Auditory Processing problems in children?

[JESW]

In DisneyMom5's post about homeschooling there were several people asking about auditory processing problems in kids, and instead of hijacking the thread I wanted to start a new one.

Does anyone have any experience with this? We are in the beginining stages of having DS9 tested. We have had behavioral issues with him forever and now some of his problems are showing up in school (3rd grade). On monday he went through 2+ hours testing with the school psychologist. He didn't tell us much yet since there are more test to get through, but he did say something about an auditory processing problem. What exactly is it???? And how can kids be helped?? I am sure we will be learning more as time goes on and more tests are completed (we will not be surpised if he has add/odd and a few other things) but what are we in for?

Jill

 

[emmy]

We have a son who has PDD, Sensory Intergration Dysfunction, verbal and auditory processing disorders and possibly some ODD or OCD. As for auditory processing for him he has trouble blocking out background noises and focusing on the speaker( like in the classroom he may not hear the teacher if there are other noises or talking going on in the room). It also takes him more time to process what has been said and be able to respond. He is not good at games and things where the kids shout out the answers- because even if he knows it he is not as quick as the average child.
They have made several accomodations at school- one of which is an auditory trainer- which is like a microphone directly from the teacher to him. We always make sure we get eye contact with him and then say what we need to and have him repeat it- so that we know he has processed what he is being told.

Hope this explains it a little!

 

[huey duey & luey]

Basically, auditory processing difficulties, means that when given verbal instructions a person has trouble doing what was asked.
More specifically if a child is given directions orally they either hear it correct but can not carry out or even answer correctly It may take them a longer amount of time to process the information and then begin. Sometimes it is neurologically based with the brain interpreting the signals incorrectly and therefore the child can not do what was asked of him/her. Other times a child has difficulty listening to the teacher and blocking out other noises (auditory hypersensitivity). He then cant do what was asked because he truly didnt hear it.
A few things can be done. It is best to determine how your child learns best. If it is visually, then he should be given written instructions whenever possible, or be physically shown what to do. If necessary in class if instructions are spoken either he should have another child scribe his notes, or give him a tape recorder to tape class and write the notes later. It should be noted that he should not be given oral exams.
Sometimes a unit can be given that is used by hard of hearing (FM unit) this helps to block out any extraneous noises and he will only hear the teacher.
School is often difficult, because he is using all of his power to LISTEN to what is being said, but he isnt absorbing anything.
Good luck with the evals . HTH
Tara (sorry if redundant seems I was posting at the same time)

 

[huey duey & luey]

Also a good way to check if he processed the info is to have hime repeat what needs to be done. If things need to be presented orally keep it as short as possible
Tara

 

[Buckleybunch]

We have twin daughters.
One of them was falling behind last year in school. So we had her tested to see if she could be in title 1. During title one they had notice a difference in testing. So they asked if they could do test on her. We agreed, what ever help she needs we will do it.

So we found out that her IQ tested our genius.. but how she learns was the problem. Now the school didn't give us any "offical " name for it.

They figured out that she learns better visual then being told.

 

[tw1nsmom]

I think I was one of those people who changed the focus of the previous thread. I was so excited to see another person who might have some experience in what we're going through. How early can a child be diagnosed? Right now we are just going with the intuition of my son's special ed. preschool teacher and his speech therapist that he may have an auditory processing problem. Spencer is only 3 1/2 and has been diagnosed with developmental delay. He receives OT, PT, and Speech. He has some good skills (can say alphabet, knows colors, counts to 10, recognises numbers 1-5). However, he doesn't always seem to know what is being asked of him and will seem to not know things that I'm positive he knows (did that make any sense?). He also says Huh? and What? a lot. Does any of this sound like what your child went through in preschool? Does anyone know of any evaluations targeted at the younger child and also any treatments? I haven't found anyone locally to talk to, and I hate the thought of waiting until Spencer's 6 or 7 before he's officially diagnosed. I know I sound like a desperate, neurotic mother and, well, I guess I am. If any of you could give me insight as to the early years of this problem I would be so grateful.

Dawn

 

[Oh Kay!]

When my DS5 started preschool last summer, his teachers alerted us that he may have processing problems. I was beginning to be worried about his speech; he picked up vocabularies easily enough but couldn't string them up in sentences and didn't seem to understand instructions. On the other hand, he had mastered the alphabet, numbers up to 20, basic shapes and colors before his 2nd birthday. He was also very easily distracted.

