k2bdeutmeyer Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 DD FINALLY (we waited 3-4 months) had her occupational therapy evaluation today. Bad news is that they cannot diagnose auditory processing disorder. Apparently, it takes a special kind of audiologist to officially diagnose it, and she was pretty certain that we don't even have one here in Iowa. BUT, she felt pretty confident in saying that she has "auditory processing deficiencies". I feel so validated. I KNEW there was something going on there! But....there's more bad news. The treatment she's recommending (because DD scored so highly on all her motor skills) is Integrated Listening Systems (http://www.integratedlistening.com). Recommended frequency is at least 3x/week, but preferably more (upwards of even 6x). The program she would recommend for DD would be 40 sessions. Here is the problem.....insurance will only pay for her to go to the clinic 1x/week. We would have to rent or buy a system to do the rest. Rent would be $50 per WEEK!!!! Or.....we could (hahahaha!) buy one for approx $1500. So....does anybody have any experience with this system? Thoughts on it? I didn't have time to ask her about other options, because DD was sobbing. We actually had to cut the evaluation a little short. DD has a scrape on her arm that appears to be infected and was causing too many problems, so we just stopped. We go back on Thursday to do her final test (the one specifically for APD type symptoms) and I can ask then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiramisu Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 I'm not sure which dd you're talking about, but if you could manage it at all, I would really recommend getting a full auditory processing evaluation with a pediatric audiologist familiar with auditory processing disorder if she's over seven. There are different types of APD and unless you know all the problems you're dealing with, you won't necessarily know the best therapies to pursue. You could wind up wasting a lot of time and money. We would not have known about dd's particular issues without the specific testing that the pediatric audiologist did, and, thus, what accommodations or therapies would help her. It took us until dd was 16 to figure it out because an audiologist who didn't know enough about APD overlooked important findings in a screening many years earlier. :grouphug: I'm happy that you picked up the signs of APD and are following through. I wish I had been more persistent earlier on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zimom Posted August 15, 2012 Share Posted August 15, 2012 I'm a little confused by your post. The OT is gong to test her? I agree with the previous poster, you need to find a pediatric audiologist well versed in APD/CAPD or don't spend your time and money. I was a pediatric audiologist in my prior life, but you did not want me testing or treating your child for CAP. 1/6 of the audiologists in our group did. Does the OT have a calibrated two channel audiometer with a double sound booth? Again, maybe I misunderstood and you are going to an audiologist. I can tell you one of the first recommendations is to cut down on background noise which is what ou do by schooling one on one versus a typical classroom. A low cost at home program is called Earobics, less then $100 to the best of my memory. The program you linked sounds like the old IAT, which also claimed to cure autism. Sounds like they just put a new name on it so they could continue to charge parents a ton of money...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zimom Posted August 15, 2012 Share Posted August 15, 2012 http://www.uni.edu/comdis/roy-eblen-speech-and-hearing-clinic http://www.uiowa.edu/~wjshc/ One of these two University affiliated clinics should be able to help. Plus, when I was in grad school, we offered sliding scale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k2bdeutmeyer Posted August 15, 2012 Author Share Posted August 15, 2012 (*disclaimer - I have not clicked on your links yet) The problem is that (according to the OT yesterday) there are not any audiologists qualified to test for auditory processing disorder even in the state. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zimom Posted August 15, 2012 Share Posted August 15, 2012 Auditory Therapy, to the best of my knowledge, is not in the scope of practice of an OT. I know it would have been malpractice if I had prescribed and treated a child for fine motor issues. Unfortunately I regularly had patients finally show up to me that were great candidates for cochlear implants, their regular audiologist less then ten miles away never told them we could help them. Of course, then they would lose a hearing aid sale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k2bdeutmeyer Posted August 15, 2012 Author Share Posted August 15, 2012 Honestly, I don't know. We went to the therapy center that our pediatrician referred us to. I made several calls on my own and wasn't able to get anywhere, so I asked the ped at DD's well child check. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted August 15, 2012 Share Posted August 15, 2012 Kristen - I googled "auditory processing disorders Iowa" and immediately found the address and number for the Wendell Johnson Speech and Hearing Center at the Univeristy of Iowa. I know that my state's university has a wonderful speech and hearing center that tests for more than you can often get through private practice so I would assume this would be the same. If there are any big children's hospitals in some of the bigger cities, I would check with them as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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