The first question you might be asking yourself is, “What is central auditory processing?”  This process is not about what is heard but about how the brain interprets or processes this information once it has been received.   Central auditory processing involves “what we do with what we hear” (Katz 1992)

The next question is, “Then what is a central auditory processing disorder (CAPD)?”   A CAPD can be defined as an observed deficiency in one or more specified behaviors as they relate to central auditory processing. There is a breakdown in the processing of information that happens somewhere beyond the organ of hearing.  This can apply to verbal as well as non-verbal signals.  Some children have difficulty processing sounds in a useful or meaningful manner.  They can hear them, in the conventional sense, but can’t process them.  These children may have difficulty understanding speech or paying attention under normal every day circumstances.  They may have more trouble processing when there are distracting environmental sounds or movements around them.  This can lead to inattentiveness or inability to attend to or complete a given task.  You may think that they are just not paying attention, but this may be a real problem for them.  Adjustments might need to be made to improve their environment to enable them to attend to the tasks at hand.

Now that we have attempted to define the process and the disorder, what are we going to do about it?   In order to properly assess your child, we will need as much information as we can get.  Reports from other professionals will incorporate into our evaluation.  We will need a complete case history and information that will help us understand what type of problems and in what situations your child is having problems in.   A hearing test will be performed to rule out hearing loss as a contributing factor in your child’s difficulties.  Once this has been completed, we will administer a battery of Central Auditory Processing tests. Not all of the tests will be performed.  The test battery will be customized to your child’s needs.  This will be determined by a number of factors including history, age of the child, language abilities and other factors that might help us decide what the best test battery is for your child.

Once we have completed the test battery, we will review the results along with all of the other information we have gathered about your child.  The audiologist is only one of a team of professionals that are involved with the assessment of your child.   We will then come up with specific ways to manage his or her problems according to what he or she is having difficulties with.

Open communication between the family and all professions involved is of the utmost importance in order to achieve our goals.  Before and after each appointment there will be ample time to discuss what was done and to answer any question you may have.  Please feel free to call in between appointments if you think of something else that you need to discuss with us.