AUDITORY PROCESSING
What is auditory processing? Auditory processing is a term used to describe what happens when your brain recognizes and interprets the sounds around you. Humans hear when energy that we recognize as sound travels through the ear and is changed into electrical information that can be interpreted by the brain. The “disorder” part of auditory processing disorder means that something is adversely affecting the processing or interpretation of the information.
Children with APD often do not recognize subtle differences between sounds in words, even though the sounds themselves are loud and clear. For example, the request “Tell me how a chair and a couch are alike” may sound to a child with APD like “Tell me how a couch and a chair are alike.” It can even be understood by the child as “Tell me how a cow and a hair are alike.” These kinds of problems are more likely to occur when a person with APD is in a noisy environment or when he or she is listening to complex information.
Auditory processing describes the way the brain assigns significance and meaning to the sounds in the environment. Effective auditory processing involves a relatively high speed of information transfer. It also requires a good attention span, a well-functioning memory, and sensitivity to the many subtleties of sound. When parts of this complex system break down or don't operate efficiently, listening is compromised. All the ensuing problems are collectively known as Auditory Processing Disorders (APD).
This condition is often present from early childhood, leading to a number of difficulties as the child becomes older and messages become complex and are given more quickly. This may manifest as poor auditory comprehension, delayed language development, poor expressive and receptive language or high distractibility, though many other symptoms are also noticed. Auditory processing problems are a feature of many other disorders, including autism, dyslexia, learning disabilities, dyspraxia, Asperger's syndrome, developmental and speech delay, and attention deficit disorder with or without hyperactivity (ADD or ADHD).
Research has shown that the best way to improve the function of any sensory system is through intensive stimulation, and the most direct form of stimulating the auditory system is through research-based, proven programs designed specifically to improve auditory processing. At CRSS, we offer several of the leading technology-based and teacher directed auditory processing programs. Our goal is to improve your auditory processing to the point that, upon re-testing, your auditory processing skills are consistent with your overall verbal and intelligence scores.
Some possible signs and symptoms
Children with APD often do not recognize subtle differences between sounds in words, even though the sounds themselves are loud and clear. For example, the request “Tell me how a chair and a couch are alike” may sound to a child with APD like “Tell me how a couch and a chair are alike.” It can even be understood by the child as “Tell me how a cow and a hair are alike.” These kinds of problems are more likely to occur when a person with APD is in a noisy environment or when he or she is listening to complex information.
Auditory processing describes the way the brain assigns significance and meaning to the sounds in the environment. Effective auditory processing involves a relatively high speed of information transfer. It also requires a good attention span, a well-functioning memory, and sensitivity to the many subtleties of sound. When parts of this complex system break down or don't operate efficiently, listening is compromised. All the ensuing problems are collectively known as Auditory Processing Disorders (APD).
This condition is often present from early childhood, leading to a number of difficulties as the child becomes older and messages become complex and are given more quickly. This may manifest as poor auditory comprehension, delayed language development, poor expressive and receptive language or high distractibility, though many other symptoms are also noticed. Auditory processing problems are a feature of many other disorders, including autism, dyslexia, learning disabilities, dyspraxia, Asperger's syndrome, developmental and speech delay, and attention deficit disorder with or without hyperactivity (ADD or ADHD).
Research has shown that the best way to improve the function of any sensory system is through intensive stimulation, and the most direct form of stimulating the auditory system is through research-based, proven programs designed specifically to improve auditory processing. At CRSS, we offer several of the leading technology-based and teacher directed auditory processing programs. Our goal is to improve your auditory processing to the point that, upon re-testing, your auditory processing skills are consistent with your overall verbal and intelligence scores.
Some possible signs and symptoms
- Have trouble paying attention to and remembering information presented orally
- Have problems carrying out multistep directions
- Have poor listening skills
- Need more time to process information
- Have low academic performance
- Have behavior problems
- Have language difficulty (e.g., they confuse syllable sequences and have problems developing vocabulary and understanding language)
- Have difficulty with reading, comprehension, spelling, and vocabulary
