Basha Ontiveros, Director of Speech and Learning Connections
Children don’t need to be the most popular in their class, but they do need good social skills. A lack of social skills can lead to difficulties in school, inattentiveness, peer rejection, emotional difficulties, bullying, difficulty in making friends, academic failures, isolation from peers, and depression. While it is normal for a two year old’s social awareness to be very limited, by the time they are 4, children are expected to play games cooperatively with others, ask others to play etc.. As children get older, they become part of a larger social world. Parents may begin to be concerned about their child’s relationships. This includes relationships with other children and adults in school as well as outside of school.
Most children experience occasional rejection, and most children are sometimes socially clumsy, insensitive, or even unkind. However, children who are constantly rejected by peers are lonely and have low self-esteem, and may begin to bully and reject others. When they are older, these children are far more likely to drop out of school and use drugs and alcohol. It can be difficult for parents to determine if their child is experiencing normal social awkwardness, or if their child would benefit from some extra help. Many parents may not realize that help is available specifically for children who lack the natural ability to learn and master social skills. Signs that a child may need some social coaching include:
Lacks at least one or two close friends
Has trouble with losing or winning without outbursts
Has trouble showing empathy with other children
Can be bossy or insists on his/her own way
Can’t seem to start or maintain a conversation
Uses a louder voice than most children
Seems usually ignored or teased by other children or is teased and annoying to others
How Can a Social Skills Class Help?
Social skills are essential for getting along with others. Parents may feel helpless when their children interact in settings with other children who have good social skills. They hope, and likely assume, that their child will learn from their peers. But since their child is not picking up on social cues, they don’t benefit from the model that other children might provide. For example a child who’s extremely blunt (for example responding to another child with “that’s a stupid idea”, may be likely to hurt another child’s feelings without meaning to. Even though he does not understand what he is doing wrong he may experience rejection by peers. While a natural environment is important to practice new skills, it is not the ideal setting to learn social skills. Interactions which move too quickly result in failure. For example, within a period less than a minute, a child is expected to respond to a peer’s request, play taking turns and verbally express conversation related to that game while listening and responding to the other child. Poor social skills restrain them, being misunderstood by the other children and adults. This leads them to being labeled the “weird”, “mean” or “bad” kid.
Unfortunately, social skills problems do not go away by themselves. As social interactions become increasingly complex, social skill difficulties become increasingly more apparent. This means that without appropriate social skills training, children who have trouble socially will display compounding problems as they get older. The best thing to do for your child is to work on these skills early, possibly around age 4 or older. This will help a child successfully engage with his peers. Pushing these needs aside until they become increasingly obvious can close the opportunity for success.
If you feel your child is at risk, or is having difficulty making friends, don’t ignore the problem – get help! Children can usually thrive with direct instruction in social skills groups led by trained professionals and the availability of a safe environment in which to practice newly learned skills Small groups which address asking and answering questions, staying on topic, giving compliments, learning to start conversations and reading social cues are optimal.
For more information on social skills training, contact Basha Ontiveros at Speech & Learning Connections in Bloomington at 663-4172. There are classes available for children 4 through ages 11 available beginning this June and running through the summer. Fall and Spring sessions are also available during the school year.
By Basha Ontiveros M.S., CCC-SLP, Director, Speech & Learning Connections
Reading competently and confidently is necessary to succeed in almost every school subject and career. Because learning to read is so important and because the vast majority of children who have reading problems in first grade will be struggling readers the rest of their lives, unless they receive explicit instruction and help; parents should be very aware of any signs that their kindergarten or first grade child is experiencing a reading difficulty.
Reading difficulties are often caused by dyslexia, which is a surprisingly common brain-based language processing disorder characterized by an unexplained difficulty in learning to read. Unexplained means that these children have had plenty of exposure to books and pre-reading activities, they are very intelligent, and do not generally show any other type of developmental disability or delay. Most people think that dyslexia is simply reversing letters and seeing words backwards. But dyslexia is far more complicated and can be mild to severe, which is why it can be extremely difficult to diagnose.
