pehp Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 I am interested in meeting my son's needs and am thinking he probably has an auditory processing issue. He's on the spectrum, diagnosed as 'moderately' autistic at age 2, although now at age just-turned-7 he would probably be high-functioning. His language skills are good, vocabulary rich, and he doesn't have any repetitive behaviors. The primary issues we deal with now are social skills and what I believe are auditory issues. The latter play out in various ways. When he was a baby he HATED loud noises. As an infant he would just scream at sudden laughter or loud noises. As a toddler he would meltdown. Now he removes himself from situations with overly loud noises, but he has acclimated very well (sudden laughter doesn't make him crazy anymore, which is good!). I have noticed, however, that his hearing is weird. He hears fine--he will notice birds, trains, etc. in the distance--but there seems to be a processing issue. I will give him instructions to get dressed, etc. and a few minutes later he's genuinely shocked that I told him anything. I've REALLY noticed that when I'm trying to explain something he will get very, very frustrated easily b/c he doesn't seem to grasp what I'm saying, so I'll sometimes draw a picture. I am a somewhat-fast talker (for a Southerner, at least) and I've noticed that at times when I speak somewhat rapidly he gets confused. It is almost as though he just can't filter through and process all those words! And in soccer games, he has a hard time with coach's instructions....the coach will tell him to do something/go somewhere and it's like my son never even heard it--there's a lot of ambient noise at those games (the chatting, other coach giving instructions, kids, loudspeaker sometimes etc) and it seems to me that he's just not able to filter through it all. We haven't had any services since he was 3 (he scored too high for any services through the public school system after we aged out of early intervention and his speech and language skills are great), but I'm considering consulting w/ an audiologist. Any advice on this would be MOST welcome: with whom I should consult, how to help a child like this, tips on communicating effectively with him (like when I give him instructions--I almost need to get him to repeat back to me each time!) etc. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EndOfOrdinary Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 My husband has a very large portion of CAPD markers. He had an IEP as a kid, though at that time I do not think they were using the term CAPD in rural Mississippi. Many of his markers were specifically addressed in his IEP. I am still very new at trying to modify. He drives me crazy sometimes. Things that I have found helpful or really difficult: Only ask for one specific thing at a time. No lists of feelings, instruction steps, questions, etc. one very specific question, then another, then another. No introductory clauses or long introductory stories, no tangents, no jumping about when one thing reminds you of another. Explain as plainly as possible. No emoting. This is the hardest for me. I tend to show my emotions. When I get frustrated, excited, sad, whatever, it changes the rate of my speech, the tone, the enunciation and it becomes very hard for him so he tends to either get really muddled or he shuts down. Honestly, this could also be that I tend to forget the first two bullet points when I get emotional as well. It could be some combination. I have just really noticed that communication quickly breaks down with the emotion, but if I take a very deep breath and steady myself into flattened, careful speech it picks back up again. No interrupting. My husband cannot pick up where he left off. He cannot stop to explain one thought I have misunderstood and then pick back up. It is back to the one thing at a time. No multi tasking or multi track conversation. Ask all questions at the end of the statement, never in the middle. Rephrasing rather than questions. Clarifying is hard for Dh. I would never restate because it seemed presumptuous. I am more of a "what did you mean by ____?" person. This does not work well for him. "It sounds like you are saying __________?" Miles better. He has difficulty understanding exactly how your question fits the situation or addressing the question. If I restate, he can use my words to better explain himself without having to try and understand what I am asking. I do not know if any of that is helpful. As I said, I am still trying to figure this all out myself. These boards have been so beneficial to me. The experience of seasoned veterans is worth so much! Good luck with you child. I highly applaud you for trying to help him and do as early an intervention as possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer-72 Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 Honestly, I think you should head to an SLP who has some experience with APD. The evaluations that they can do on him now that he is over 6 will get you a much better idea of how he is doing with language then the ones they can do at 3. A child that is having difficulty with multi step instructions ime is a red flag for their language abilities. My son has HFA and since his language appeared at 3 1/2 has always tested in at least the average range for receptive and expressive. That does not mean that he did not have lots of language areas to work on though. We kept working with our SLP on ds's abilities to follow multi step instructions and problem solving skills etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pehp Posted June 16, 2014 Author Share Posted June 16, 2014 EndofOrdinary--thank you! That sounds a lot like my son in many ways. Interrupting and my emoting are both difficult for him, and I like the rephrasing suggestion. I also may need to start asking him to 'tell back' what I'm saying. The interesting thing is that we do narrations, and he can narrate really well! He seems to follow a storyline/narrative with no major trouble (unless it is archaic language; we use Milo Winter's Aesop's Fables for our narrations right now and they are just right), but instructions maybe don't 'flow' so well or something. I'm going to chew on those suggestions! Jennifer-72: thank you for the input. I'm trying to ascertain what would indicate whether he should see a SLP. His expressive language is very good (I would say excellent and on track with his peers), and in standardized testing his highest scores were language-related (above grade level). My son's