my wife has been diagnosed with auditory processing disorder. we have a hospital appointment on Friday but they have given us no idea what to expect. (which they should have as part of her medical plan with her autism) two ENT specialists are arguing over her having hearing aids and its really too much to take in. Ive been trying to research treatment options but im having no luck.
Hi David.
The NHS on Auditory Processing Disorder :
Auditory processing disorder (APD) - NHS
Sections on testing and treatment :
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Testing for auditory processing disorder
Normal hearing tests aren’t very effective at diagnosing APD because they’re usually carried out in a quiet room without distractions and don’t test the ability to hear in a normal day-to-day listening environment.
More complex tests are needed to test the ability to hear with different levels of background noise, poor quality speech, people talking with different accents, and people talking quickly.
Specific tests that may be used to help diagnose APD include:
tests to check your ability to hear speech with different levels of background noise.
sound pattern recognition tests.
tests to detect subtle changes in sound – the results will be compared with those of similar-aged children.
electrode tests – you wear headphones to listen to sounds and electrodes placed on your head measure your brain’s response
speech and language assessments.
cognitive assessments that test your thinking.
Treatments for auditory processing disorder
There are a number of strategies that can help people with APD.
Auditory training
Auditory training involves using special activities to help train your brain to analyse sound better. You can do this on your own, with the help of an audiologist, or by using a computer programme or CD.
It involves a range of tasks, such as identifying sounds and guessing where they’re coming from, or trying to focus on specific sounds when there’s some slight background noise.
The tasks can be adapted for people of different ages, with children often learning through games or by reading with their parents.
Secondary source … Contact … mentions children but expands beyond what’s in the NHS link :
I trust the above will prove to be some use ?
Hi,
S has auditory processing disorder. His hearing is good, but his ability to process/ make sense of what he hears is impaired. He requires AAC to aid his understanding- things written down or folk to use his Dynavox device when talking with him ( it has a message window, for him to read.) He was diagnosed by a speech therapist 18 years ago. At the time, the only treatment available was private and the research evidence re its effectiveness was inconsistent.
Melly1
Hi,
I have auditory processing disorder. I’ve had it since I was diagnosed with it in elementary school. I’ve never worn hearing aids for it. I did write a book about my auditory processing disorder and how it affected my education. The book which is on Amazon is called ‘Sufficiently Educated: From struggling to a college degree’ by Jeremiah O’Neal. A couple of chapters of the book are also available here for download
Jeremiah O'Neal | Kirkus Reviews (scroll down to where it says Download sample chapter).
Living with auditory processing disorder can be quite difficult and people not knowing that you have auditory processing disorder can be quite confused by it. That’s why I wanted to share my experience living with the disorder through out my entire school and my career. I would say for your case and anyone else living with someone with this disorder is to read about other peoples cases. You can read about my case and what I’ve experienced and I’m also sure that there’s other places on the net and books that you should check out as well.
Jeremiah O’Neal
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