to follow the finger not the words.

I had a very hard time listening and then repeating what was said. It gets all mixed up in my head and just gets stuck in there.
I would have her follow along with you as you read. having her point out every other word as you go along. Stop every paragraph and have her tell you what you just read. It could be in her own words. If she fails to do it then stop at every main point. Repeating it if necessary.

[lbeels]

Have you considered a Neurodevelopmentalist? My son has been seeing an ND for a year and a half now and has made great impovements since he started. He couldn't remember anything and was very slow in school. Math was the toughest for him because he couldn't remember what he'd learned. It was frustrating for him and me. Now he's doing 1 hour of math a day working on pre-algebra and consumer math. They both are very challenging for him but he's doing it without my help.

Seeing an audiologist or speech therapist is only targeting one area that needs worked on. An ND is wholistic in their approach and will work on everything, including nutrition.

Visual and auditory dominance is a huge part in the ND approach.

Here are a couple of ND websites so you can get more info about the Neurodevelopmental approach. help-with-learning.com littlegiantsteps.com

God Bless

[Biblenuggetlady]

Don't stop with the hearing test...you can request your school's IEP team to evaluate and do a full evaluation on her. A psychiatrist too, not psychologist....a doctor of psychiatry who knows how to look for clues to ADHD, ADD and varying degrees of autism. They might find your child is a high functioning autistic (my youngest is) or even ADD/ADHD. DO NOT feel bad or stimatized by "labels", these "labels" will get you a ton of help through the school system. My middle son who is still at home has ADHD, both boys take medication and it works wonderfully and they can think and process SO much better.

[Sealed]

Thanks Ibeels! I have not been aware of ND. I am going to check that out NOW. Very interesting!

Re: my above post....I was not intending to put off SLT.....we stuck it out for years, and realized that it wasn't helping in OUR situation. I am glad we did it, though....you never know unless you try, and it might be the very thing to help someone else.