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Language processing disorder, also known as auditory processing disorder, affects a child’s ability to interpret auditory information, follow directions, and remember information. It can be classified according to the area of difficulty and is treated with compensatory strategies and environmental changes. Diagnosis is made through hearing tests and therapy is provided by teachers, parents, and speech therapists.
A language processing disorder is a neurological problem that affects how the listener interprets auditory information. Also called auditory processing disorder, verbal deafness, and central auditory dysfunction, this disorder interferes with a child’s ability to follow directions, remember information, and pay attention. Hearing care professionals, teachers, parents and speech therapists treat the problem by helping the child develop successful compensatory strategies and by implementing changes in the child’s environment.
Auditory processing disorders are classified according to the area in which the child is experiencing difficulty. For example, some children have short-term memory problems, which affects their ability to recall recent verbal information. A child with a short-term memory problem may often ask the parent or teacher to repeat oral information.
Other children are unable to retain auditory information for long periods of time. These children may not be able to follow multi-step instructions. They often forget material learned in previous lessons, especially if the teacher presented the information verbally rather than in written form.
A child who has a language processing disorder related to auditory figure-ground discrimination is unable to filter out important information from background noise. This child may appear not to be paying attention, particularly if their surroundings are noisy. If auditory sequencing is the difficulty, this child may not be able to remember the order of spoken words.
Auditory discrimination, which is the ability to distinguish between similar sounds, is a critical reading skill. A child who has a speech processing disorder in this area may have difficulty distinguishing words if they sound the same, such as “mouse” and “mouth.” He may also have trouble distinguishing between similar letter sounds and may not be able to successfully blend the sounds to form words.
A child with a speech processing disorder might act as if he can’t hear, even though he has normal hearing. This child may have difficulty with written and oral language skills. His spelling may be poor and he may have difficulty with vocabulary, reading comprehension or problems with words. The child may also demonstrate poor academic performance, receive low or failing grades, or perform poorly in class.
An audiologist diagnoses a speech processing disorder by performing a series of hearing tests. Once the diagnosis is made, parents, teachers, and the speech therapist work together to provide therapy. The teacher might provide written materials or pictures to accompany verbal instruction, for example, while parents might make sure the child has a quiet area to study. A speech therapist will also develop an individualized plan to help your child.
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