When a child has a disability, the impact on the family can be devastating, but there is perhaps no other place in the world where acceptance is more needed and expected than at home, with family and loved ones.
A child with Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD) must feel loved despite of his or her condition. However, members of the family may inadvertently send the message that the child suffering from this condition is a burden, unloved and unappreciated. Coping with and compensating for APD can be exhausting and parents, most especially may find themselves having trouble communicating at the end of the day, especially after a hard day at work as they can be petulant. But are there ways to create a more harmonious home for a child with central auditory processing disorder, or sensory processing disorder, or learning difficulties in general?
A child with central auditory processing disorder needs to feel loved and accepted in spite of his or her disorder. In order to do this, members of the family should always remember the following:
1. Blame the disorder, not the child. Don’t make things worse by faulting the child because it’s not his or her fault but the disorder itself.
2. For a child with CAPD, acknowledging good listening behaviors are important. Family members, out of frustration sometimes bring up past miscommunication incidents and failures. Talking about letdowns can only make children suffering from this condition feel unloved, and worst, a failure.
3. Remember that the disorder does not define a person or a child so separate them from the disorder. It should be apparent that having an aversion to CAPD is different from disliking the person or the child with the disorder.
4. It’s important to always evaluate problem situations. Assessing the circumstances and talking about them provides family members an opportunity to understand each other better.
5. The majority of children with central auditory processing disorder will perform better when in a structured situation like that of a school. Comparing the listening environments should be avoided as you can’t expect them to have the same type of focused effort at home.
Creating and managing a CAPD-Friendly Home is not easy, but with the help of the entire family, it can be done. The effective strategies done in school may also be adapted at home.
With central auditory processing disorder, the ultimate goal of home management is to facilitate communication as smooth as possible whilst maintaining the warm, friendly, accepting atmosphere of safety and family.