APD is diagnosed when an individual presents with listening difficulties that cannot be explained by an actual hearing impairment or significant cognitive or language problems (Witton, 2010). It presents as having difficulty following oral instructions; having difficulty focusing on one source of sound when there is background noise; needing more time to process information; difficulty with reading, comprehension, spelling, and vocabulary, and other symptoms that fit that general pattern (Foli & Elsisy, 2009).
The formal diagnosis must be done by an audiologist. First, they rule out a hearing impairment by conducting a hearing test. If this child presents with hearing within the ‘normal’ range, they will go on with what is called a Central Auditory Processing (CAP) test. This includes testing for dichotic listening skills (do both ears receive and process sounds equally? Can the listener focus on one specific sound when there is background noise?), and the child’s tonal-pattern abilities (can the listener put sounds together to understand the words that are being said to them?), which is vital for reading and speech. This is a sophisticated testing process as it has to detect even mild symptoms of APD in order to ensure there is not a misdiagnosis of ADHD or another form of learning disorder (LD) that other professionals are often quick to diagnose on their own (Fouche-Copley et al., 2016). We see families come to an audiologist after their physician has diagnosed their child with ADHD and suggested medication. A formal CAP test can often prove it is actually APD, which does not require medication, but rather therapy or online training in order to manage and eventually treat.
Foli, K. J., & Elsisy, H. (2009). Influence, education, and advocacy: The pediatric nurse’s role in evaluation and management of children with central auditory
processing disorders. Journal for Specialists in Pediatric Nursing 15(1), 62–71.
Fouche-Copley, C., Govender, S., & Khan, N. (2016). The practices, challenges and recommendations of South African audiologists regarding managing children
with auditory processing disorders. South African Journal of Communication Disorders, 63(1), 1-9.
Witton, C. (2010). Childhood auditory processing disorder as a developmental disorder: The case for a multi-professional approach to diagnosis and
management. International Journal of Audiology, 49(2), 83-87.
Bình luận