By Melodie Veldhuizen

What is auditory processing disorder (OPD)?

This problem is created when the hearing and the brain aren’t in sync. Normal auditory processing takes place when the brain receives inputs and processes the information into a sensible message at an acceptable speed. OPD can cause limitations at any stage of the process, that can be divided into the following categories:

• auditory discrimination: to take note of and differentiate between similar but unique sounds;
• auditory memory: to remember what was heard;
• auditory sequencing: recalling words and instructions in the correct order;
• auditory background discrimination: discerning and processing a single word amid noise (such as background sounds);
• Auditory cohesion difficulty occurs when high-level listening skills are required (for example drawing inferences from conversations, picking up tone and inflection, or not understanding riddles).

Common signs and challenges pertaining to auditory processing disorder

The signs of OPD often include the following challenges on a daily basis:

• Struggles to follow verbal directions, especially more than one instruction simultaneously, for example, “Go and put the book back on the shelf and fetch your brother’s socks from the drawer” (which creates the impression of disobedience).
• A blank stare which creates the impression that the child is not paying attention.
• Struggles to follow conversations between multiple speakers, or where there is background noise.
• Difficulty distinguishing between words sounding similar (for example “coat” and “boat”).
• Struggles to follow multi-step directions in the correct order.
• A noticeable slow reaction when questions are asked during a conversation.

OPD can result in the following challenges:

• Behaviour problems: The child feels embarrassed or frustrated and reacts by becoming defensive or pretends to be uninterested in what is being said.
• Poor social skills: Because they aren’t able to hear in noisy environments such as the classroom where children are loud, or at home with a noisy background, such as siblings crying or a blaring television, they miss out on many conversations. This can lead to social withdrawal and consequently poor socialisation with friends as well as adults. To pretend they don’t care they might act as the class clown.
• Anxiety: When a child is unsure if she heard something correctly or not, it can lead to anxiety, which again leads to heightened OPD.
• Academic challenges: OPD hampers the child’s ability to absorb, process and interpret large amounts of information she hears in the classroom. This can lead to learning problems and even language and reading problems.

Because OPD can sometimes occur alongside other conditions such as ADHD, it is often diagnosed incorrectly. The following are typical symptoms of OPD in children:

• Apparent inattention, possibly due to an overwhelming number of concurrent instructions, or because the child needs more time to process the information.
• Hyperactivity, possibly due to sensory overload, especially in noisy environments.
• Fidgeting, which gives her more time to process information before executing the instruction.
• Challenges regarding behaviour, social skills and academic performance may all be traced back to her inability to process auditory inputs.

Follow this link for a quick indication if your child might be experiencing OPD problems:

[Self-test: Auditory Processing Disorder in Children]

If any of the above-mentioned signs or behaviour occur with your child and an audiologist has ruled out the possibility of a hearing problem, it is to be recommended to have her tested by a professional person for possible OPD.

Ways to help your child

Auditory discrimination:

• Ask her to distinguish between “loud” and “soft” sounds. Give examples in advance.
• During daily activities, let her identify different sounds (running tap, moving vehicle, cutlery tinkling against a plate).
• Let her listen to a sound pattern (for example tapping a rhythm on your hand) and let her repeat it.

• Speak clearly, but at a normal volume, so that she can discern individual words.
• Repeat instructions, especially if they contain similar-sounding words.
• Look at the child when you speak to her.
• Allow her enough time to process the information/instruction and react to it (before you suspect her of being disobedient).

Auditory memory: 

• Give simple auditory instructions and gradually add to them (for example play “I went shopping” and each time add something to the shopping list – see how many items she remembers in the correct order).
• Teach her songs and rhymes and let her recite or sing them.
• Teach her word associations (attes://games4esl.com/five-fun-word-association-games/#).
• Use visual aids and multi-sensory approaches to help her process auditory information.

• Use clues or emphasis, such as “this is important” or “remember” before each instruction or warning.
• Repeat instructions and important information.
• Ask her to repeat what you just said (for example, if you gave an instruction, let her repeat it before executing it; or if you tell her certain behaviour is inadmissible, let her repeat “I may not…”).

Auditory sequencing

• Begin with simple instructions, just one at a time and see if she executes it correctly. Gradually add more instructions.
•  Give simple instructions, out of order, for example “Put on your shoes”, “Put on your socks”, and then ask her to repeat it in the correct order while also doing it in the correct order.
• Give her pictures of different actions, let her place them in the correct order and say what she is doing. Where necessary, provide clues.
• Let her give you instructions to execute and do exactly as she dictates. Or deviate from the instructions and see if she notices the order is incorrect.
• Show her pictures in the correct order and let her execute what she sees in the pictures, in the correct order.

Auditory background discrimination:

• Let your child close her eyes, make a sound and ask her to point to where the sound comes from.

• Record a conversation between Mom and Dad or Mom and Sis, let her listen to it and ask her to repeat what she heard.
• Experiment with different kinds of music. Let her listen to a song and ask her to repeat the lyrics. Choose songs with different kinds of accompaniment and try to establish which kind of accompaniment she struggles with to hear the words and to repeat them.
• When conveying important information or requests, minimise all background noises to make sure she hears what you are saying.

Auditory cohesion processing:

• Say something with emotion and ask you child if she thinks you were friendly or angry or sad (it helps her to “read” emotion between the lines). For this exercise you could also use extracts from her favourite story, DVD or video.
• Explain your emotion when addressing your child. If you realise she cannot discern from your tone of voice that you are angry, describe your emotion by for example saying, “I am angry because you were disobedient” or, “You make me so happy when you play with your little sister so nicely”.
• Do role-play with her of possible challenging social situations.

Boost her self-confidence:

• Talk to your child about her strengths and challenges. Always begins with her talents and positive qualities, especially when she is learning a new skill.
• Always emphasise her successes with affirming statements such as, “I am so proud of you because you listened and did exactly what Mommy asked you to do”. Always link her success to a purposeful effort to execute an instruction fully.
• Teach her to express her needs clearly and with self-confidence by for example saying, “Mom, I don’t understand what I have to do. Please tell me again”. Assure her that you will always support her and that she should never be ashamed of asking for help.

A last word

Due to ignorance about the challenge of OPD your child will probably be labelled as naughty, disobedient, wilful or taunting by family, friends, educationists and strangers. This is why it is your responsibility as parent to share information about this challenge with important role-players in your child’s life as soon as possible, in order to establish cooperation instead of criticism. Your young child depends on you to combat this trauma of labelling. If she can rely on you now, when she is older she will have the self-confidence to state her case.

Source:

ADDitude. https://www.additudemag.com/what-is-auditory-processing-disorder-symptoms-exercises/?utm_source=eletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=treatment_march_2022&utm_content=031022&goal=0_d9446392d6-d58281041e-291444965