So, my son has CAPD...

[kRenee]

No big surprise.

 

My son (9) had his auditory processing evaluation today. His two main problem areas are: 1) one ear processes sound quicker than the other and 2) he has trouble hearing when there is background noise. (His accuity is fine)

 

The evaluator couldn't give me a CAPD subtype and said that there is nothing that can be done to fix the deficits. So, once again I'm coming to all of you for help. In your experience, is there any program that will help?

 

Thanks,

Karen

[Claire]

I'd try FastForWord followed by PACE or LearningRx. FFW uses highly modulated sounds of speech in an incremental protocol and this might be helpful for equalizing the processing speed of the ears. I'm pretty sure no research has been done on that specific problem, but knowing how FFW works I think it would be worth a try. It also sometimes helps with the background noise problem.

 

PACE and LearningRx train multiple aspects of processing. For example, they train three levels of attention skills -- the ability to sustain focus, the ability to sustain focus in the presence of distractions, and the ability to multi-task. That middle one could be helpful with the background noise issue. At the very least, these programs will optimize a wide variety of skills that can help with compensation.

 

Most audiologists will not recommend FFW because there is no independent research verifying its usefulness. However, the anecdotal evidence for FFW and PACE/LearningRx would be enough for me to try them both. If you do them both, you would want to do FFW first because it is working on a more sensory level of development.

[Mom0012]

My son recently completed the basic Neuronet program and he is now "listening in" to conversations while he is busy doing other activities. He does not have CAPD, but rather auditory processing weaknesses as well as a language disorder. Neuronet is specifically designed to help kids with APD. http://www.neuronetonline.com for more information.

 

Nancy Rowe, the creator of Neuronet is located in Florida, but we were able to meet with her by webcam after travelling to FL for an initial evaluation.

 

Lisa

[Homeschooling SLP]

I am interested to know the credentials of the person completing your CAPD evaluation. If it was an audiologist, which is the certified individual who should perform this, then you should receive a complete report explaining the results and providing recommendations.

 

One recommendation that should be made is for an FM system. These are used very frequently to eliminate issues with background noise. It is a system where the speaker has a microphone that sends a signal directly to the receiver which is worn by the child. This way they do not pick up the background noise but hear the speaker directly.

 

You have half the evaluation completed, but most children with auditory processing problems have related language issues. Therefore, to complete this evaluation, you need to see a Speech-Language Pathologist. They should administer such tests as Test of Auditory Perceptions (TAPS), Clinical Evalaution of Language Fundamentals (CELF), some type of receptive and expressive naming tests (there are several out there), and if there are issues with reading and spelling, some tests of phonemic awareness.

 

From these specific deficits can be identified that the speech-pathologist can direct treatment for remediation. There should be things that they recommend to you for improvement at home...for instance if there are issues with reading and spelling, they may direct you to a spelling and reading program that initiates with phonemic awareness exercises before moving into a phonics program such as Lindamood-Bell's Phonemic Awareness program.

 

There are some good computer programs designed to help Auditory Processing Issues...Earobics and FastForward. FastForward is more expensive and is overseen by a therapist; you can buy Earobics for your computer at home.

 

I am a certified Speech-Language Pathologist and have taught in Communicative Disorders at a major university for over eight years...just so you will know where I am coming from.

 

Homeschooling SLP

[kRenee]

Thank you all for your input. I will receive a report in about 2 weeks, I was just repeating what I had heard in the consult yesterday after the evaluation. The report will have her recommendations but they are all accomodations rather than anything that might fix the underlying problem. Yes, she was an audiologist.

 

My son has no trouble with reading or spelling. He's in vision therapy right now for convergence and binocularity issues. He doesn't like to read but when asked to read, his decoding and comprehension seem to be great. And he's always been a terrific speller and talker.

 

He does speak slowly with big pauses (like me) so I do think there is an expressive language disorder but it is not severe. I would love to get it "fixed" as well but I don't think he's going to put up with all the remediation programs that I'd like to try.

 

SLP, I am interested in your opinion - you have already expressed that you think a speech/language eval would be a good idea but ds doesn't appear to have severe impairments in that area. Would you still recommend an evaluation? Other than FastForWord and Earobics is there anything out there you know of that addresses CAPD? Which ones might help the most? I want to put our time and money into the most useful of therapies.

[Homeschooling SLP]

With auditory processing disorders, you see such varied and atypical patterns in speech and language dependent upon the specific auditory deficits. Many children with auditory processing deficits don't stick out as having language impairments, so as you describe with your son they do seem mild. Sometimes it involves things receptively like processing commands, auditory reasoning, remembering the sequence of sounds or words, being able to process when there is background noise, and a delay in vocabulary. Expressively, it is very common to exhibit halting speech often with poor expressive vocabulary and in speech some may exhibit a different intonation and stress pattern to their speech Some of these kids have areas of very high or normal strengths interspersed with deficits.

 

As I stated in the previous e-mail, the best way to determine those specific deficts is a good diagnostic evaluation. You have done part of it, but the specific language evaluation and recommendations would be given by the speech-language pathologist not the audiologist. From this then you can best determine the specific skills that you need to address rather than trudging onward hit and miss. You can work on "language", but unless you are targeting the specific deficits, you won't see an improvement in the weaknesses. This is not something you can treat as a whole and see changes in the parts, but rather needs treatment of the parts to complete the whole.

 

Fastforward is used alot with auditory processing and research does show that intensive use of the program shows improvements in receptive language skills. It does not target expressive language, nor does Earobics. Given the information you just provided, I don't think Earobics would be an option for you as it targets sound sequencing patterns. Since he reads and spells well this is not an issue with him. Fastforward can be very expensive and most of their research has been generated through their own work, not outside. Before jumping on that bandwagon, I would first seek the full speech-language evaluation, primarily because it may be that what it is designed for does not match the needs of your child.

 

Now, there are some other websites that carry workbooks with specific skills targeted in them...some are www.linguasystem.com, www.superduper.com , but again before spending money (some of these workbooks are rather expensive) I would do my homework and get the full evaluation. You can then go from there. As far as computer programs that really work well with expressive language deficits, there are none.

 

Hope this helps. I know this can be a very overwhelming task in searching and finding what works best for a child.

 

Homeschooling SLP

[Homeschooling SLP]

Forgot this...another program that is out there is Interactive Metronome. I have had no experience with this program and have been leary because there has been no research, just anecdotal. I checked their website a few months back though and they were in the process of conducting research with an outside group. You may want to look into that. I am not sure about their specific website address, but if you google Interactive Metronome it will come up.

 

Homeschooling SLP

[kRenee]

Thank you very much. I will put a speech/language eval on my to-do list.

[oceandaughter]

OOoops! I meant to start a new thread. Sorry!