Auditory Processing Difficulties

Why do some children always miss the instructions in class?

Why do some children appear not to be listening?

Why do some children never seem to know what they are meant to be doing?

Auditory Processing Disorder affects a child's ability to hear and process verbal information.
When we speak as adults we take for granted that those listening are following what we are saying. Teachers give lots of verbal information and instructions every day which they expect pupils to understand and follow. As parents we constantly give directions and pass on information verbally to our children and get frustrated when they do not respond.

Children with APD very often try to listen but are not able to 'process' or make sense of the words easily. It may take time for them to respond or they may need to ask for clarification.  They are not trying to difficult, they are simply not able to comprehend what you are saying without support.

It is not a case of focusing more or trying harder, the child is not being lazy or inattentive. It is not a physical hearing problem or a lack of attention it is to do with the way the brain is processing the sounds and language.  It is not about comprehending the words themselves it is about mishearing or muddling the sequence of sounds in a word.  Auditory discrimination is affected making it hard to distinguish similar sounds - 'chess' and 'chest' or 'back' and 'bag. ' Auditory sequencing difficulties may also mean the brain 'scrambles' the order of sounds it a words making words hard to understand.  Auditory memory is also affected making it hard to remember what has been said.

Background noise can make a huge difference to a child's ability to listen and understand what is being said. As so many environments can be noisy many people learn to 'tune out' the noise, but this is not possible if you have auditory processing disorder. Other noises compete for your attention making it difficult to follow what was being said.

What can done to help?

Children need to be specifically assessed by an audiologist, a child may have normal hearing but have auditory processing difficulties.  The tests can not normally be administered until the age of 7.  Assisted listening devices may be recommended that reduce background noise and enhance that speaker's voice.  Speech therapy may also help to address some of the auditory difficulties.

When a parent is aware of these difficulties they can try to ensure there is no background noise when giving instructions or discussing something important.   They need to be patient when the child doesn't follow what is being said first time.  Keep important information short and clear.  Encourage eye contact. It is not always easy not to get frustrated, when what you said seems straightforward.  Use routine, checklists and visuals to help reduce that amount of listening required for day to day things.

Teachers need to create an environment where it is acceptable to ask for instructions to be repeated rather than getting cross and telling a child off for not listening.  They should also be conscious about using visuals and concrete materials to support what they are saying.  Allowing children to have printed versions of what is being explained or at least bullet points can be very helpful for many children. Rephrasing what is said can be helpful as sometimes it is the complexity of language or the sound combinations that make something hard to understand.

For more information see www.understood.org and read the excellent book by Terri James Bellis