AUDITORY PROCESSING DISORDER:AN OVERVIEW FOR THE CLINICIAN

1
AUDITORY PROCESSING DISORDERAN OVERVIEW FOR THE
CLINICIAN

• Gail D. Chermak
• The Hearing Journal (July 2001)

2
What Exactly is Auditory Processing Disorder?

• It is a deficit in the processing of information
  that is a specific auditory modality
• Associated with difficulties in
• listening
• speech understanding
• language development
• learning

3
APD Symptoms

• Difficulty comprehending spoken language,
  especially in different acoustic environments
• Ex classroom with many children vs. a one-to-one
  conversation
• Children frequently respond What? or Huh?
• Trouble paying attention and easily distracted
• Misunderstanding messages
• Difficulty following multi-step directions

4
How Many Children and Adults Have APD?

• APD occurs in approximately 2-3 of children
• 21 ration between boys and girls
• Cooper and Gates estimated APD in 10-20 of older
  adults, where Stach reported APD in 70 of
  patients over 60 years old

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Causes of APD

• No definite answer at this time
• 3 main categories of causes have been suggested
• Neuromorphlolgic Disorder (underdeveloped,
  misshaped, or misplaced cells)
• Delay in the maturation of the central auditory
  nervous system
• Neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's,
  are found largely in older adults

6
Tests Used to Diagnose APD

• Behavioral Tests
• Electrophysiologic Tests, such as auditory
  brainstem response (ABR)
• Electroacoustic Tests, such as immittance
  measures and otoacoustic emissions
• Neuroimaging Tests (MRI)
• Must be at least seven years old in order to take
  the Auditory Processing Test given by an
  audiologist

7
Approaches to Managing and Treating APD

• Improve quality of the acoustic signal and
  listening environment
• Improve auditory skills
• Enhance utilization of metacognitive and language
  resources

8
Approaches to Managing and Treating APD

• To improve the acoustic signal and listening
  environment a personal FM or sound field FM
  system is useful
• Attention to lighting and visual aids will
  enhance the audition and vision to benefit
  listening

9
Approaches to Managing and Treating APD

• To improve auditory skills there are computerized
  therapy tools, such as Fastforward and Earobics

10
Are these Children Eligible for Services in
School?

• They can qualify under the Americans with
  Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the
  Rehabilitation Act of 1973
• The ADA and Section 504 allows these children
  full and equal educational opportunities