He was given a battery of test, and was given speech therapy, OT, and SEIT service. He was not specifically designated for having an auditory processing problem; it was on his IEP though.

tw1nsmom, it was my experience that the evaluators are relutctant to label a very young child; a lot of developmental disorders have similar symptoms in early age. If you and the therapist are concerned about auditory processing, makes sure it gets on the IEP.

DS is doing much better in kindergarten; he was very fortunate to have been diagnosed so early. He will be mainstreamed into a couple of classes a day starting next month and we are keeping our fingers crossed.

JESW, good luck to you and your son. I found the evaluation process bewildering, and without the help from the preschool, I wouldn't have known what services to ask for. I suggest you talk to other parents in the district who have gone through the process and find out from them what services are available.

Kay

 

[Val]

My DD12 has an auditory processing disorder, although it is mild. She had menningitis as an infant, and that is the apparent cause. She is in the 6th grade in parochial school (jr hi). She does quite well, as long as she repeats or writes down directions. She hears well, but doesn't process- for example, if you ask her to hand you the keys she might hand you the cup....if she repeats the direction, you catch the mis-processing and can correct it. She gets mostly B's, with some A's and a C in math. Math is her "cross to bear". She mixes up signs (add versus subtract) and numbers, but really does quite well. She had some speech therapy when she was young, as well as some OT and PT for some motor weakness. We went with Catholic school because, interestingly, this school was better at dealing with her needs than the public school. On the "great" side she is a gift artist and an excellent athlete. She is a horrible preteen (whew, such PMS in a 12 year old!) and is a little mouthy, but is otherwise a great kid.

She has had great teachers at her Catholic school. Her third grade teacher once told her that we all have "crosses to bear" and each of us have to learn to deal with the weaknesses in our lives as well as our strengths. That has really been a blessing for her- she realizes that she is a great artist/athlete/actress but math is something she works harder at. Some of her friends are really good at math, but need help with P.E. and art. Suprisingly, she is not hung up at all about her "weaknesses", she just deals with them.

I realize her limitations are relatively mild, but am thankful that she is such a strong kid. She is a bit of an eeyore, but I think that is more personality rather than the auditory processing disorde. Wish she didn't have to deal with it, but she does SO well, and we are thankful for the wonderful support of her teachers! Now, if we could only do something about the mouthiness and the horrible case of boy-crazys that she is developing!

 

[huey duey & luey]

Dawn,
I'm going to try this agin (3rd time for some reason I keep losing my posts)
Has Spencer's hearing been tested?That is usually the first thing to rule out any hearing problems.
At a younger age it is more difficult to diagnosis a true processing difficulty. The child may not be cooperative or attentive enough to get a true scale.
Distractability could be a sign, because it is too hard to weed out the background noise to focus on what they should. As far as a true ap some ways to get an idea is to determine how he follows directions better (ie draw a circle for him and have him copy or ask him to draw a circle, model an obstacle course rather then tell him what to do). Does he often take a long time to begin a task?
Somethings that may help are give him simple 1 STEP DIRECTIONS. Make sure you have his complete attention when giving directions, you can ask him to repeat what he has to do. When giving verbal directions (esp when learning something new) make sure it is done in the quietest place with the least amount of distractions (esp a TV). Give him a few moments to let the info sink in before he starts even if it is something he knows how to do? Try taping something and then have himlisten to it through headphones, see if he seems to comprehend it any better.
You stated he recieves speech. Kids sometimes have difficulty replicating sounds even though they hear them correctly. This can often be very frustrating.HTH
Tara

 