Parents are often the first to suspect their child has a reading problem, usually around age 5 or 6. And parent after parent expresses regret that they waited too long to get their child tested because they didn’t trust their intuition and didn’t realize the serious lifelong consequences of waiting.
Following are several reasons why parents are hesitant to take immediate action.
The mistaken belief that reading difficulty is just a “developmental lag”. Children develop and mature at different rates and a child who is behind his peers in reading ability may just need a little more time to “catch-up”. However, research has conclusively proven that reading difficulties rarely go away as a child matures. In fact, waiting to take action is actually harmful as the child falls further and further behind. Kindergarten or first grade is the crucial window of time for addressing reading difficulties as 95 percent of poor readers can be brought up to grade level if they receive help early. It takes four times as long if help is not given until fourth grade.*
Parents don’t want to over-react. Learning to read doesn’t occur overnight and certainly all children learn at different rates. However, if a 6 year old is struggling to read, it is not over reacting to seek a professional evaluation.
The concern that getting an evaluation will hurt a child’s self esteem by making him feel different than his peers. Realize that a struggling reader already feels different.
Parents may think it is simply a vision problem. While vision problems can interfere with the process of learning, dyslexia is NOT a vision problem. The American Academy of Pediatrics recently stated that, “Ineffective methods of treatment, such as vision therapy, eye exercises, tinted lenses or filters to treat learning disabilities may give parents and teachers a false sense that a child’s learning difficulties are being addressed, may waste family and/or school resources, and may delay proper instruction or remediation.”
Parents believe the teacher will determine if testing or extra help is warranted. Public schools are required to provide extra help for someone diagnosed with a learning disability like dyslexia. The problem is that dyslexia is not easy to diagnose and the school may determine that the reading difficulty is a normal delay. Furthermore, public schools have limited resources and a child may not be diagnosed until later on when the problem has become severe. A classroom teacher works with 25 or more children, all with varying skills and abilities while a school has hundreds of children. Parents must take responsibility to get their child the help he/she needs to succeed.
Experts agree that early intervention almost always works to prevent or overcome reading difficulties. Older children can be helped as well – it just takes longer. It’s also important that children receive the right kind of help.
Successful tutoring requires 5 things:
1. The right system – An Orton-Gillingham system
2. The right tutor or teacher – someone who is well trained in that Orton-Gillingham system
3. Instruction at the right intensity level – at least twice a week, for an hour each time.
4. The right setting – one-on-one tutoring is best and will give the best results; one-on-three is the maximum
5. The right duration – until the student’s skills are at or beyond grade level
If you suspect that your child is struggling with learning to read, get help as soon as possible.
For more information you may contact Basha Ontiveros, Founder and Director of Speech & Learning Connections, , 309-663-4172. She is trained and certified in testing for Dyslexia.
* National Institutes of Health
** Learning Disabilities, Dyslexia and Vision, American Academy of Pediatrics, July 27, 2009
A Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD) is a physical hearing impairment, but one which does not show up as a hearing loss on routine screenings or an audiogram. Instead, it affects the hearing system beyond the ear, whose job it is to separate a meaningful message from non-essential background sound and deliver that information with good clarity to the intellectual centers of the brain (the central nervous system). When we receive distorted or incomplete auditory messages we lose one of our most vital links with the world and other people.
Children and adults whose auditory problems have not been recognized and dealt with are forced to invent their own solutions. The resulting behaviors can mask the real problem and complicate not only school and work, but even close relationships, where communication is so important. Advice like “Pay attention,” “Listen,” or “Don’t forget –,” hasn’t helped either.
It takes specialized testing to identify a CAPD. An audiologist can often perform extensive testing to diagnosis this condition. Speech-Language Pathologists who specialize in CAPD may be able to conduct a “screening” to determine whether further testing is necessary.
Children or adults with Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD) often display some or many of the following symptoms.
Talks or likes T. V. louder than normal.
Often says “huh” or “what”?
Difficulty sounding out words.
Needs additional “time” to process oral information
Weak vocabulary
Difficulty with spelling, reading or writing.
