A child is said to have an auditory processing problem when he or she has difficulty perceiving, decoding, remembering and retrieving information they hear. These auditory skills are necessary for children learning to read and spell.
A child with ‘normal hearing’ could have difficulties with auditory processing if he or she:
- Is slow to respond to questions or follow instructions
- Forgets complex instructions
- Is easily distracted during listening tasks
- Is better at listening in individual or small group situations than in large group situations
- Has particular problems listening when there is a lot of background noise (for example, in the classroom or at the swimming pool)
- Confuses similar-sounding words (for example, 'comb' and 'cone') during listening tasks
- Has difficulties saying complex words (for example, says 'mazagine' for 'magazine')
- Has difficulties ‘sounding out’ spelling and reading words
- Has difficulties with dictation tasks
It’s important to realise that these difficulties can have other causes (for example, a child with a language delay or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder might show similar behaviours).
Often several professionals (such as an audiologist, speech pathologist, educational psychologist and paediatrician) need to be consulted to determine whether or not a child has an Auditory Processing Disorder.