[tw1nsmom]

tara, kay and all,
Thank you so much for the words of advice. Yes, Spencer's hearing has been tested (we originally tested it because of his speech delay and because he speaks very loudly...to the point of making himself hoarse). He tested normal for hearing. We've been trying some of the things that you suggested, however I would like to try the ear phone/tape technique. He's a bright, sunny boy who sometimes tests as being slightly lower on the intelligence scale. I don't agree with that part of his assessment. When he's concentrating, his skills are on par with his twin sister who is concerned above normal on the intelligence scale. That is one of the reasons I'm interested in getting a slightly more concrete diagnosis (even though I'm beginning to realize that that may not be possible), I don't want him to be erroneously labeled as "just slow." Another thing I've been researching are some early intervention techniques with auditory processing. Fast Forword looks promising and can begin at age 4. However, it's rather expensive. We don't mind spending the money if it will truly help him, but if Spencer doesn't actually have auditory processing problems I would hate to waste the money and frustrate Spencer. Some of the other characteristics he has that I think may fit in with auditory processing disorders are as follows. He is very eager to please and will sometimes give any answer without listening/considering in order to move the test forward. When he does this at home I can stop him and get him to think about the questions...he most likely will get what is being asked of hime then and will answer correctly. However, in a testing situation they don't have as much latitute with time/repitition of instructions. He also loves music, but wants to hears the same songs over and over again. Even after the repitition he still only sings one or two key words from the refrains. He also likes to hear the same couple of stories over and over again and won't seem to pay attention or sit still for new stories. I know I won't be getting any difinative answers any time soon. I guess I'm having a hard time with not Knowing exactly whats's gong on with my little peanut. If I don't figure this out I feel as though I will be failing Spencer by not getting him the early help that he may need to get him back on track. Thank you for listening to my ramblings. Nobody I know locally has a child with this problem. It's been nice to talk with people who understand.

 

[JustHolly]

Auditory Processing disorders MUST be diagnosed by an audiologist. There are a couple of standardized tests given by speech therapists that can screen for it. One of them is the TAPS and the other, I believe is the SCAN. The audiologist first rules out a hearing loss, and then has very specific tests to determine an auditory processing disorder. Some of those tests include presenting information within background noise, and seeing if your child can discriminate between different sounds presented to each ear (left and right).

Basically, people with auditory processing disorders "hear" information, but for whatever reason, doesn't make it to the reception areas of the brain to be processed- filtered, selected and understood. It's almost like, "It goes in one ear, and out the other" The brain is not picking up the information as it is meant to be heard, or it only picks up some of the information. That's why children with auditory processing disorders have difficulty following directions. They also misunderstand what is being said to them. Some children with CAPD (central auditory processind disorders) have difficulty discriminating between sounds (auditory discrimination). Most children with CAPD also have problems with short term memory.

There are several things that can help. For school age children, an auditory trainer can be effective. It is a headset or speaker for the child and the teacher wears a microphone. It presents the teacher's voice at an amplified volume and helps the child to focus on just that teacher's voice. (Many older children will resist this because it draws attention to them).

Children with auditory processing disorders can work with a speech pathologist who can train them to focus in on certain sounds, and teach them strategies to listen for key words when they are given directions, and other memory strategies.

There is a great book on the subject: WHen the brain can't hear by Teri James Bellis, PHD. You can get it online. I got mine at Barnes and Noble.

Holly

 

[JESW]

Wow! I am forever amazed about the information you can get on the DIS from a group of very diverse people! Thanks! Keep it up!

Jill

 

[Oh Kay!]

tw1nsmom,

Your Spencer sounds a lot like my Tommy. His intelligence score came out very low too, and I knew that was due more to him not understanding instructions and being distracted. He was also into repetitive things--to the point I was beginning to worry he might be autistic. But like Spencer Tommy was very eager to please and never shyed away from people. At another point I thought he might have Sensory Integration Disorder.

Tommy started receiving speech therapy and OT when he turned 4. It took about 6 months before he started showing real improvements. When he started kindergarten, I was worried. I seriously thought about holding him back a year. But on the first day of school, he was so happy to take the school bus and go to the "Big Boy" school.

At the parent-teacher conference, his teacher commented how bright he is. We've always known that but it was nice to be validated.

I completely understand your frustration about not understanding what's going on with your son. Every time I read about a developmental disorder I'ld worry Tommy might have it. The best advice I was given was to give him lots of love. It's a simple advice but admist the anxiety easy to forget.

Kay

 

[jimmytammy]

My DW thinks she PMed you(TammyNC is her name here on the boards). I will give you my insight on our DS. We have been dealing with his problems since birth, but the upside to it is he has come so far in his 9 yrs. I think once you get some diagnosis it helps to give direction in dealing with and making your childs life easier.