Difficulty with phonics and speech sound discrimination
Confuses similar-sounding words.
Difficulty following directions in a series.
Speech developed late or unclearly.
Memorizes poorly.
Hears better when watching the speaker.
There are many individuals who have no trouble detecting the presence of sound, but who have other types of auditory difficulties (e.g., difficulties understanding conversations in noisy environments, problems following complex directions, difficulty learning new vocabulary words or foreign languages) that can affect their ability to develop normal language skills, succeed academically, or communicate effectively. Often these individuals are not recognized as having hearing difficulties because they do not have trouble detecting the presence of sounds or recognizing speech in ideal listening situations.
Since they appear to “hear normally,” the difficulties these individuals experience are often presumed to be the result of an attention deficit, a behavior problem, a lack of motivation, or some other cause. If this occurs, the individual may receive medical and/or remedial services that do not address the underlying “auditory” problem.
Many children with CAPD can benefit from auditory training procedures (such as FastforWord), phonological awareness training, typically performed by a Speech-Language Pathologist. Intervention may also involve the identification of (and training in the use of) strategies that can be used to overcome specific auditory, speech and language, or academic difficulties.
Being proactive and recognizing the warning signs early is critical. Auditory processing problems, if not identified early and managed appropriately, can result in lifelong communication difficulties, academic failure and/or underachievement, loss of self-esteem, and/or social/ emotional problems.
Basha Ontiveros M.S., CCC-SLP, the owner and director of Speech & Language Connections in Bloomington, Illinois, is a Speech-Language Pathologist who specializes in CAPD, Language-learning disabilities (including Dyslexia) and Autism Spectrum Disorders. More information can be obtained on their website at Speech & Language Connections or by calling 309-663-4172.
By Basha Ontiveros M.S., CCC-SLP, Director, Speech & Learning Connections
Language processing disorders are the most common type of learning disability. Children with processing problems typically have trouble understanding conversation, remembering directions, hearing words correctly and expressing themselves verbally. Language processing difficulties don’t suddenly appear in early elementary school; they are usually a continuation of specific language problems present in early childhood. However, associated difficulty with reading and spelling as they begin school is often the first time that a child is evaluated and diagnosed. It is important for parents to be aware of the most common signs of a Language Processing Disorder to determine if further evaluation is warranted. Realize that it is normal for children to display a few behaviors on the list, but a persistent pattern of symptoms may indicate a language disability.
Recognizing the signs in preschoolers
Doesn’t seem to understand. “He doesn’t listen, he doesn’t do what I ask”
Late to talk. Children should be saying one word around one year of age and combining two words by age two.
Uses “made up words”. If a child has trouble remembering the names of things (word retrieval problems), one creative way to solve the problem is to make it up. For example, a friend tells another little boy he liked to visit the “zoomesum”
Ear infections. Some children who suffer middle ear fluid problems for prolonged period of time can exhibit language processing, auditory processing and learning disabilities later.
Recognizing the signs in school age children
Misunderstands often and says “huh, what?”
Long response time to answer a question or get a joke.
Self-consciousness about speaking which creates a cycle of not speaking in high pressure situations such as the classroom.
Uses pauses and fillers in speech such as ummm and “well” and repetitions due to difficulty organizing their thoughts.
Reading problems whether they be dyslexia or reading comprehension
Tires easily, particularly from school
Math difficulty
What parents can do to help
After an evaluation has determined the root cause of the child’s problems, if it is a language
processing problem, parents can:
Preview events. Tell the child beforehand what is going to happen, give them background information for new places and events.
Get the child’s attention before speaking
Reduce distractions
Look at your listener
Be clear, use simple language and use vocabulary at your child’s level
Repeat what you said.
Use visual supports such as pictures, gestures and facial expressions.
Allow extra time for response with no interruptions
There’s no single, simple way to determine if there is a language processing problem. To ensure an accurate diagnosis, it is extremely important to have your child evaluated by an experienced, professional speech-language pathologist and reading specialist. Once a diagnosis is made, speech therapy is recommended – the earlier, the better.
