Auditory Processing Deficits in Children

Teachers and other professionals have come to realize that just being able to ‘hear’ a spoken message is not enough to prop erly listen, communicate, and learn. One of the most challenging areas for educational audiologists is the auditory processing deficits (APDs). During the last 20 years, auditory processing deficits in children has gained recognition in clinical audiology is a deficit in the processing ofinformation that is specific to the auditory modality. Those who have worked with students are well aware of auditory processing problems and their educational impact. Growing public awareness and interest in APDs by both parents and educators has resulted in steady referrals to educational audiologists Frequently, APD is not evident until a child enrolls in school and the previous one-on-one home learning environment is replaced by a large classroom with an unfamiliar set of visual and auditory distractions. Children who have auditory processing disorders may behave as if they have a hearing loss. Students with APD, despite normal intelligence, are generally referred for concerns involving learning, behavior, or speech and language, which are interfering with academic progress. Many children with auditory processing disorders make inappropriate social contacts, since their failures with children in their age group lead them to seek playmates who are younger than they are. Often parents and other adults report that these children prefer to play alone. In school-age children, APD has attracted considerable interest because of suspicions that it may lead to learning difficulties, especially affecting language and literacy and hence to poor school performance. Thus, it is important for professionals to understand central auditory processing disorders. This paper reviews auditory processing deficits in children.This paper reviews auditory processing deficits in children.