Central Auditory Processing Disorder, or CAPD, reduces the brain's ability to process sounds. Usually, someone with CAPD hears normally but struggles to understand speech, especially in noisy environments.
Symptoms include:
- Difficulty with multi-step directions
- Easily distracted or bothered by background noise
- Behavioral issues
- Poor listening skills
- Disorganized and forgetful
- Language and/or speech delays
Evaluation
Most often, CAPD does not show up as hearing loss on a routine exam. It requires a series of tests by an audiologist.
The assessment evaluates abilities in the areas of:
- Speed or processing (Temporal Processing)
- Listening in noise (Auditory Figure-Ground)
- Listening to degraded speech (Auditory Decoding)
- Listening with both ears (Binaural Integration)
- Listening with one ear while suppressing the other (Binaural Separation)
Treatment
Treatment typically includes recommendations for environmental and educational modifications, such as:
- Always make eye contact when talking to the individual
- Ask your child's teacher to give him or her preferential classroom seating, away from distracting noises and close to the teacher's area of instruction
- Use the "buddy system" by asking a peer to assist the individual
- Use visual cues to alert the individual or gain their attention
- Make instructions short and simple, and ask the individual to repeat the instructions back to you
- Speak at a slightly slower rate and a slightly louder volume
- Try to eliminate background noise when the individual needs to focus on one task
Request an appointment through MyChart.
Additional Resources
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
Kids Health: Auditory Processing Disorder