For more information, you may contact Basha Ontiveros, founder and director of speech and learning connections, 309-663-4172 or www.speechandlearningconnections.com
Some children who struggle with speech, language, reading or learning issues may have an auditory processing disorder. An auditory processing disorder affects how the brain perceives and processes what the ear hears and is not necessarily the result of a hearing loss. In other words, something goes wrong between the hearing of sounds by the ears, and the understanding of them by the brain.
An auditory processing screening consists of a variety of tests that “stress” the auditory pathways by an altered type of speech signal, making them work harder. For example, the “stress” may be caused by adding background noise to the speech signal, presenting sounds that are acoustically very similar (ie., such as hat vs. hack), or presenting two different words simultaneously in both ears. A normal auditory processing mechanism is able to handle a mild distortion of the speech signal while an inefficient system will likely have much greater difficulty.
By taking a brief look at a child’s auditory processing abilities, a Speech-Language Pathologist or Audiologist can gain much information about whether there may or may not be significant central auditory processing issues that may warrant further testing. In addition, the screening evaluates whether a child has the auditory memory skills for following directions and remembering what is said both at home and in the classroom. It measures a child’s ability to read and spell phonetically, to manipulate sounds within words, to associate sounds with their written symbols, analyze the placement of sounds within words and blend sounds together to form words.
Auditory processing deficits can impact every aspect of a child’s life—social, academic, emotional. Parents are often the first ones to notice that there is a problem. If you would like to determine whether your child has auditory processing deficits, which may be interfering with learning, you should schedule a screening by a qualified professional. The results of the evaluation will indicate if there are enough red flags present to warrant a referral to an audiologist and if there are speech/language issues present that are having a negative effect on reading, spelling, memory and overall learning. Specific recommendations and strategies will be given to improve classroom performance as well.
For more information or to schedule an appointment, you may contact Basha at Speech and Learning Connections, (309) 663-4172 or www.speechandlearningconnections.com.
To determine whether your child may have auditory processing difficulties, ask yourself the following questions:
Does your child:
experience difficulty with phonics and reading comprehension?
have difficulty with spelling?
have difficulty associating what is heard with what is seen?
exhibit below average academic performance with gaps between ability and achievement?
lack motivation to learn?
have difficulty following directions, especially when several are given at one time?
have trouble recalling a sequence heard?
forget easily what is said?
say “what” or “huh” frequently?
misunderstand what is said?
exhibit a delayed response to what is said?
exhibit a blank stare when a message is given?
have trouble attending to messages for an appropriate length of time?
frequently daydream?
become easily distracted by background sounds or sights?
If you answered “yes” to three or more of the above questions, your child may have auditory processing difficulties which may be interfering with learning.
Specific Language Impairment has been actively studied for more than 40 years. Language acquisition is the primary area of concern as the child grows and develops. There are no obvious related causes such as hearing loss or low IQ. The condition appears in young children and is known to persist into adulthood. Although the causes are unknown, current research focuses on possible inherited tendencies. Early identification and intervention are considered best practices, in order to minimize possible academic risks.
1. Specific Language Impairment has many names and it is surprisingly common.
SLI is just one of the many communication disorders that affect more than 1 million students in the public schools. If your child has been evaluated by a speech pathologist, you may have heard its other names: developmental language disorder, language delay or developmental dysphasia. Specific language impairment is the precise name that opens the door to research about how to help a child grow and learn.
SLI is more common than you might think. Research over the past ten years has generated accurate estimates of the numbers of young children that are affected by SLI. We now know it could be as high as 7 to 8 percent of the children in kindergarten. In comparison, Down syndrome or autism affects less than one percent of the five-year olds.
2. Late talking may be a sign of disability.
As they enter their two’s and grow into three and four, children have a remarkable number of ways to tell adults what they need. Even if the words don’t all sound right, a normally developing child will make many efforts to communicate and will make his point effectively. Young children ask so many questions — often exhausting their parents and care providers. Children who don’t ask questions or tell adults what they want may have a communication disorder.
