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Questions regarding Auditory Processing Disorder


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As suspected, my daughter's report from the audiologist indicated abnormal auditory processing abilities specifically in the areas of binaural integration skills.  They have recommended an Auditory Brain Stem Response Test because of asymmetrical speech discrimination testing results.  As it was explained to me, her results are a bit unusual.

 

She scored 100% in the Scan 3 test but did poorly on the Standard Spondaic Word Test and when given the CID Auditory Test W-22 she scored only 48% accuracy in quiet in the right ear.  This test was repeated with similar results. Some of her responses were gain for the word she, thing for big and war for law. Word recognition in noise in the left ear - 20% accuracy and 56% accuracy in the right ear.  

 

We will be starting therapy 2x per week in the near future.  In the interim, I am trying to formulate a plan because I feel like I am spinning my wheels but at the same time worry that I am not doing enough.  I dropped LOE (moved too fast for her) for AAS for spelling and am seeing some improvement.  CLE for math is a keeper. I have her write two sentences a day and that is her only formal writing aside from working with WWE1 which I have to breakdown into three separate chunks of text per lesson.  We are also doing a comprehension sheet, read alouds and I am having her read to me.  I gave up on history and science because it seems that she retains nothing.  Even the most basic information seems to go over her head.  Her spelling and vocabulary are very poor.  

 

One of the recommendations from the audiologists was to build word family awareness and word roots.  Is there a vocabulary program that would fit the bill?  Any other strategies or recommendations curriculum wise?  I am scattered, I know but this is a lot to take in.  Thank you for your thoughts. 

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No real curriculum suggestions off the top of my head but  :grouphug:  :grouphug:  :grouphug: .

 

How is her independent reading?  Could she get a Kindle and do a lot of Immersion Reading so she is seeing the words while hearing them?  That has helped with comprehension and retention of vocabulary for DS10.  He has not been evaluated by an audiologist but he does seem to have some sound discrimination issues.  Despite that, though, he is a great auditory learner, so our situation is a bit different.

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Thank you for the  :grouphug: . It is timely and greatly appreciated.

 

With regard to your question, her independent reading is poor.  She has gotten better but struggles.  She rarely picks a book up on her own.  I think in addition to her decoding issues, the fact that her vocabulary and comprehension is weak is an added factor for her.  A Kindle may be an option her.  

 

Thank you again.

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She had a full neuropsych evaluation and she does not have dyslexia.  She was diagnosed with a language disorder with impairment in reading but she scored in the 99.5 percentile for visual perception and reasoning skills.

 

On a different topic, maybe you can help me.  I am very confused about what system to use or how to gain access to immersion reading opportunities for my daughter.  I have called Amazon and unfortunately either I am not asking the right questions or they are not informed.  What specifically do I need to purchase to have her be able to follow text and read at the same time?  From what I have read, it is my understanding that I need to select books with the Whispersync option.  Is this correct?  Do I need to purchase the e-book and audio separately? How do I search for books in her reading level or at least her age group with that option?  I have several tablets so I am assuming that I do not specifically need a Kindle.  Again, I am scattered and obviously showing my age.  Please help if you can.

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You purchase the ebook and then yes you purchase the audio book separately.  But you should get a discount, sometimes quite substantial, for the audio book if you purchase the ebook first.  And yes it needs to be available through whispersync.  If you are signed up for Audible you get two free audio credits a month.  And sometimes you can earn more.  Really helpful.

 

What type of Kindle do you have?  Mine can't do audio books but we got the Kindle Fire HDX for the kids for this very purpose.

 

On a side note, since the DSM does not seem to use the term dyslexia (am I right about that anyone?) when they say she has a language disorder with impairment in reading could they mean dyslexia?  It seems to me that if she has trouble with decoding/fluency/spelling/reading comprehension that maybe the auditory issues are coupled with something like dyslexia.  What was recommended for helping her with decoding/fluency/spelling?  What are you using for remediation of the decoding/fluency issues?  Have you tried an OG based system?

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<removed invalid info see below for ETA>

 

You can check Kindle books out of the library and if you own the Audible book, immersion reading will work on them.  Some library systems may offer Audible books as a choice in which case you could check  out the Audible book too (but mine does not so I have never tested that).

 

Note: I see the Amazon website says immersion reading works with Android app  - but I can't even see my audible books in the Kindle App on my android phone.

