CAPD (Central Auditory Processing Disorder)

Auditory processing is a term used to describe what happens when your brain recognizes and interprets the sounds around you. For example, we know we are hearing birds chirping because the brain processes and interprets the sounds of the chirping birds.  A child with auditory processing difficulty does not recognize subtle differences between sounds although the sounds may be loud and clear. This problem becomes worse if the child is placed in a noisy environment of if he/she is listening to complex information.

Children with auditory processing difficulty typically have normal hearing and intelligence. However, they have also been observed to

• Have trouble paying attention to and remembering information presented orally
• Have problems carrying out multistep directions
• Have poor listening skills
• Need more time to process information
• Have low academic performance
• Have behavior problems
• Have language difficulty (e.g., they confuse syllable sequences and have problems developing vocabulary and understanding language)
• Have difficulty with reading, comprehension, spelling, and vocabulary