Children with SLI may not produce any words until they are nearly two years old. At age three, they may talk, but can’t be understood. As they grow, they will struggle to learn new words, make conversation and sound coherent.
Today, research is underway to determine which children do not outgrow this pattern of delayed speech. By age 4 to 5 years, SLI could be a signpost of a lasting disability that persists throughout the school years.
3. A child with SLI does not have a low IQ or poor hearing.
Several other disabilities involve difficulties communicating, but for these children the primary diagnosis will be mental retardation, or autism, or hearing loss, or cerebral palsy. A child with SLI scores within the normal range for nonverbal intelligence. Hearing loss is not present. Emerging motor skills, social-emotional development and the child’s neurological profile are all normal. The only setback is with language. SLI is the primary diagnosis.
4. Speech impediments are different from language disorders.
A child with a speech disorder makes errors in pronouncing words, or may stutter. Recent studies find that most children with SLI do not have a speech disorder. SLI is a language disorder. This means that the child has difficulty understanding and using words in sentences. Both receptive and expressive skills are typically affected.
5. An incomplete understanding of verbs is an indicator of SLI.
Five-year old children with SLI sound about two years younger than they are. Listen to the way a child uses verbs. Typical errors include dropping the -s off present tense verbs and asking questions without the usual “be” or “do” verbs. For example, instead of saying “She rides the horse” the child will say “She ride the horse.” Instead of saying “Does he like me?” the child will ask “He like me?” Children with SLI also have trouble communicating that an action is complete because they drop the past tense ending from verbs. They say, “She walk to my house yesterday” instead of “she walked to my house.”
6. Reading and learning will be affected by SLI.
SLI does affect a child’s academic success, especially if left untreated. Forty to seventy-five percent of the children have problems learning to read.
7. SLI can be diagnosed precisely and accurately.
In the last ten years, researchers have documented the ways that SLI occurs. Clinical practice is catching up to these advances in research. In the past, SLI has not been included on educational classification systems used by speech pathologists or psychologists, and when identified, it was called a language delay.
In 2001, the Psychological Corporation released the first comprehensive test for SLI. The Rice/Wexler Test of Early Grammatical Impairment is based on research funded by the National Institutes of Health, and carried out at the University of Kansas and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Speech pathologists and preschool educators can use this test with children ages 3 to 8. It will point to the specific gaps in a child’s language abilities so that treatment can be more effective. It is especially useful for identifying children with SLI at the time of school entry.
8. The condition may be genetic.
The genetic origin of SLI has not yet been proven, but studies show that fifty to seventy percent of children with SLI have at least one other family member with the disorder. Several researchers are studying twins, looking for the genetic link. In 2001, British researchers successfully found the chromosome that affected 15 of 37 members of a London family with a profound speech and language impairment.
9. The nature of the disability limits a child’s exposure to language.
Children with SLI need extra opportunities to talk and to listen, but because of the disability, they may actually have fewer chances. At a young age, curious children ask questions over and over as they see, touch, and experience the world. The adults in their life respond, giving them vocabulary and grammar in a spontaneous teaching format. A child with SLI has trouble asking “Do you?” and says instead “You like ice cream?” This kind of question is easily misunderstood. A child who cannot get the message across may simply stop trying. Interactions are especially difficult with other children because they are less supportive and patient than adults.
10. Early intervention can begin during preschool.
By age five, parents can secure a conclusive diagnosis, but being proactive in the preschool years is often time well spent. Equipping a child for success at ages three and four will lead to positive experiences in kindergarten — and the signs of SLI are present by age three.
Some preschool programs are designed to enrich the language development of students with disabilities. This classroom may include normally-developing children who will act unknowingly as models. The focus of class activities may be role-playing, sharing time, or hands-on lessons with new, interesting vocabulary. This kind of preschool will encourage interaction between children, and will build rich layers of language experience. It may even include techniques from speech pathology that solicit from children the kinds of practice they need to build their language skills.
Parents can also send their preschool child to a speech or language pathologist in private practice. This professional can assess the child’s needs, engage in structured activities, and can send home materials for enrichment.
