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4 Childhood Conditions That Are NOT Auditory Processing Disorder

In previous years, children born with disorders or deformities were shunned by the community or were considered as bad luck as they had the misfortune of being born with a condition and were probably cursed by the gods. As humans progressed, these conditions were given names and attributed to science and genetics, not the wrath of gods.

One of the most common conditions affecting children is anxiety. Studies have shown that anxiety affects children almost as much as it affects adults. Jaundice is another common condition in children, especially in newborns. This happens when there is too much bilirubin in the body of the child and the liver is not able to process it all. Asthma is also another common condition in children. Asthma causes the lungs to get inflamed easily when a child has a cold or by things in the air like pollen. All these are treatable by medicine or therapy but can still make life difficult for a child.

Physical conditions affecting children are among those that are difficult to outgrow or overcome. Children would usually need intervention like surgery to correct these conditions. One of these conditions is club footedness. It presents itself usually in the womb where a baby’s foot does not develop properly and curves inward and looks like a club, hence the name. Another condition that usually presents itself in the womb is cleft palate. This happens when there is not enough tissue for the palate to fuse properly resulting in an opening on either the hard palate, soft palate or both. Scientists still do not know the exact cause for this condition, but genetics plays a big part in most cases.

As a parent, it is usually very daunting to find out your child has a condition and as you seek treatments to help your child lead a better life, you may turn to resources that are not 100% accurate. When it comes to health, knowledge is vital, not disinformation. In this day and age where technology has all kinds of information available for you at your fingertips, be very wary of your sources and only trust those that have been backed by research and sound science, not something you picked up off of a Facebook group. Though personal experiences and alternative solutions may sound good, especially in your darkest hours, know that these may not hold true for everyone and listening to your health professional is still your best bet.

Vacation Care Activities That Families With APD Kids Can Engage In

Various activities that families can engage in during their vacations

vacations, be it from school or work are a time of the year when people should relax, have fun and enjoy the peace of mind that comes along with it. However, with that said, planning for the perfect destinations, activities among other aspects of the vacation may require a lot of research and input which may turn out to be frustrating to individuals. Luckily various agencies can take care of such logistical issues on your behalf. These agencies as well have several vacation care entertainers in Sydney who specialize in ensuring families get extraordinary memories during their vacations through various games, visitation of educative locations among other activities. Some activities which you may get to enjoy from such professionals include;

bike rides- this can be done as a group or just a family bonding time which can be both fun educative and healthy.  Many routes can be chosen depending on the weather, natural environment of choice, distance, etc.

visiting local parks- this should be specifically those parks which you haven’t been to before. Some of these new council playgrounds have been equipped with water play for kids and various other fun activities that children can be engaged in. Some of these activities can be fun for adults as well and parents can join in to participate alongside their kids.

swimming- during the summer, swimming pools can be one of the best locations to cool off some heat. There are training personnel who can teach in case you don’t know how to swim and lifeguards are always present especially in sections where kids are swimming. Heated pools which are often indoors can as well come in handy in unfavorable weather conditions if swimming is a must-do for or the kids

Cooking competitions- these can be organized specifically for kids who are in love with cooking. Keep the menu as simple as possible and this may work best if there is a group of kids competing. Let them do everything from scratch but you should be on the lookout when they use sharp kitchen utensils and the cooking oven to prevent any possible harm from coming to them.

Join the ninja warrior school-. these are workshops with a range of milestones where mostly kids and families learn various ninja skills. These workshops often last for about two and a half-hour daily and most vacation care incursions and excursions entertainers in Sydney recommend it as a bonding and educative area for families and as well a good work out session while going through the various training milestones.

Going out for horse rides- horse riding should be one of those activities that parents should take their kids. It may take time before they fully learn and can ride on their own however even after they are fully familiar with this art, protective gear should be emphasized anytime they get on horsebacks.

Ice skating- this is one of the activities that most kids haven’t had to chance to engage in. it can be refreshing for them to learn something new. Parents can as well learn the skill and make it something the family does from time to time given a chance.

Differentiating APD from Autism

Parents of this generation has so many worries. More so than prior generations. This is because they have information overload from social media. Also people with too many opinions or know-it-alls. Those who have read something and thinks it applies to this child or that one. Alarmists, who thinks a slight delay or non-advancement of a child is a symptom. Off goes the parent to ask other parents, parent groups and social media. It is best to go to professionals, if you are really concerned. But until then, here are some tips differentiating APD from Autism. 

APD of Central Auditory Processing Disorder affects the ear – brain connection. There is a delay and disruption of the auditory information received by the ear that is delivered to the brain. People with APD have difficulty remembering sequences, lists and have issues with short term memory. They can interchange similar sounding words and have difficulty following oral directions.

Autism is broader and more complex. Autism Spectrum Disorder or ASD have 3 main characteristics and different types including classic autism; Asperger’s Syndrome; and Pervasive Developmental Disorder – Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS). These types have common symptoms with different intensity and impact. 

First off, know that a child is expected to have less control of his speech, emotions and actions. Expect clumsiness, inability to express himself (tears, tantrums), inattentiveness. Toddlers have even been likened to an adult drunk as far as behaviour and coherency is concerned. Not every child progress at the same time. That is why those diagnosed with APD at an early age is suggested to be tested again in their pre-teen or teen years.

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Differentiating APD from Autism will take a professional to be accurate. The symptoms of these disorders overlap in many ways. In many cases, autism and APD are found together. Speech delays and inability to focus or engage is found in both disorders. Some deduced that the delays in speech development of people with autism could be an auditory processing issue. The amplified effects of auditory hypersensitivity, may make the sufferers cover their ears or hum or react negatively when noise is present. 

