audiologist appt today for daughter

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many of you know that we've been "hemming and hawing" about taking our 7 year old daughter for an eval for aspergers...mostly we've been putting it off because no one takes insurance ! !! !
at any rate, we thought we'd try a different approach. We took her to an audiologist today
( which is covered by insurance), as her primary problems seem to revolve around her excessive talking, lack of focus, and extreme distress over loud noises. we were certain before we went that she probably has CAPD....knowing that there is a high co-morbidity rate of CAPD and Aspergers, we thought maybe if we went "in the back door" so to speak that we could get the school system to foot the bill for an aspergers eval.
the audiologist "feels strongly that she has an auditory processing disorder" , and reccommended that she go for further testing.
my questions are: 1.what should i expect from the testing ?2. anybody have any advice about approaching the school system with a request for an eval ? 3. anybody have any tips for coping with an APD both at home and at school?

I went through the state health department, although we didnt qualify for help, you might be able to try that route. My son was just diagnosed with AS two days ago. The state set up all four appointments (audio, pediatrican, phsyc and the sensory guy) in one day at the same place. I was stressed about the appointments and begining to think I was barking up the wrong tree when they said he was AS. It was much easier than I thought it would be.
Deb

hmmmmmmmmm. hadn't thought about that...thanks.

Testing should include some dichotic tests - sounds (eg food names, random words) are played simultaneously into both ears, for example 'cheese' in the left and 'bread' in the right. I was asked to listen out for dairy products in one ear, then for another food group in the other ear, afterwards. Also, another test I had was a sentence being played against varying levels of background noise, and I had to say exactly what I heard.

As for coping, well I have taught myself to lip-read to an OK degree, though at the age of 7 maybe that's not such a wonderful method ... if you encourage her to face people when they're talking to her, it'll be easier for her to hear, and also she might subconciously start to lip-read - when I made my conscious decision to learn, I found it very easy; probably because I was already lip-reading a little anyway. At school, it would probably help if she sits at or near the front. That way the teacher's voice won't have had to battle against noise before it reaches her. And make sure her teachers know,otherwise they might just tell her off for 'not listening' which won't help at all. At home - be patient with her (I'm sure you are) and don't expect her to hear you when you're facing away, or with the tap running, or the TV on, for example.

(Distress at loud noises could possibly be due to hyperacusis, but that's not highly likely.)

thanks everyone for the suggestions! I've contacted her teachers and gave them the 3 reccommendations we were given by the audiologist ( maintain eye contact with her when giving directions, change her seat to the front of the room & try to limit the amt of noise she is subjected to).so far, her teachers have been very cooperative. i'll try to see if the teacher will write the directions on the board as well, Sophist. we've noticed that since we've consciously made an effort to provide her with quiet time once she gets home from school, that her hand-flapping and tantrums have decreased. we also now realize that her non-stop talking usually means that things are too loud ( we've told her teachers this too, and they've agreed to monitor the times that she seems to be rambling on and on). she is so far quite resistant to being asked to constantly look us in the eyes when we're speaking....i guess we're all still trying to get used to this.

If she had a CAPD, it would make sense that she is reluctant to look at your eyes while she is listening when she really needs to look at your mouths, wouldn't it? I tend to look at people's mouths much of the time while they are speaking rather than their eyes as well. It helps me hear what they are saying.

If a person is anywhere on the ASD spectrum, forcing eye contact while trying to get the person to listen at the same time might not be the best idea, IMO. Forced eye contact sets up a fight or flight response in their brains, I read. How can you pay attention to what a person is saying when your adrenalin is pumping and it is all you can do not to run away?


EDIT: Here is a link to GroovyDruid's article about eye contact:

http://www.wrongplanet.net/asperger.htm ... ay&jid=601


Have you looked at Wrightslaw for ideas of how to get the school to pay for an Asperger evaluation? Here is their information about tests and evaluations:

http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/test.index.htm

Do you have a HMO or a PPO where you can you look for a doctor not usually covered by your plan for a deductible and a higher copay? With a PPO, you might have to initially pay out-of-pocket for the doctor but you would be reimbursed for part of the bill. Some HMO's will cover doctors not usually in their network if you can demonstrate that there is no doctor of that type in your area who is covered by the HMO, so it might be good to examine your insurance information, even if you have an HMO.

Yeah, it's hard for an Aspie with CAPD who is terrorized by eye contact/face contact but who could benefit from looking at the speaker's mouth while they're talking. Perhaps slowly introducing her to the idea that it's okay not to look at someone's eyes, but to try and focus on the mouth.

I've found in almost all instances, no one is the wiser that I'm not looking at their eyes. Unless we're face-to-face, noses touching, people have a very hard time telling the difference between eye contact and mouth contact (for lack of a better term).

See if she could be comfortable with the idea of aiming for the mouth/nose area instead. And also request that people turn towards her to speak, but they don't necessarily need to be staring her in the face but just so she can get a good view of their mouth. This stare can add to anxiety in an already anxious situation.

Definitely encourage her to look at the speaker's mouth - it won't freak her out, and in the long run it will help her to understand the jumble of sounds flowing out of said mouth.

AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !!

*****frustration beyond belief*****
i just heard back from one audiologist who says that most people around here don't test for CAPD~ and the one's that do don't test until the child is 8......what do i do now???? she won't be 8 until November.
on top of that, she also said that in her opinion it sounds like my daughter's issues are sensory and NOT related to CAPD......... i just wish i could get a straight answer out of someone.

I'm screaming with ya'. Why does it have to be so hard!?

It sounds like sensory to them, huh? Is that a referal to an OT?

BeeBee

i am still trying to figure out who to listen to...and meanwhile i still have to help this beautiful little girl make her way in this world.

Sometimes I wish my son and I could exscape to an island so he didn't have to deal with society...or at least, certain parts of it.

Maybe you and your family could join me there.

BeeBee

If she's ASD she's definitely got sensory issues. But if she's ASD, that also raises the probability by about a mile that she could have CAPD. She's probably dealing with both.

Wish professionals would get their profiles straight. If it drives me insane and I don't even have an ASD child to deal with but just myself, it no doubt drives you insane, ster.

Try looking for CAPD specialists in the outlying areas if you already haven't. Even if it is a couple hours away, it'll probably only be one testing session. As for not testing till the age of 8... not sure why that is. Maybe because the inner ear isn't necessarily totally formed yet for some kids? Don't know. I haven't much idea about the growth cycle of the inner ear.

In any case though, maybe it's best to assume she has CAPD and treat for it. Ask what the recommended treatments are. So far it sounds like you've already requested that the school do some. And if they have any question, just say it's sensory-related. It doesn't really matter the label as long as she gets the accomodations she needs.

i'm supposed to be meeting with the head of the speech and language dept for my school district today.. she said she had some ideas about S adn would like to discuss them with me........as far as waiting until she's 8, the audiologist said that that's standard as most children under the age of 8 would have problems following the directions.
we are making the accomodations we feel she needs, and have seen great results with just being wary of how noisy things can get.she's also become really good at telling us if her classroom was really loud any particular day ~so that when she gets home, we find a quiet place for her to be for awhile. her teachers are still carrying through with the accomodations that were recommended by the first audiologist.
as far as seeking a consultation from a CAPD expert~ that was the consult from the 2nd audiologist ( the one who said that it sounded like sensory issues)

hopefully, the head of the speech dept will have some advice for us.