This fact sheet was written by Joy Simpson in collaboration with Mabel L. Rice, an international expert on language disabilities in children. Dr. Rice is the Fred and Virginia Merrill Distinguished Professor of Advanced Studies at the University of Kansas.
References
Leonard, L.B. (1998). Children with specific language impairment. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
National Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities, fact sheet number 11 (FS11), January 2004.http://www.nichcy.org
Rice, M. L. (2002). A unified model of specific and general language delay: Grammatical tense as a clinical marker of unexpected variation. In Y. Levy and J. Schaeffer (Editors), Language competence across populations: Toward a definition of Specific Language Impairment, (pp. 63-95). Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Rice, M. (2000). Grammatical symptoms of specific language impairment. In D.V.M. Bishop and L.B. Leonard (Editors) Speech and language impairments in children: causes, characteristics, intervention and outcome (pp. 17-34). East Susex, England: Psychology Press.
Rice, M. and Wilcox, K. (Editors) (1995) Building a language-focused curriculum for the preschool classroom: a foundation for life-long communication. Baltimore: Brookes Publishing Company.
Schuele, C.M. and Hadley, P. (1999). Potential advantages of introducing specific language impairment to families. American Journal of Speech-Language-Pathology, 8, 11-22.
Tager-Flusberg, H. and Cooper, J. (1999). Present and future possibilities for defining a phenotype for specific language impairment. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 42, 1275-1278.
As published in Healthy Cells of Bloomington Magazine November 2006.
The easiest, quickest way to communicate is simply to say something and then deal with the other person’s reply, right? Right, unless your listener has a CAPD (Central Auditory Processing Disorder), then your remark might come through with certain words drowned out by other noises, or with some words sounding like different words or as meaningless strings of verbiage. You might begin to suspect this when the other person’s expression doesn’t register understanding, or if he “answers the wrong question,” or he asks you for additional information which most people would have been able to infer from what you just said.
Most of us aren’t that sophisticated about CAPDs, however, and are much more likely to wonder if the listener is just not very intelligent or doesn’t really care about us and what we are saying. People with CAPDs (which are usually part of a learning disability) have been embarrassed by situations and reactions like these all their lives.
A CAPD is a physical hearing impairment, but one which does not show up as a hearing loss on routine screenings or an audiogram. Instead, it affects the hearing system beyond the ear, whose job it is to separate a meaningful message from non-essential background sound and deliver that information with good clarity to the intellectual centers of the brain (the central nervous system). When we receive distorted or incomplete auditory messages we lose one of our most vital links with the world and other people.
These “short circuits in the wiring” sometimes run in families or result from a difficult birth, just like any learning disability (LD). In some cases the disorder is acquired from a head injury or severe illness. Often the exact cause is not known.
Children and adults whose auditory problems have not been recognized and dealt with are forced to invent their own solutions. The resulting behaviors can mask the real problem and complicate not only school and work, but even close relationships, where communication is so important. Advice like “Pay attention,” “Listen,” or “Don’t forget –,” hasn’t helped either.
It takes specialized testing to identify a CAPD. Some of the tests used by educational therapists, neuropsychologists, and educational psychologists give at least an indication that a CAPD might be present. These include tests of auditory memory (for sentences, nonsense syllables, or numbers backward), sequencing, tonal pattern recognition or sound blending, and store of general information (which is most often acquired through listening). The most accurate way to sort out CAPDs from other problems that mimic them, however, is through clinical audiologic tests of central nervous system function. These are better at locating the site of the problem and reducing the effects of language sophistication on the test results.
Do your best to choose a professional who is familiar with CAPDs, is comfortable working with adults, and who can write a useful and understandable report. You might ask: “How many adults with auditory processing disorders do you work with in a year?” or, “What kind of a report would you write to help me or my employer understand my problem?” Nowadays there are many ways professionals can help you streamline your coping abilities. Also, there may be conditions accompanying the CAPD which are medically treatable like allergies, Attention Deficit Disorder, Tourette syndrome, or nutritional deficiencies.
