Auditory Processing Disorder

Auditory Processing Disorder (ADP) is a term that seems to be frequenting classrooms recently.  This is most likely because of the awareness of the condition and the stress on differentiated instruction.  Unfortunately, ADP is a term some teachers use incorrectly because the signs a student suffering from and auditory processing issue will resemble the signs of many other learning disabilities from ADHD to Autism to Dyslexia.

 

Simply put, because of an Auditory Processing Disorder, audible information taken in by a student does not get processed accurately by the Central Nervous System and thus, is retained inaccurately. 

 

Only a licensed audiologist can diagnose a condition of ADP.  They will use a series of tests that will utilize a variety of audio stimuli and repetitious signals. 

 

That being said, parents and teachers of a student are on the front lines and can see signs of an APD long before a child’s condition will be determined by an audiologist.  In the classroom, be on the lookout for:

 the student who has a delay in processing and explaining their thoughts

If a student confuses similar sounding words such as “three” vs “free” or “got” vs “hot”

A student who is distracted or confused by background noise and has difficulty focusing on one audio stimuli over another

A student who seems to ignore instructions or has difficulty following verbal tasks

The student who has difficulty understanding relationships between written words such as similes and metaphors or understanding sarcasm

If you notice any of these signs in a student, be sure to start a conversation with the students Child Study Team immediately.  It will take the input from a multidisciplinary team to shed light on a student’s academic difficulties and cognitive functions.

 

Every APD is different and will be treated as such.  There is not one “go-to” solution in this situation and the treatment plan will be highly individualized and will require the effort of many people.  As a teacher, the most effective thing you can do to help is be sure to present information and instruction in a multi-sensory way.  Don’t just tell, model and show.  Supplement your instruction with manipulatives, visual cues, and graphics.  Give directions in the form of an easy to decipher, visual list.  Explain discipline specific vocabulary before you start your lesson.  Also, change your classroom environment to make it free of distractions.