Learning Differently – Auditory Processing
Sometimes subtle differences in the way children process language can cause setbacks in learning and socializing. Luckily, there’s a lot that can be done to help.
Does your child often misunderstand what you or others say? Is your child struggling in school? These may be symptomatic of many learning difficulties, but could spell auditory processing problems. Though the word auditory would lead you to think that this is a hearing problem, auditory processing can be present without any hearing difficulty at all and with average to above average intelligence.
Auditory processing is the technical term used to describe the brain’s ability to rapidly take in and interpret sensory information in the order in which it occurs. Problems in this area may make it more difficult for a child to express himself verbally or to make the connection between certain sounds and letters.
Speech is made up of rapidly changing elements of sound. Phonemes (the smallest units of sounds that differentiate meanings of words like pat vs. bat) are made up of specific combinations of sounds. Auditory processing allows us to distinguish between the different phonemes, the building blocks upon which words, sentences and grammar depend. If a child does not automatically recognize each sound, he will most likely have trouble learning sound-letter relationships.
Also as we speak words, the elements in them, change quickly. When a child cannot process these sounds rapidly, the incoming message may lose something in the translation.
These problems may have a profound affect on a child’s ability to read and write. They may interfere, for instance, with a child’s ability to make sense of bits of grammar that are brief in duration – plurals, past tense, pronouns, etc.
Related Language Difficulties
Auditory memory difficulties may go undetected until a child reaches six to eight years of age, especially in the absence of other speech, language, and learning difficulties. This child may forget the directions easily. When he is young, working in a group, he can easily watch others to figure out what to do. But when he is older and independent work is expected, the difficulty may emerge. A child who has this problem may be able to comprehend what a story is about while listening, but may have difficulty remembering newly introduced words, character’s names and/or details of the story.
Sequencing requires putting things in the right order. As children reach the first and second grades, the brain becomes more conscious of order (left/right, beginning/ending, first, middle, last). A child with an auditory processing/sequencing deficit may be able to tell you bits and pieces of a story or event, however he often cannot start from the beginning and tell you what happened in an organized and logical way. Sequencing difficulties can affect spelling too.
Some behaviors of children “at risk” for auditory processing problems:
• often misunderstands what is said
• difficulty following directions or comprehending conversations
• frequently daydreaming or is inattentive
• expressive language difficulties
• difficulties listening in the presence of background noise
• problems with phonics
• word finding and/or naming difficulties
• use of empty or non-specific language
• problems organizing thoughts or stories
• difficulty maintaining eye contact when listening or speaking
• needs verbal directions repeated
• has reading, spelling and other academic problems
A Light at the End of the Tunnel
Children at risk for possible auditory processing problems are being identified at earlier ages. If a parent suspects a problem, it is critical that the child be evaluated to determine if any language and/or processing difficulties are present. It is also essential that parents, teachers, tutors and therapists work together as a team so that they can more effectively bridge any gaps in the child’s academic performance, and maximize the child’s potential.
Prognosis is excellent with appropriate intervention. Treatment may consist of traditional one-on-one approaches that target areas of weakness and/or new computer technology. It is possible, studies of the brain tell us, to train the brain to more accurately distinguish between stimuli occurring at progressively higher processing speeds.
Once parents and teachers understand that a child has auditory processing difficulties, there are also small changes they can make in the way they present information that will make it easier for the child to process it. They can, for instance, slow down their rate of speech, pause between statements, and emphasize key words to enhance processing skills. Using visual cues paired with the auditory information would also help. A lot can be done on both ends – intervention with the child and training of the teacher and parent – that will help make learning less frustrating and more rewarding for a child with auditory processing problems.