This checklist of common features of CAPD might lead you to consider such a possibility for yourself, a co-worker, or a friend or relative, if several items apply:
Talks or likes T. V. louder than normal. Interprets words too literally. Often needs remarks repeated. Difficulty sounding out words. “Ignores” people, especially if engrossed. Unusually sensitive to sounds. Asks many extra informational questions. Confuses similar-sounding words. Difficulty following directions in a series. Speech developed late or unclearly. Poor “communicator” (terse, telegraphic). Memorizes poorly. Hears better when watching the speaker. Problems with rapid speech. CAPD is a physical disorder under the protection of the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act). But put yourself in the other person’s place: how can your supervisor or co-worker possibly know whether you made a mistake because of impaired hearing, lack of interest, or stupidity? You need to know how to identify the problem so that you can explain it to others and ask for what you need. If you grew up at a time or place where your CAPD wasn’t recognized you might need a knowledgeable professional to give you some insight into this. But if you listen to your feelings rather than trying to talk yourself out of them, you can generally get a good sense of the help you would like. Thus, if noisy people and places “bug” you, or if your most satisfying school memories were of projects you built or field trips you went on, you don’t need anyone to tell you you’d work best in a quiet place, or that you’re a hands-on or experiential learner.
So what do you tell them at work to keep this from becoming another one of those jobs where you quit before they can fire you? Here are some ideas. Do you:
Have trouble hearing clearly when it’s noisy? This can be a failure of one or more of the automatic noise-suppression systems of the brain. It is reasonable to ask for a desk away from the computers or for a sound-absorbent partition. It is both polite and efficient to say, “I’m interested in what you’re saying. Let’s move away from this noise.” A mild-gain amplifier can help you hear accurately on the phone over the noise of a busy office.
Sometimes make “silly” mistakes or “careless” errors? Intrusions of random sounds which normal-hearing people can ignore may break your concentration so that you lose your place and skip a task (like carrying a number or writing a small word in the sentence). Take the work to a quieter place if necessary. Earplugs (sometimes in only one ear which suppresses noise less well) are a possible emergency solution. Make a deal with someone else to proofread your work.
Miss important sounds or signals that others hear easily? Poor noise suppression and sound localization skills can cause important voices or signals to “disappear” in the general background. It will save others time if they know to tap you on the shoulder before they launch into their conversation. Telephone bells and alarms can be adjusted for volume or pitch, or a visual or tactile signal can be added.
Get important messages wrong? Sound distortion, sequencing, auditory-visual transfer, and/or short term memory problems may be contributors. You can ask for the information in writing, double-check later with someone else who was present, or let the speaker know that she’s going too fast. Even normal listeners often say, “Let me read that back — ,” or “That’s ’3489′?”
Forget instructions? Inefficient short term auditory and rote memory (or habituation) may figure in this. Get in the habit of taking notes; set up a logbook for longer-term assignments; ask that the information be put in a memo. You might even carry a small tape recorder or dictaphone in some situations. If you often forget to go back to it later, put the memo or recorder where you must see it, as by your purse or underneath something you use every day.
Only get parts of more complex directions or lengthy explanations? Here you may begin to suspect a problem with the subtleties of language – difficulty forming rapid “word pictures” to help with concept formation and memory, or failure to consider alternative word definitions so that meaning is mis-perceived. You can “freeze” it for later analysis by writing or taping. You can say “I learn better if I do it myself while you watch.” Have someone else help you fill in details later.
Have difficulty knowing “what to say when” and are puzzled by others’ reactions to you? One possibility is an inefficiency in the part of the brain which registers tonality (expression in the voice) and gives us “quick fix” on the situation (sometimes referred to with rough accuracy as a “right hemisphere disorder”). A professional can help you learn other cues by which to “read” how people are feeling about what you said and how to change what you say accordingly, much as anyone would have to learn about a foreign culture. In the meantime you might explain the problem to people you trust so their feelings aren’t hurt.
