CAPD

Does My Child Have Central Auditory Processing Disorder?

By Mindy Hudon, M.S., CCC-SLP

Misinterprets jokes or puns or laughs at jokes at the wrong time

If you suspect that your child may have CAPD, it is important to first have your child evaluated by both an audiologist and speech-language pathologist. An audiologist will evaluate your child's hearing status and can administer specialized testing designed to help identify CAPD. A speech-language pathologist will administer a battery of standardized tests to assess auditory processing skills. It is important to try and identify CAPD problems as early as possible to help children acquire compensatory strategies to assist them. Also, the sooner a CAPD is found, the sooner the child will receive the help she needs for lifetime success. For a list of audiologists and speech-language pathologists in your area, contact the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

Once a child is identified with CAPD, it is important that parents notify the school in order to minimize the impact of this disorder within the academic setting. Classroom changes can be made to help the child with academic achievement, such as classroom placement and seating. The teacher can use different compensatory strategies (speaking slower, use of visual/written cues, repeating/rephrasing questions, previewing classroom material, etc.), which can help the child within the classroom setting.

Also, parents have an important role in helping children with CAPD. Children with CAPD often have more difficulty than other children listening to speech in any room with poor acoustics or attempting to listen through background noise. They may have difficulty understanding speech if they are not looking at the speaker's face. Parents should work closely with the child's school to learn effective strategies to use at home.

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