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
