Sometimes it can be frustrating being a parent. Or an educator. Or both. More so when we see potential of a child. Then realise we could be wrong expecting that potential. When they are attentive then loses interest. Have you considered? It might be an auditory issue.
Auditory Processing Disorder or APD can cause obstacles of passing the concise message from ear to the brain. APD is different from hearing loss. The sufferer can hear but is having complications with understanding. Hearing things like “It’s over there.” instead of “It’s on the chair.”. To others it could be a simple misheard thing but, again, it might be an auditory issue.
APD is sometimes referred to as Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD) it is a disorder that impedes the processing of auditory information. This means that the ears and brains are not fully coordinated. The child can hear you but there is a delay before it reaches the brain. What you said does not immediately sink in. And at times words are misconstrued for another word that sounds the same. This can happen when people talk all at the same time or in locations with very bad background noises.
APD is not a learning disorder. It is an auditory issue where the brain does not hear sounds in the typical way. Most cases are diagnosed at school age where children are expected to pay attention and listen. Most auditory system does not fully develop until they’re 15 years old, so any child diagnosed with APD have to be submitted to testing again at this age.
How to determine if your child has APD?
- It might be an auditory issue if there’s difficulty hearing clearly in noisy environment.
- It might be an auditory issue if there is an issue with short-term memory.
- It might be an auditory issue if they are unable to distinguish between similar sounds
- It might be an auditory issue if they have an inability to remember lists and sequences.
- It might be an auditory issue if they need to have words or sentences repeated often.
- It might be an auditory issue if they have a hard time following conversations.
- It might be an auditory issue if they would rather you write what you’re saying.
Getting one or two of these a check is not cause for alarm. Getting a few or all of them a yes might mean it is time to have your child see an audiologist to be certain.