Central Auditory Processing Deficits

It is possible to improve Central Auditory Processing Deficits.
Central refers to the brain. Deficits means under-active. Consequently, lack of strong auditory stimulation negatively affects the development of auditory processing skills. The result are behavioral, emotional, social, and academic difficulties. One must be able to listen and comprehend to remember. Your auditory memory is your short-term memory. Thus far, all clients receiving a diagnosis of CAPD were found to have significant visual processing difficulties. 

Is Central Auditory Processing Deficits Affecting You?

An insightful report, your Moore Auditory-Visual Questionnaire Report shares the intensity of behavioral difficulties related to specific areas of concern. 

Need Help?

Cheri Moore helps children and adults improve their ability to respond and maintain progress after auditory integration training using medically-based testing to guide intervention.

|

I had no answers until Cheri Moore started to help me and recommended Central Auditory Processing testing. Finally, answers! My granddaughter was diagnosed with severe Central Auditory Processing Deficits; it explained her behaviors and academic difficulties to a “T”. Cheri Moore provided invaluable help!  My granddaughter’s visual processing abilities improved with vision therapy, especially after she received her hearing aids!

A Relieved Grandmother, Chesapeake, VA 2014

Central Auditory Processing Deficits

Learn about a hearing loss often referred to as hidden. Because, the deficit occurs pass the cochlea along auditory neural pathway to the brain, Central Auditory Processing Deficits.

Which Hearing Tests?

Depending on where clients live, the process varies to obtain a referral to an audiologist specializing in Central Auditory Processing Deficits and auditory neuropathy. The Moore Auditory-Visual Questionnaire Report and additional information helps Cheri determine the need for hearing tests not completed during a typical hearing evaluation.

Perspective

Overwhelmed? Getting a diagnosis of Central Auditory Processing Deficits is overwhelming. During this time, Cheri supports you each step of the way helping you understand results and the intervention choices ahead. A diagnosis of Central Auditory Processing Deficits is a life-long journey. Improvements are possible.

A diagnosis of Central Auditory Processing Deficits requires intensive intervention for approximately 18 to 24 months.

Cheri collaborates with your child’s developmental optometrist to determine the best time to start auditory training. Once visual skills are strong enough, Cheri provides Auditory Integration Training.

Later, Cheri recommends auditory cognitive training to improve phonemic recognition, following directions, memory, and many more auditory processing skills. Most importantly, Cheri looks for strengths and opportunities helping clients build self-esteem.

Improving Central Auditory Processing Deficits

Before and after auditory training, hearing evaluations tracked clients’ progress. Joyfully, hearing test results found improved tolerance to sounds in clients of all ages. Clients who lacked progress after Berard-based Auditory Integration Training benefitted from hearing aids. Children received hearing aids with an amplification system called, the Roger Focus FM System.

Later, clients experienced improvements in their ability to meet vision therapy goals. Additionally, clients gained self-confidence and more academic success.

Once the auditory and visual systems are strong, clients receive neurocognitive auditory training to improve phonemic recognition. Retrain the brain to learn the meaning behind sounds that are now heard more crisp and clear.  Before intervention, sounds are distorted and difficult to hear. Cognitive training improves auditory processing skills, sound recognition, blending, memory, and response time.

Purposeful Play

Whenever possible, use therapeutic purposeful play. You can find ideas on the Purposeful Play blog. Guard against overwhelming the child with therapy. Let them think you are simply having fun. Best of all, Cheri helps you brainstorm ways the whole family can participate. The best reward to give a child is your time and focus attention.

Motivating Ideas for Therapy at Home

Good news! All auditory integration training programs and auditory neurocognitive training programs are completed in the comfort of your home. Additionally, Cheri provides documents to track listening sessions, fun listening activities, and rewards the whole family can enjoy.

I can say with confidence, therapy creates an opportuntiy to develop self-discipline. If able, involve other family members. Especially, if your other children are younger or even a year or two older. Most importantly, create a routine and be consistent. Let the child check off the task once done.

Routines

Pick a time your child can play outside before starting therapy. Increasing oxygen to the brain is helpful. Then, have a snack time follow by a bathroom break. Now, your child is ready for therapy with no interruptions. Once done, choose an activity that is rewarding.

When possible, play with your child or loved one outside. After the stress of therapy, laughter and large motor activities improve energy and mood the fastest. For example, ride bikes, swing, swim, pull a wagon looking for treasusres or kick a ball.

Increase your understanding

Interesting fact: Stretching and walking stimulatees the speech center. After a month, an amazing event starts to occur. Your loved one starts to talk your ear off!

Another idea. Join your loved one in play during their therapy sessions. A huge bonus for children and teens. They love the focus attention. 

During vision therapy, ask their optometrist which eye exercises are safe for you to try. What do you experience? If vision therapy is easy, please do not boast. However, you may experience a headache, eye discomfort, or blurry vision. If you do, make an appointment with the developmental optometrist. When your loved one sees others give the gift of time, they feel loved and special.

Chalk drawing of a man pushing the words never give up
Preschool girl on a horse watching uncle feed horse carrots.

Unintended Consequence of Too Much Therapy

As an auditory integration specialist, I have seen the unintended consequences of too much therapy. Children and teenagers can begin to feel broken. Never give up! Ask for help.

