I have been working for 20 years with children and teens as well as adults, who have been having difficulties focusing and paying attention. Sometimes this can be due to ADD or ADHD (see Blog Number One), but sometimes it is due to a Learning Disorder. This blog discusses one particular Learning Disorder: a Receptive/Central Auditory Processing Disorder.
An Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) is a problem with absorbing auditory information and retrieving it later on. It affects around five per cent of school aged children and the population in general. These individuals have trouble processing what they hear, as their central auditory nerve (which develops from birth to the age of four/five), may not have fully developed, or there is some other difficulty with the nerve, which causes a coordination problem between the ears and the brain. Something gets in the way of the brain recognizing and interpreting sounds, especially speech. Brain damage (concussions), ear infections, and other neurological difficulties can be a possible cause of this type of problem. With the right program, which acts like physical therapy for the central auditory nerve, students with APD can be very successful in school and work. Two of the main program are Fast ForWord and the Indianapolis program. EndeavorRx also is a great program, when ADD/ADHD is also involved. Here are some of the symptoms of CAPD/RAPD (Central Auditory Processing Disorder/Receptive Auditory Processing Disorder):
Often CAPD/RAPD can mimic ADD/ADHD, and although a person can have both disorders, testing is needed to determine if the individual has both, or one or the other. If the problem is ADD/ADHD, refer back to Blog One, and also look into a new program, EndeavorRx, which is an excellent video game/computer program for children up to age 12 (sometimes up to age 16). This program is similar to a video game and can be very enjoyable while treating the attention and focusing problems very well. There are four main problem areas in kids with APD:
Kids with APD often have trouble following directions, so these suggestions may help:
At School/Work Once CAPD/RAPD is diagnosed, it’s important to schedule a meeting at your child’s school. If this is for an adult, schedule a meeting with your supervisor at work. Tell the teacher/Learning Specialist at school about RAPD, and how you and your child will start work on a computer program, be it Fast ForWord or the Indianapolis program. Your child should be eligible for accommodations on school tests and standardized tests, including
10/14/2020 What is ADD? What is ADHD?Hello! My name is Patti Weiss, and I am a licensed neuropsychologist in San Francisco, California. This is the first of a series of blogs dealing with subjects that frequently come up in my practice. For this first blog, let’s look at attention deficit (hyperactivity) disorder. This is also known as ADD or ADHD.
What are the signs of ADD and ADHD? For mild and moderate attention deficit disorder, the symptoms are problems with concentration, attention and memory. There are also problems with sitting still for long periods of time (in class for children and teens, and in office meetings for adults). There are also difficulties with focusing on different subjects at school or at work. |
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