CAPD |Central Auditory Processing Disorder

Central Auditory Processing Disorder

What is (C)APD?
Central Auditory Processing Disorder is a complex problem affecting about 5% of school – aged children. These children can’t process the information they hear as well as others because their brain and ears don’t fully coordinate. Something adversely affects the way the brain recognizes and interprets sounds, most notably the sounds composing speech.

Detecting (C)APD
Children with (C)APD are thought to hear normally because they can usually detect pure tones that are delivered in a quite environment such as a sound-treated room. Those that can normally detect sounds and recognize speech in ideal listening conditions are not considered to have hearing difficulties. However, the ability to recognize the presence of sounds is only one part of the processing that occurs in the auditory system. So, most children with (C)APD do not have a loss of hearing sensitivity, but have a hearing problem in the sense that they so not process that auditory information normally. If the auditory deficits are not identified and managed early, many of these children will have speech and language delays as well as academic problems.

Does your child display the following behaviors?

Easily distracted
Bothered by noisy environments
Disorganized or forgetful
Difficulty following directions
Reading, writing, spelling, or other language difficulties
Often say “Huh” or “What”
Misunderstands what is said
Poor memory
History of ear infections

(C)APD is an often misunderstood problem because many of the behaviors noted above can also appear in other conditions such as learning disabilities, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and depression. Although (C)APD is often confused with ADHD, it is possible to have both. It is also possible to have (C)APD and specific language impairment or learning disabilities.

Referral Protocol
A typical evaluation includes several specialized tests that rely on normal hearing. Therefore, a hearing test must be conducted prior to a (C)APD evaluation. In addition, the child must meet specific criteria before evaluation:

Normal hearing
At least 7 years of age
Normal cognition/IQ
Records may be requested related to past attention, speech, neurological, psychological, or other relevant tests

If you think your child may have (C)APD, please consult with his/her educational and medical professionals.

To better accommodate our patients, we’ve attached the (C)APD case history questionnaire. Please print and fill out this form to the best of your knowledge and bring it with you to your next appointment.