 

ETA: I updated Audible and Kindle apps on my phone and now it works! hurrah!

Also I found this page lists the devices it works on - so  guess I will have to check the versions on my other Kindles and see if it works there now too

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Well, somehow I managed to download a book with the audio on my tablet and it worked.  No small feat, I assure you but I was able to download Fairy Tales Every Child....and my daughter just got done listening and following along.  There is quite a learning curve for me and I am still playing but hopefully I will become proficient at some point.

 

With regard to dyslexia, that has been no mention by either her psychologist or speech language pathologist.  The speech language pathologist did identify mild expressive and receptive language issues.

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If AAS is helping why not work through All About Reading?  I'd have been more inclined to work on the reading skills for now until she has spent some time in therapy and you get a clearer picture of what you are dealing with and work through ideas to remediate.  I'd let her read through books well below her level to build her confidence and enjoyment back into the activity of reading.  Save the hard stuff for reading instruction time.  I've had a lot of success with struggling learners with the AAR as it builds reading comprehension in a very small increments so it is not overwhelming for the struggling learner.  I've used BJU reading for other kids over the years and they ask every question under the sun about the story that is read that by the time you work through it you never want to read again.  I'd also be inclined to work through narration - start small and work up.  Ask questions after she is done reading a short chapter and then begin to help fill in the details and she'll eventually get stronger.  I've got a hearing impaired, APD/dyslexic college kid and small, short, gradual build up in lessons were key to any retention and confidence.

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Well now I am uber confused. My daughter's psychological evaluation is coded 315.00 specific language order with impairment in reading and 315.32 language disorder. So does that correspond to dyslexia and mixed expressive receptive language disorder in addition to the auditory processing disorder? She was tested privately at ETSU.

 

Also, thank you 1short mom for the AAR recommendation. I am taking a look at that program

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Sorry that things are so confusing.  It honestly sounds like dyslexia is part of the problem, but diagnostic terms are not very clear.  Have you looked at Susan Barton's website explaining dyslexia and the video that Timberly linked upthread?  Before hopping curriculum I would do a lot more research.  Many here have found that even with a diagnosis they had to do copious research on their own to get to a better place to help their child.  

 

Sources that might help a bit:

http://www.bartonreading.com/dys.html

The Mislabeled Child by Brock and Fernette Eide

Overcoming Dyslexia by Sally Shaywitz

The Dyslexic Advantage by Brock and Fernette Eide.  

Homeschooling Your Struggling Learner by Kathy Kuhl

The website http://learningabledkids.com/  (Sandy Cook has also authored several books you can see on her website and she posts here fairly often so you could ask her questions)

 

I am no expert but it seems what you might need is an OG based system to start her on while you work through the Auditory stuff.  I agree with 1shortmomto4 that AAR might work.  It has worked for others quite well.  Just be aware that for some it doesn't break things down far enough or go into enough detail or enough review for many dyslexics.  If your child has dyslexia, you may need an OG based system that is more specifically designed for dyslexia, such as Wilson, Barton, Lindamood Bell, etc.  And LiPS might be helpful since she has auditory issues.

 

Hugs and best wishes.

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I started viewing the Barton website and it said that her system should not be used with individuals that also have mixed receptive expressive language disorder so until I get clarification from the SLP I will continue with just the basics.

 

Heathermomster, from what the SLP told me it looks like she will be receiving therapy 2x per week for 30 minutes. My SLP is 45 minutes a day so hopefully I can have her spend that time doing immersion reading.

 

I am noticing more and more that with regard to reading, in addition to it being choppy she is substituting words and leaving of endings ex; that for the and old for older. That is just another observation in addition to many other things that are coming to light.

 

Thank you all again for your support.

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FWIW, substitution of words is very common in dyslexia.  In fact, that is how a lot of them slip under the radar.  They get really good at gleaning the gist of a passage from just a few correctly decoded words and the rest they skim over or decode incorrectly based on the first few letters.  As long as they sort of get the general meaning of the passage and aren't reading out loud, people aren't aware that they are not decoding correctly or reading fluently.  It becomes obvious when they try to read out loud and skip small words or guess based on the first few letters, etc.

