Submitted by:

Anjana jose
221TPY65

Submitted to:
prof. Nisha

Psychology

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 Auditory Processing Disorder (APD)

INTRODUCTION:

Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) is a hearing disorder in which the brain has
problems processing sound. This can affect how one understands speech and other
sounds in the environment. APD can occur at any age, but symptoms usually start
in childhood. Your child may appear to hear “normally” when in reality they have
difficulty interpreting and using sounds correctly.

APD can affect learning and interacting with others. People with APD may have
difficulty with conversations. They are often slow to respond to what others say.
And if they don't understand, they may react in ways that don't make sense. But it
has nothing to do with intelligence. They struggle with certain skill groups.People
with APD have a problem with the processing step. Because of this, they have
trouble understanding and responding to sounds in their environment.

There are four auditory processing skills that people may struggle with:
● Auditory discrimination: noticing, comparing, and distinguishing between
separate sounds
● Auditory figure-ground discrimination: focusing on the important sounds in
a noisy setting
● Auditory memory: recalling what you’ve heard, either immediately or in the
future
● Auditory sequencing: understanding and recalling the order of sounds and
words

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CAUSES:

It's unknown what causes APD. However, various potential causes or risk factors
have been identified, including:
● delays or problems with the development of the area of the brain that
processes sounds
● genetics
● neurological changes related to aging
● neurological damage that occurs due to things such as degenerative diseases
like multiple sclerosis, an infection like meningitis, or a head injury
● recurring ear infections (otitis media)
● problems during or shortly after birth, including lack of oxygen to the brain,
low birth weight, and jaundice

SIGNS / SYMPTOMS:

Symptoms of APD can include:

● difficulty understanding speech, particularly in noisy environments or when
more than one person is speaking
● frequently asking people to repeat what they’ve said or responding with
words like “huh” or “what”
● misunderstanding what’s been said
● needing a longer response time during conversation
● trouble telling where a sound is coming from
● problems distinguishing between similar sounds
● difficulty concentrating or paying attention
● problems following or comprehending rapid speech or complex directions
● trouble with learning or enjoying music

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TREATMENT:

Treatment for APD is tailored to your individual needs based on evaluations made
during the diagnostic process. It focuses on:
● helping you to learn how to better process sounds
● teaching you skills to help compensate for your APD
● helping you to make changes to your learning or working environment to
better manage your condition.

There are many ways to support people with APD and make it easier for them to
manage the challenges. These include:
● Using simple, one-step directions
● Speaking at a slower rate or slightly higher volume
● Providing a quiet spot for doing work
● Being patient and repeating things people miss

Treatment includes:
1. Auditory training
2. Compensating strategies
3. Changes to your environment

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1. Auditory training :
Auditory training is a primary component of APD treatment. It can help you to
better analyze sounds. Auditory training can be done via an in-person, one-on-one
session with a therapist or online.Some examples of exercises include:
● identifying differences in sounds or sound patterns
● determining where a sound is coming from
● focusing on specific sounds in the presence of background noise

2. Compensatory strategies :
Compensatory strategies aim to strengthen things like memory, attention, and
problem-solving skills in order to help you manage your APD. Examples of
compensatory strategies that are taught include:
● predicting potential elements of a conversation or message
● using visual aids to help organize information
● incorporating memory techniques like mnemonic devices
● learning active listening techniques

3. Changes to your environment :

Making changes to your surroundings may also help you to manage your APD.
Some examples of environmental changes include:
● adjusting the furnishings of a room to help make it less noisy, such as using
carpet instead of hard floors
● avoiding things that generate background noise, such as fans, radios, or TVs
● sitting close to the sound source in situations where communication is
necessary, such as in a business meeting or classroom
● using visual aids in a classroom instead of just speaking
● incorporating assistive technology like a personal frequency-modulated
(FM) system, which uses a microphone and receiver to deliver sounds
directly from a sound source to your ears

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ACTIVITY:

This activity is designed for children belonging to the age group 9-12yrs, who have
been diagnosed with APD (Auditory Processing Disorder). The activity is divided
into different difficulty levels. Each of the given exercises could be leveled up
according to the child’s ability by adding difficult words or more sentences.

Level 1: Listen and Repeat

This level is for kids who have greater difficulty with understanding and
processing sounds. In this level, the instructor recites a word and the kid is asked to
repeat it orally or to write it down.

Level 2: Rhymes
In this level, a bunch of rhyming words is to be recited and the child is asked to

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write it down and mention the differences between each of them.
Eg: bear, pear, tear, wear. The difference is b, p, t and w.

Level 3: Sentences
This level includes the recitation of sentences. Activities such as writing, acting or
identifying could be included. The instructor recites a sentence. The child is to
write it down as the previous activities/ act it out like charades/ identify the activity
recited from a bunch of images that are displayed.

Level 4: Sentences with Rhymes

Leveling up the last task by adding rhyming words to sentences. The instructor is
to recite sentences that include multiple rhyming words and the child is asked to
reproduce the sentence on a given piece of paper.
Eg: I could spend hours walking amid the flowers.

Level 5: Questions from a Story

The final level includes answering questions from a story/ an article that has been
read aloud. Simple questions such as the name of the main character or the location
where the story is set in are asked. The story should not be too long.

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(plagiarism report)