Are you looking for your definition of normal?

It is important to accept your loved one. Think about their strengths. Help them find ways to feel good about themself. One way is through interactions with an animal.

Horseback riding is a great way to bond with your loved one. Research shows that riding a horse stimulates the whole brain. Horse psychotherapy improves emotional health through interactions with a horse. It is very amazing to watch.

Regardless of age, it takes time to change the brain.  As improvements are experienced, like sound tolerance, past clients become more self-motivated to never give up on themself.

Buy and Own Roger Focused Hearing Aids

Roger Focused Hearing Aids help children with an autism spectrum disorder, central auditory processing deficits, and hearing loss. Research is showing the benefits. With the help of your audiologist, individuals learn about multiple types of amplification devices. For example, the Roger Inspiron is worn around the neck by the speaker.  During group work, the Roger Clip-on Mic can be worn or placed on a table. In my opinion, the most helpful device for older children is the Roger Pen. It has Bluetooth connecting to cell phones, televisions, and other media devices commonly used by teachers. During group work, it can also be placed on a table.

In most of my clients found to have Central Auditory Processing Deficits, Roger Focus Hearing Aids helped students learn at school and at home. After several clients started wearing hearing aids, parents shared academic improvements. Additionally, clients responded more strongly to vision therapy making progress in areas before unattainable. Once therapies are stopped, the brain needs consistent, strong sound energy stimulation to maintain progress.

girl wearing a hearing aid and three roger hearing aid pens in the upper right hand corner with text across the top

A Word of Caution

When schools buy hearing aids, students are not allowed to take hearing aids home.  Hearing aids are beneficial when worn while completing homework and during social interactions at home and away from home. It is very difficult for children with Central Auditory Processing Deficits to listen when there is competing background speech of noise. During homework, hearing aids suppress backgound sounds while amplifying your voice. While eating out, children can join conversations and develop social skills.

Cost of Hearing Aids

When financially able, I encourage parents to purchase hearing aids and an extra amplification device called the Roger Pen. One amplification device for school and one for home. Some parents found the extra Roger Pen on ebay. If you find Roger Hearing Aids on ebay, talk to your audiologist before purchasing. The audiologist has to be willing to inspect and program the used hearing aids. Definitely buy replacement insurance coverage. If hearing aids are not covered by your insurance company, develop a plan to change your insurance coverage. Lastly, contact Cheri if you need financial help from a non-profit that assisting individuals with limited income.

Researchers share Behavioral Characteristics of Central Auditory Processing Deficits

Researchers Chermak, Somers, and Seikel (1998) found that hearing loss behavioral characteristics associated with Central Auditory Processing Deficits negatively affect the following areas depending on the types of auditory processing deficits:

  • Motor planning
  • Visual processing skills (visual-motor skills)
  • Changing attention from one activity to another
  • Maintaining attention, an auditory and visual skill
  • Listening skills
  • Attention skills (auditory processing hyperactivity disorder)
  • Short-term memory difficulties
  • Delays in academic and social skills

Additional Difficulties

  •  Correctly process and organize sounds
  • Discriminate and recognize finite differences between sounds
  • Correctly order non-speech sounds (Illiadou, Bamiou, Kaprinis, Kandylis, Kaprinis (2009)
  • Reading, comprehension, and spelling
  • Expressive speech and writing (Yalcinkaya, Muluk, and Sahin)

Learn more about Central Auditory Processing Deficits from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

Ways Hidden Hearing Loss Surprisingly Affects Behaviors

When behaviors are present from birth, parents may think that developmental difficulties are attributed to another diagnosis. Thus, unavoidable. They may think, You act just like your aunt or uncle… Perhaps that same relative has an unknown hearing loss. 

There are more than 5 surprising reasons that hearing loss begins after birth. Some of these are genetic. Central Auditory Processing Disorder is a hearing loss that you can be born with or acquire after birth.

Testimony: Life Changing Success of Hearing Aids for CAPD

I pray that my testimony: Life Changing Success of Hearing Aids for Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD) transforms the lives of others. I was at my wit’s end when I met Cheri Moore. My oldest granddaughter, whom I had guardianship, had been tested for every possible psychological learning disability, including autism. She was prescribed medication, which did not seem to help. Still, no diagnosis.

CAPD’s Negative Effects Follow a Young Man Into the Workforce

I lack the words to describe the negative effects of central auditory processing disorder on the life of a young man trying to enter the workforce. Likewise, I find it difficult to fully express the changes in a client’s life after the completion of 2 to 3 auditory integration training programs with vision therapy and cognitive exercises. Thus, I would like to share a testimonial from a young man who never gave up on himself despite the negative effects of CAPD that followed him into the workforce.

Join Our Community!

Get tips on how to improve your health and learn through purposeful play delivered straight to your inbox.

FDA Statement On AIT

"Auditory Integration Training remediateds impairments in auditory discrimination (sound sensitivity and auditory distortion) associated with Autism, Learning Disabilities, and related disorders - ADD, ADHD, CAPD (Central Auditory Processing Deficits), SPD (Sensory Processing Disorder), Dyslexia."

 

Need Help?

Cheri Moore helps children and adults improve their ability to respond and maintain progress after auditory integration training using medically-based testing to guide intervention.