language was slightly delayed, but not way behind (he started saying mama/dada at 2 and was saying a few other words prior to that); by 3 he was speaking in sentences. In the case of your son, what types of language-related issues did he have to work through? I'm trying to figure out how I would know if we should see a SLP. The one we had (who finished up w/ us when my son turned 3) definitely felt he was ready to be let loose on his own......so I'm not sure how to figure this out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EndOfOrdinary Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 What I have found is that my husband is fantastic at faking it! He can have fun, shmoozy, light conversations better than most people I know. He is seriously considering becoming a high school administrator he is so good at it. It is when the conversation steps out of a scripted, light hearted manner where every word and the connotations of the words matter. I think he hears about every third word, then gets the gist, and relays an anecdote. This is what I think the difference is between instructions and narrations. With the instructions you need to listen to each bit. With narrations you can gist over some parts. Telling back is a good idea, just be aware he might not actually be able to do it so if he gets very angry/frustrated keep that in mind. My husband loves experiential education. He wants to throw himself in and then figure it out later. No tedious steps. Some curriculum are designed this way. You may want to look for discovery method curriculum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer-72 Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 We worked on many pragmatic aspects of language. Ds tests very high in the tests for expressive language but the way he uses his language is what we needed to address. He would respond to questions but not really start a conversation. His problem solving was delayed as well. He also need help with his ability to inference. He had trouble following novel multi step instructions and we spent lots of time working on that along with trying to strengthen his auditory memory. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 Well you can call around, but when I called the audiologist place in the big city where they actually do a proper, full booth eval, they said they won't even see a dc without the SLP and np evals first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pehp Posted June 17, 2014 Author Share Posted June 17, 2014 We worked on many pragmatic aspects of language. Ds tests very high in the tests for expressive language but the way he uses his language is what we needed to address. He would respond to questions but not really start a conversation. His problem solving was delayed as well. He also need help with his ability to inference. He had trouble following novel multi step instructions and we spent lots of time working on that along with trying to strengthen his auditory memory. This is really helpful! I somehow had only connected a speech therapist's work to the actual technical aspects of word formation, sounds, etc. I didn't realize that they also worked on these pragmatic skills. My son could definitely use help on starting a conversation and following instructions in particular. THANK YOU!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MotherGoose Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 I have no concerns about SN for my dd, but I have found that having her repeat back my instructions helps makes sure that what I told her happens, and that she's not off in her own world! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cherylswope Posted June 19, 2014 Share Posted June 19, 2014 Dear pehp, I am new to posting here but enjoy reading when time permits. My son sounds very much like yours (autism spectrum, auditory processing difficulties, strong vocabulary). Although bright in many ways, when in a group setting he requires a "private invitation" to follow directions! In addition to implementing the good advice you already received, you might consider adding a full psychoeducational evaluation. At just-turned-7, your son may soon embark on more concentrated studies. A good overall evaluation can help assess his visual processing, auditory processing, intellectual strengths, and more. This could assist your new daily strategies, your findings from the speech-language evaluation, and your planning for his upcoming homeschooling endeavors. Over time, such an evaluation can even help him learn ways to adapt for his processing difficulties on his own. Cheryl homeschooling mom to adopted boy/girl twins with autism, processing difficulties, learning disabilities, coordination delays, & severe mental illness Simply Classical: A Beautiful Education for Any Child Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tokyomarie Posted June 21, 2014 Share Posted June 21, 2014 Cheryl homeschooling mom to adopted boy/girl twins with autism, processing difficulties, learning disabilities, coordination delays, & severe mental illness Simply Classical: A Beautiful Education for Any Child Welcome, Cheryl. I have seen your book recommended here and it's on my reading list for someday in the hopefully not too distant future. I'm taking grad classes right now so most of my current reading (special needs issues) is prescribed for me, but I do want to read your book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cherylswope Posted June 21, 2014 Share Posted June 21, 2014 Welcome, Cheryl. I have seen your book recommended here and it's on my reading list for someday in the hopefully not too distant future. I'm taking grad classes right now so most of my current reading (special needs issues) is prescribed for me, but I do want to read your book. Thank you, Marie. You might even consider reading in two phases. The first chapters move swiftly in story form, so they might be a welcome break from your assigned reading. Many enjoy the story portions in a single setting. Then you could save the remaining portions for later. Or bring the book to class and share with your professors! :) We want to spread the word about an alternative to the ways many teach (and have been taught to teach) special-needs children. Thanks- Cheryl homeschooling mom to adopted boy/girl twins with autism, processing difficulties, learning disabilities, coordination delays, & severe mental illness Simply Classical: A Beautiful Education for Any Child Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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