Auditory Processing Disorder (APD / CAPD)

Answer:

Our experience has been that individuals  age 7 and over with symptoms of C.A.P.D., or “auditory dyslexia” do well with Davis methods.

The ‘diagnosis’ of C.A.P.D. is becoming more common for children and adults who seem to have problems with listening, either because they do not seem to be able to readily distinguish sounds in language, or have difficulty understanding what has been said to them. These individuals do not have any physical problem affecting their hearing, but seem to have difficulty in interpreting the words that they hear.

Symptoms of C.A.P.D. include:

• Difficulty understanding verbal instructions/directions;
• Delay in responding;
• Says “Huh” / “What” a lot;
• Forgetting what was said;
• Speech problems (Confusing R & L sounds);
• Problems with blending sounds and discriminating sounds;
• Daydreamers/behaviour problems;
• Frequent need for repetition of directions and information;
• Use of gestures rather than verbal expression;
• Inability to discriminate between words that sound alike;
• Distractibility by outside noises;
• Difficulty remembering names and places;
• Difficulty repeating sounds, letters, & numbers in sequence;
• Possible speech and language delays;
• Possible history of ear infections.

All of these are recognized symptoms of dyslexia, as well. While it is sometimes useful to distinguish between patterns of symptoms, it is a mistake to assume that this particular set of symptoms stems from different causes than dyslexia.

We can readily see how the two major facets of dyslexia, disorientation and limited ability to think with words can lead to any or all of the symptoms of C.A.P.D.

There is one important distinction, however. To the extent that ‘dyslexia’ is defined as a problem with reading, it can rarely be reliably diagnosed in children under the age of 6; many young children simply are not ready for reading. Symptoms of C.A.P.D. are sometimes manifested much earlier, in children as young as 3.

If a pre-school age child shows significant delays in learning to speak or understand language, the parents should seek evaluation by a qualified Speech & Language therapist, as well as obtaining examination from a physician or audiologist to assess the child’s hearing.

(Answer by Abigail Marshall)