We decided to homeschool. I know this isnt the choice for everyone and I try my best to not knock public schools. He had a great teacher his 1st grade year that recognized his problem. Yet she could only do so much with 25 other kids in the class. I only tell you this because it is an option. It took a LOT of praying to know this was right choice. I hope by mentioning this it doesnt set off another fued. Educators of any kind whose hearts are truly in it are special people IMO. My hats off to them.

A good observation that helps me remember in dealing with DS is this: A teachers assistant gave us a video to watch dealing with aud. processing. There was a fellow who recognized folks with AP problems, some doctor(forget his name) and 25 other people, some educators, some principals, some proffessionals, and 3 adults with AP problems. He started off by explaining
what AP was. Then he began asking the educators what their names were. Within a few seconds he had them frazzled. He bombarded them with questions not allowing them time to answer the previous question. You could see the look of fear and anguish on these peoples faces. It was a good way for him to show what people with AP problems face each day. It opened my eyes.

Just know that youre not alone. Explore every option and dont give up. We were lucky in we recognized early in his life that he had problems. But because of it we are so far ahead. Good luck in finding out whats going on with your child.

Jimmy

 

[tw1nsmom]

Wow! I'm overwhelmed with all of the support and information! Thank you everyone.

I haven't received any PM's (of course I'm not the most adept person with computers). I would have no problem homeschooling if it became clear that that was the best thing for Spencer (I received my masters in Elementary Ed...I never had my own classroom, the twins came along before I could find a job). Right now the preschool is a godsend because his twin sister makes it difficult to give Spencer the one-on-one attention he needs (she tends to jump in with answers before Spencer has a chance). However, one of my main concerns when it comes to homeschooling Spencer is his social skills. This is one of the areas that Spencer is a little behind. He's great with adults, but will rarely initiate play without his sister's help. We have half day kindergarten here. I'm hoping to have them placed seperately. With one in the morning and one in the afternoon I will be able to give them more individual attention/tutoring that they both need. After that we'll just take it one year at a time.

I'm going to talk to his teacher and speech therapist tommorrow about further testing. There is also a developmental psychologist that I hope to get an appointment with in the near future (she comes highly reccomended). I had a bad experience with a developmental pediatrician recently. He had no experience with auditory processing, spent 1/4 the time of Spencer's original evaluation...45 min., refused to do any medical tests, and summarized the meeting by saying that not all highly intelligent people have highly intelligent children.

With all the stress and anxiety that we're going through right now there is one area (actualy many) where we have been truly blessed. Spencer just exudes love. It's impossible to not fall in love with him. He's a kissy, huggy, funny, compassionate kid and we are truly blessed to have him and his sister Katie in our lives.

Again, I can't begin to thank everyone for all their support. I was feeling very alone out here.

Dawn

 

[Oh Kay!]

I guess each school district makes different provisions for children with needs. My DS is in kindergarten full day. His days are divided between regular curriculum and related services-speech and OT. He is in a special-ed class. We had a lot of reservation about placing him in the special ed class, but right now we, and especially DS, are very happy with his placement. Special ed classes are capped at 12 children per class by law and the teachers are very highly trained. As I mentioned, he will be joining a regular class or two, and eventually fully mainstremed.

I have considered homeschooling, but he is also behind socially. I've made up my mind that Tommy will go to school for fun, not necessarily to learn. Fortunately, I can help him academically all the way through HS and then some; I had to give up my doctorate dissertation recently. As long as he finds going to school fun, we plan to keep him in public school.

tw1nsmom, I would suggest you start networking with the school district. Since you are fully licensed, you could work as a substitue teacher. Find out how the system works in your district. These services are very expensive, and unless you know what to ask for, very hard to come by.

Kay

 

[Buckleybunch]

Originally posted by tw1nsmom
We have half day kindergarten here. I'm hoping to have them placed seperately.

Hi Dawn,
Not to change the subject-
We had purposely put our twins in the same class room for Kindengartner, & 1st grade to help our twins. Delanie is like your Spencer. SHe is the quiet one, and also the one that I believe has AP problems ( not sure again if that is what the school called it). For us it helped out with social part and the learning part. Then towards the end of last year, we decided to separate them for 2nd grade, because Darby ( the other twin) was starting to answer stuff for Delanie, if she was having a hard time understanding..

This year, with title and the twins being in difference class rooms, Delanie's personally has changed a lot - and she is really starting to understand her school work.

Good Luck
Linda