Auditory Processing Disorder Treatment!
Auditory processing disorderĀ is a condition that lasts a lifetime. Skills training to restructure and improve the way the brain interprets sound and interventions and adjustments in the classroom, at work, and at home are all part of APD treatment. APD is classified as a particular learning disability under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), described by a problem "that may present itself in the flawed ability to listen."
While there are interventions available for people of all ages with APD, doctors agree that early identification and therapy are better for symptom prognosis because the brain is more pliable at a young age.
Auditory training consists of some exercises that either directly address specific weaknesses or use "compensatory" tactics to compensate for them. Therapy can be anything from computer-assisted software packages to one-on-one training with a speech and language therapist.Ā
Some examples of therapeutic techniques are:
1. Listening to a variety of auditory inputs in a sound booth with interference introduced and controlled to train auditory pathways on sound discrimination
acquiring the ability to differentiate between similar speech sounds (like the b and p in buy and pie)
2. Figuring out where a faraway sound is coming from and which way it's coming from
3. Playing games with your ears (like musical chairs)
4. Using context to try to predict elements in a message
acquiring the ability to differentiate between similar speech sounds (like the b and p in buy and pie)
2. Figuring out where a faraway sound is coming from and which way it's coming from
3. Playing games with your ears (like musical chairs)
4. Using context to try to predict elements in a message
5. Treatment plans vary, but often doctors see patients four times a week for up to a half-hour of therapy.
The following are examples of APD accommodations for the classroom, the office, and at home:
1. Closing a window, closing a door, and adding a rug to absorb sound are all ways to improve acoustics.
2. Sitting closer to the source of sound (i.e. in the front of the classroom)
3. Putting in a stereo system in the classroom or lecture hall, removing all other sources of sound from the nearby area, and stressing clear voice; requesting that others repeat themselves
4. Having written instructions provided (on paper, a whiteboard, via e-mail, etc.)
5. Making use of assistive technology (like headphones)
6. Teachers being given note-takers or written summaries of class discussions/work presentations: checking for understanding regularly
7. Requesting that facts be rephrased in a more understandable manner
Only being given critical information when there is no noise or other distractions (like the TV)
2. Sitting closer to the source of sound (i.e. in the front of the classroom)
3. Putting in a stereo system in the classroom or lecture hall, removing all other sources of sound from the nearby area, and stressing clear voice; requesting that others repeat themselves
4. Having written instructions provided (on paper, a whiteboard, via e-mail, etc.)
5. Making use of assistive technology (like headphones)
6. Teachers being given note-takers or written summaries of class discussions/work presentations: checking for understanding regularly
7. Requesting that facts be rephrased in a more understandable manner
Only being given critical information when there is no noise or other distractions (like the TV)
