Ever had your child eval'd for an auditory processing prob?

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A listening therapist tested him for 1 1/2 hrs. She didn't finish the whole test, but it was really interesting what she discovered.

- He hears things at -10 decibals and sounds at 20 decibals are already too loud for him.

- He hears certain tones at certain volumes in the opposite ear, and as they get louder, he hears them in both ears. (She would say "touch the sound," and he would touch the wrong ear and then both ears)

-She said he definitely has a processing problem, that it is affecting not only the way he hears words but also his balance, coordination, and muscle tone.

-She said that all kids under age 7 hear not only sounds through the air but also vibrations through the bones in the body. Kids with sensory issues tend to hear more with the bone or something like that, so the sound in the air has a hard time getting in, plus there is a delay between when the bone receives it and when the air does, so it doesn't match or something. I didn't understand it exactly, but it was very interesting.

N started his therapy today, which consists of listening to music which has pauses in it and also has a vibrating thing in the headphones which is timed a certain way to the sound of the music.
He does gross and fine motor activities while listening. It was pretty interesting.

I am the autistic one, not my child, and I was never tested, but I can tell you I'm sure I have this. Part of it for me is I have truly vicious vertigo, to the point that I can't even watch certain video games being played because the swirling of the camera makes me ill.

Oddly, I love heights...

You may want to ask about this. I am not going to go through a diagnosis, and am not sure if my vertigo issues are connected to auditory processing disorder or another cause. If there is a connection, it's something you'll want to watch out for.

we had our daughter tested, as she was displaying sensitivity to sound. the audiologist said that she was just fine.....said we could take her for a CAPD test when she was older if she was still having trouble.

Yea i was tested as a child, and was diagnosed with CAPD at the age of 11.

_________________
Being Normal Is Vastly Overrated

J is 9 now just dx'd AS, when he was about 6 he was dx'd with CAPD.
Just a few days ago I asked one of J's doc's if the CAPD was in addition to the AS, she said no it's all part and parcel.

Hi Ster,
I just want to ask you if it was a long or short test. N was tested by the school district for a very few minutes, and they said he was just fine. But of course he was still covering his ears at parties, getting freaked out while playing hide and seek because he couldn't tell where the voices were coming from, still puzzling over where the phone was and always asking where other sounds were coming from, still hating the park when a lot of kids were there, etc, etc, etc. His dev ped just sent him for this other test. It took over 1 1/2 hrs, and she still did not get to all the tones and volumes, but from what she saw, she said he had it.

Duncanbass,
The therapist noticed right off the bat that he could tolerate side to side movement but not forward and backward. I am sure that your vertigo is connected somehow. I think there is something in the ear with two tubes of fluid, like a carpenter's level. If those sensations are not getting processed correctly by the brain, I am sure it could cause that.
My son also likes heights. He has always loved to climb, but has never liked to walk across the room.

the test was 1.5 hours.....

Okay, he's been in listening therapy for a month now. I am very, very excited. Here is what has changed:

He is all of a sudden aware of smells, which he never, ever seemed to notice before.

He can speak in a louder voice without any effort, when he mostly whispered or spoke very quietly before.

He is less afaid to try new movements. He is trying out all kinds of new moves- dancing, climbing, etc. Still avoids things that require a lot of hand strength, but definitely much more daring.

He started beating on things like a baby usually does, banging on boxes, etc, over and over and over again to listen to what noise it makes. He never, ever did that as a baby. If something made a noise, he would do it once or twice, put it down, and never go back to it again. I thought before that he just wasn't interested, but I think that it was just too confusing because he couldn't process the sound. Now he actually seems curious about noise.

He will sing at the top of his lungs in public, which he never would've done before.

He will have conversations in public, no matter who is listening, which he has never done before.

When I fry something, he says with surprise, "That's not too loud."

He can play among his friends at the park easily.

He actually likes to be at the park now, when he used to cry or tantrum when I said we were going. Now he actually asks to stay.

He seems more at ease with himself, happier, and more comfortable.

He started laughing out loud at stories, when before he was always so serious.

Has started saying, "Huh?" when he doesn't understand what was said. Before I don't think he ever cared if he missed something or not, or else he could hear every little thing so didn't have to ask.

I have actually witnessed him answering the teacher's questions in class in a regular voice, which the teacher said he had started doing in small groups in January, but would never do before in front of me on the days I volunteered. Now he does it in front of me as well as in front of the whole class at circle time.

At recess time I see him running around the playground, smiling and laughing.

He doesn't get freaked out about the loud speaker making announcements at school anymore.

One thing that hasn't changed is that he still covers his ears once in awhile when there is a loudish noise, when other kids his age don't seem to notice. But he has made great improvements. She did a mid-treatment listening test on him, and the he did much better hearing and dealing with the louder sounds overall, although there was a very big variation in how he heard them from one frequency to the next.

Not sure how long the results will last, but I am definitely seeing results.

www.tomatis.com for more info.

Wow! Thats fantastic news well done!! !!

glad to hear it's working for him