Although symptoms overlap, it does not equate A = B. APD once correctly diagnosed, treatment and therapy can start It will take a battery of tests and several professionals to confirm. Therapy and treatments can also help improve autism symptoms and ability to function in time. ASD  screening is advised, the earlier, the better.

Differentiating APD from ADHD

Everything is new to a child. There are so many firsts he will encounter and be amazed at. He will try and learn what makes something tick and how to make it behave like that again. Their brains, like their bodies are operating at gazillion miles an hour. No wonder it is so hard to get their attention. Or maintain them. A normal five year old has about 10-15 minutes attention span for an activity that interest them any younger than that you can’t even quantify.

A lot of adults will point out inattentiveness of a child. This can both be good or bad news. Good because parents can be aware and be more vigilant. Eventually they may do more tests to actually learn what might be wrong with the child. Bad because in the hands of too enthusiastic adults, they may wrongly diagnose the child. Some are quick to say what it could be but there are ways of differentiating APD from ADHD

A child with Attention Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder has enormous difficulty to pay attention and control their behaviour. The three primary characteristics of ADHD are inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. They may show strong signs of one and moderately of the other two but they are there. They are not all the bouncy, disruptive kids. Sometimes they are inattentive, but neither impulsive or hyperactive. At around five or six, school age mostly, children with ADHD are easier to spot as their hyperactivity and inattentiveness becomes more conspicuous.

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Coincidentally, this is the age when children with Central Auditory Processing Disorder also gets to be diagnosed. They share the same inattentiveness symptoms with ADHD but here it is more that there is a delay in the processing of the audio commands. Their ears and brain do not fully coordinate  or what the child hears and how he interprets them. Children with this disorder have a tendency to be easily distracted as the sounds they hear are different to how we hear them. They are also unable to distinguish between similar sounds or homophones. Generally, when the cause of the inattentiveness is somehow sound related then it could be APD. To be very certain, consult a certified audiologist. If diagnosed, we suggest another testing be done after a few years, just to be absolutely sure.

Auditory Processing Disorder Symptom Checklist

Auditory Processing Disorder or sometimes known as Central Auditory Processing Disorder can usually be first detected in early school age. This is because children at this age are expected to listen and interact accordingly. This condition, though, by no means affect just children. Some acquire the disorder in their pre-teen years or are diagnosed even later. More boys are diagnosed than girls. The significance is yet to be determined. Auditory Processing Disorder could sometimes be a result of ear infections or head injuries. An Auditory Processing Disorder symptom checklist can give insight if an audiologist needs to be consulted.

The level of disorder usually is different for every patient. Some who suffer this condition can go through life undiagnosed. They learn to compensate and use other means to cope with this difficulty. Here’s an Auditory Processing Disorder symptom checklist for when you suspect someone with this disorder:

  • Shows language delay 
  • Problems in distinguishing similar sounds
  • Excessively quiet as to not be engaged in conversation
  • Easily distracted
  • Bothered by loud noises
  • Increase in performance in quiet surroundings
  • Challenges in following directions
  • Noisy places throw them off guard 
  • Difficulty in following overlapping conversation 
  • Have huge problems in following instructions 
  • Recall and short-term memory lapses
  • Multiple speaker confusion
  • Spelling difficulty and word problems
  • Riddles and jokes are lost on them
  • Trouble with learning song lyrics 
  • Performs differently with verbal exams as opposed to written ones
  • Distinct delay in comprehension, often have to repeat information
  • Difficulty in verbal tasks
  • Barely any contribution to classroom discussions
  • Poor musical ability
  • Too literal interpretation

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These are just some of the things one has to look out for in determining if a person has APD. If your child shows some or majority of these symptoms, it is in your best interest to see an audiologist and get an APD evaluation. This will not only determine if there is cause for concern, but also the extent and severity of the disorder. This could also rule out other possible conditions that exhibit and share similar symptoms like Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and autism. 

Importance of Auditory Screening

A disruptive boy in class who frequently gets into fights, the quiet little girl who doesn’t seem to be paying attention and the almost four year old child mumbling incoherently; these three children may share a common affliction. They may have problems with hearing.

 

Children with a hearing impairment have a lot of disadvantages to face. Frustration is felt by both the child and the people around him which could cause them to act out. Because of this impaired ability, communication may become limited and experience low confidence and self-esteem. Children will have a harder time learning to speak and form the sounds properly. If left untreated may severely affect a child’s development. Poor academic performance, language skills and social engagement among others.

 

This emphasizes the importance of auditory screening. Most countries have infant screening in place to detect deafness and other would be problems for the newborn. This is critical because hearing helps with the child’s ability to speak, communicate and develop early social skills.

 

But some hearing loss are acquired after the initial screening. This can be caused by exposure to loud noises, infections (mumps, measles, meningitis or whooping cough) or from progressive diseases like Meniere’s disease and otosclerosis, even medication and head injuries.

 

Some of these can be prevented by strengthening the child’s immune system. An improved maternal and neonatal health care and programs to prevent congenital infection. Immunization programs for both mother and child to combat meningitis, mumps and measles, rubella and pertussis.

 

Thankfully with the new technologies available, children with complex hearing problems can have a fighting chance with individualised treatment for their unique needs. Depending on the disorder identified and recommendation from their audiologist, they may be given trainings, therapies, programs or assistive devices designed for their specific needs for them to become faster learners, readers, hear better and improve their quality of life.