If you inherited parts of your CAPD/LD from your parents, as is often the case, you need to remember that they grew up when far less was known about these conditions than the little which may have been know when you were young. They may have raised you with some of the harmful “scripts” that were part of the parenting they received in a generation where professionals and parents knew nothing about CAPDs. Chances are your teachers or other professionals you grew up with were not well-informed, either. Thus you might have been told “You’d do fine if you just tried,” or “You’ll never amount to anything,” or worse. If so, try to remember that those things were not true or helpful, but just what comes of lack of good information. Work to rid yourself of those inaccurate parts of your self-image, and to forgive your parents and others for their lack of knowledge. Above all, resolve not to pass on their “bad advice” to your own children or to let it spoil relationships with other people you care about.
Remember that for you to have arrived at the point where you are educated and employable, you must have many talents and strengths. You may have superb visual memory, or be a gifted problem-solver or mechanic, or be loved for your way with people, or be wonderfully creative. Some of your skills may have been under-valued in an academic setting, but now they can be worth money! These strengths will be there to help you through the rough spots so work to identify them, either on your own or with the help of a good professional.
There are many individuals who have no trouble detecting the presence of sound, but who have other types of auditory difficulties (e.g., difficulties understanding conversations in noisy environments, problems following complex directions, difficulty learning new vocabulary words or foreign languages) that can affect their ability to develop normal language skills, succeed academically, or communicate effectively. Often these individuals are not recognized as having hearing difficulties because they do not have trouble detecting the presence of sounds or recognizing speech in ideal listening situations. Since they appear to “hear normally,” the difficulties these individuals experience are often presumed to be the result of an attention deficit, a behavior problem, a lack of motivation, or some other cause. If this occurs, the individual may receive medical and/or remedial services that do not address the underlying “auditory” problem.
There are many individuals who have no trouble detecting the presence of sound, but who have other types of auditory difficulties (e.g., difficulties understanding conversations in noisy environments, problems following complex directions, difficulty learning new vocabulary words or foreign languages) that can affect their ability to develop normal language skills, succeed academically, or communicate effectively. Often these individuals are not recognized as having hearing difficulties because they do not have trouble detecting the presence of sounds or recognizing speech in ideal listening situations. Since they appear to “hear normally,” the difficulties these individuals experience are often presumed to be the result of an attention deficit, a behavior problem, a lack of motivation, or some other cause. If this occurs, the individual may receive medical and/or remedial services that do not address the underlying “auditory” problem.
Many children with CAPD will benefit from auditory training procedures and phonological awareness training. Intervention may also involve the identification of (and training in the use of) strategies that can be used to overcome specific auditory, speech and language, or academic difficulties. A number of actions can be taken to improve the quality of the signal reaching the child. Children can be provided personal assistive-listening devices that should serve to enhance the teacher’s voice and reduce the competition of other noises and sounds in the classroom. Acoustic modifications can be made to the classroom (e.g., carpeting, acoustic ceiling tiles, window treatments) which should help to minimize the detrimental effects of noise on the child’s ability to process speech in the educational setting.
Finally, teachers and parents can assist the child in overcoming his or her auditory deficits by speaking clearly, rephrasing information, providing preferential seating, using visual aids to supplement auditory information, and so forth. The program should be tailored to the child’s individual needs, and it should represent an interdisciplinary approach. Parents, teachers, educational specialists, and other professionals, as appropriate, should be involved in the development and implementation of the child’s management program.
DO CHILDREN WITH CAPD HAVE HEARING LOSS?
Children with CAPD do not have hearing loss if the term is used to refer to a loss of hearing sensitivity. Most children with CAPD have normal hearing sensitivity and their auditory difficulties will not be detected during routine hearing testing unless some of the special “sensitized” tests (see discussion above) are administered. These children, however, have hearing loss in the sense that they do not process auditory information in a normal fashion. They have auditory deficits that can be every bit as debilitating as unidentified hearing loss. If the auditory deficits are not identified early and managed appropriately, many of these children will experience speech and language delays, academic failure and/or underachievement, loss of self-esteem, and social and emotional problems.
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