 

Just to clarify, I wasn't suggesting that you switch to Barton in particular.  I linked her blurb on dyslexia just for some additional quick, cheap (free :) ) info.  I agree that Barton probably wouldn't work for your situation.  LiPS might, though.  Not an expert so maybe the SLP could help you there?  Only if they know about dyslexia and LiPS, though....

 

Remediation through the SLP is obviously critical at this point.  I just wanted to encourage you to look into the possibility that there are other issues at work since so much of what you are describing sounds like classic dyslexia.  With the auditory issues the dyslexia issues, if they are there, would probably need to be addressed in a bit different manner than with a standard OG based system but hopefully someone with more knowledge can advise you.

 

Best wishes.

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Thank you once again for all your help. I do realize you weren't suggesting Barton to me although it did come across that way from my response. Your suggestion that I view the video made me realize that I definitely should not curriculum hop based on the new information I gleaned regarding mixed receptive expressive language disorder. LiPS does look like it may be a very viable option but I will wait until I start with the SLP to make any additional purchases. I have a closet filled with expensive mistakes. :-( Thank you for making me aware that I may indeed be dealing with dyslexia. I wouldn't have otherwise known.

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I have a child with a similar profile (also 8yo) and our evaluation said "dyslexia like behaviors."  I got the impression they just didn't diagnose dyslexia, but that is what they believe we are dealing with.  If that makes sense.  There are inexpensive workbooks on amazon (we've gotten this one http://www.amazon.com/Reversing-Reversals-Activities-Sequencing-Discrimination/dp/0982221134/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1416939355&sr=8-3&keywords=dyslexia+workbook&pebp=1416939450127 ) which seem to have been helpful for us.  We also do a lot of audiobooks in the car.  

 

I don't know if your child appears to be able to read, but if so the term stealth dyslexia might be a good way to understand it.

 

We are in the midst of an online phoneme training program which seems to be making a positive difference.  My child seemed to miss or misunderstand a lot, and it does seem like this is making a difference in that area (and reading, apparently).  Time will tell.

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I just had my 7 year old son seen my a neuropsych. His got the diagnostic code  315.00 and it is dyslexia. It is written as language disorder with impairment in reading aka dyslexia. They do not have a specific code for dyslexia, but that is what that code means. He also got 315.1 and 315.2 for dysgraphia (writing) and dyscalculia (math).

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Thank you both.  My daughter can read and has made tremendous gains but she often substitutes words and is not fluid.  I feel one of her biggest obstacles is comprehension and vocabulary.  Even the slightest idioms and metaphors go way over her head.  She is scheduled for an ABR test next week to rule out anything organic and hopefully we will be able to formulate a plan soon.

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I would suggest that before you look at programs/ curriculums?

That you first get a clearer understanding of the issues with Binaural Integration.

So that you have an idea of how she hears?

The ABR is a good first step, to find out whether their is significant difference in hearing levels with each ear?

 

Binaural Integration, is what the brain does when it recieves sound from both ears, and then merges them to form a single sound.

But perhaps you can imagine the situation, where they don't merge accurately?

So that the brain has to switch back and forth, from each ear, to try and make sense of sound?

Where this creates a greater problem with the end of words, rather than the beginning.

 

Though the main method for developing integration, can also be used to test for it?

Which just involves having the person seated with their eyes closed.

Then another person, moves to different points around them. 

Then makes a sound, and asks them to point in the direction of the sound?  Without opening their eyes.

 

Where to locate the direction of the sound, requires binaural integration.

Studies have shown that where this is an issue?

That practicing this, will help to develop binaural integration.

 

Once this has been developed, then a secondary sound is introduced into the exercise.

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  • 2 weeks later...

My daughter had CAPD. That was when we started home schooling actually. But no services were ever offered. Public schools do not (or at least then did not) recognize it as real. The audiologist suggested software, which we used. I cannot recall the name. I also got some things from a local place, well, down in the city, called ...I cannot remember the name! They were at the Arlington Home School convention back then. Giant Steps or Tiny Hands or something like that. Ok..I am being of no help.

 

But. I let her read for fun. But turns out, audiobooks are a major thing that really helps with this. We listened to a ton. We started with Story of the World and then went on to others. It took a while, but in the end, she became a fine reader. I also assigned her to read simple books to the littles back then. Apparently..that helps with word fluency. 

 

I never followed any specific curriculum. We still did Spelling Workout. It uses phonics. It felt like the computer program we used for CAPD focused on phonics type stuff.

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