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HOW
IS APD DIAGNOSED?
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Given the complexity of
auditory processing disorders, it is important to
involve a multidisciplinary team including
psychologists, physicians, teachers, parents, and
of course, audiologists and speech-language
pathologists. Audiologists diagnose the presence of
APD (hearing and processing problems), and
speech-language pathologists evaluate a child's
perception of speech and receptive- expressive
language use. Other team members conduct additional
assessments to determine a child's educational
strengths and weaknesses. Checklists that ask
teachers and parents to observe the child's
auditory behaviors may be used to determine a need
for the APD evaluation. The parent's description of
the child's auditory behavior at home is an
especially important contribution to the diagnosis
of APD.
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WHAT
DOES THE AUDIOLOGIST DO?
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The audiologist assesses the
peripheral and central auditory systems using a
battery of tests, which may include both
electrophysiological and behavioral tests.
Peripheral hearing tests determine if the child has
a hearing loss and, if so, the degree to which the
loss is a factor in the child's learning problems.
Assessment of the central auditory system evaluates
the child's ability to respond under different
conditions of auditory signal distortion and
competition. It is based on the assumption that a
child with an intact auditory system can tolerate
mild distortions of speech and still understand it,
while a child with APD will encounter difficulty
when the auditory system is stressed by signal
distortion and competing messages (Keith, 1995).
The test results allow the audiologist to identify
strengths and weaknesses in the child's auditory
system that can be used to develop educational and
remedial intervention strategies.
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HOW
SHOULD TEST RESULTS BE INTERPRETED?
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As with any
kind of evaluation, test results should be
interpreted with caution. The effects of
neurological maturation may influence test results
for children under the age of 12 years. A true
diagnosis of APD cannot be determined until that
time (Bellis, 1996). However, there are much
younger children whose auditory behaviors,
language, and academic characteristics indicate
that APD is a strong possibility, and even without
a formal diagnosis, these children would benefit
from intervention. Remediation should address their
strengths and areas of need based on available
speech-language and psychoeducational testing.
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IS
THERE A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN APD AND
ADHD?
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The behaviors of children
with APD and ADHD may be very similar, especially
with regard to distractibility. Given what is
presently known, APD and ADHD do not appear to be a
single developmental disorder. Each can occur
independently, or they can coexist. This is a prime
example of where the team approach to evaluation is
critical, as the team can rule out the presence of
ADHD or determine its contribution to the potential
educational impact on the child.
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Tourette
Syndrome "Plus" © Copyright 1998 - 2005 Leslie
E. Packer, PhD. except as noted.
All rights reserved
This page last updated January 7, 2005.
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