Identifying Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD) is hard for several reasons. The condition isn’t because the youngsters cannot hear words and phrases being spoken to them, but because their brains lack the ability to process the words and comprehend their meaning, which implies that conventional hearing tests do not always identify CAPD. Second, children with CAPD often develop coping behaviors which hide their disorder, for example observing speakers’ expressions or reading lips to obtain cues to help them comprehend what the person is saying.
The very same traits that make CAPD challenging to identify also make it challenging to treat; any person treating a child with Central Auditory Processing Disorder must keep these traits in mind at all times. There is currently no sure-fire cure for CAPD, and treatments for the condition must,out of necessity, be individualized and adjusted to the limits of each CAPD patient. That being said, there are a variety of therapy methods that are significantly improving childrens’ developmental prospects.
CAPD treatment tends to fall into 3 main categories: compensatory strategies, direct treatment and environmental change.
Compensatory Strategies – Compensatory strategies focus on assisting the CAPD sufferers with better skills in language, attention, memory, problem solving, and other critical coping strategies. The main objective of the compensatory strategies is to teach skills that on the whole improve academic success while also training CAPD students to be accountable for their own learning. Such methods routinely include lessons in active listening and activities or games based on the solving of word problems.
Environmental Change – Within the category of environmental change one strategy is minimizing the amount of ambient noise via soundproofing and installing acoustic tiles, curtains or wall hangings because background noise is proven to make it more difficult for a person with CAPD to comprehend speech. Another strategy is augmenting the voice of the instructor in a school room. The instructor wears a microphone and the CAPD pupil wears a tiny receiver. This combination makes the instructor’s voice more distinct from other voices and sounds.Even improved lighting may help, because a dimly-lit instructor’s face isn’t as easy to “read” for cues as to what they’re saying as a well lighted face.
Direct Treatment – Computer-assisted learning programs and 1-on-1 sessions fall into the category of direct treatment. These techniques depend on the brain’s natural plasticity and capacity to establish new neural pathways and capabilities. These kinds of methods include the use of Scientific Education’s “Fast ForWord” software or the “Simon” game by Hasbro to improve kids’ ability to order, discriminate between, and process the sounds they hear. Some direct Central Auditory Processing Disorder therapy uses dichotic training which trains the brain on hearing many sounds in different ears and processing the blended information accurately. The “Earobics” program by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, is also used by some therapists to enhance phonological awareness.
So if your child is identified as having CAPD, rest easy realizing that there are therapies available to address it, but do not forget that an early accurate diagnosis is vital to effective treatment. If you have further questions about CAPD diagnosis and therapy choices, commentary ask us. In the event that our wonderful team can’t help you we can help refer you to the best local specialists.