DEFINITION, SYMPTOMS, TESTING AND TREATMENT

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Children and adults with auditory processing challenges may find listening exhausting and simply cannot keep it up for long, causing attention drifts in conversation and when listening to lectures. They may become agitated and occupy themselves with other things.

 

Because they tend to miss or mishear pieces of information, those with poor auditory processing may “connect the dots” incorrectly, causing them to say something that seems “off the wall” in conversation, or ask questions about things that were just explained. Comprehension will be compromised, making it very difficult to maintain attention.

 

Many of the symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and auditory processing disorder look the same, and because the loss of attention is the most obvious symptom in the classroom, often the first (but possibly incorrect) conclusion about these students is that they have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Auditory Processing Disorder is a neurological condition that affects the brain's ability to interpret and make sense of sounds, especially speech. 

It is characterized by difficulties in processing auditory information, which can lead to problems with listening, learning, and communication. 

 

APD, also known as central auditory processing disorder, isn't hearing loss or a learning disorder. It means your brain doesn't "hear" sounds in the usual way. It's not a problem with understanding meaning.

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GENERAL SYMPTOMS OF APD

Auditory Processing Disorder can affect individuals of all ages, but it is most commonly diagnosed in children, particularly those with learning difficulties or language disorders. Some common symptoms of auditory processing disorder include:

• Difficulty understanding speech in noisy environments

• Trouble following spoken instructions, and

• Problems with auditory memory and sequencing

Dyslexia almost always has an auditory processing component. Dyslexic students may be very verbal and well-spoken, but struggle when it comes to processing the sounds in words for reading and spelling.

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Each exercise presents your child with sound trials in quick succession, adding speed and complexity at your child’s pace, building towards processing proficiency at natural language speed. We then add reading-specific exercises.

ELC's program goal is reading automaticity, effortless decoding, and reading comprehension – leading to an accelerated and more confident future learning trajectory.

Once a reader relies on the brain’s language centers, reading is more automatic, freeing up the mind for comprehension. This can start a virtuous cycle – less resistance to reading, more reading practice, and so reading growth.

Here are some real-life examples of Executive

 

Functioning as understood by parents:

• The ability to follow instructions step-by-step

• To complete tasks such as chores without getting distracted

• To get ready for school or appointments in a timely manner

• To remember to pack their school materials and lunch

• Missing homework

• Difficulty remembering instructions

• Don’t notice or forget to do parts of instructions, test questions, assignments

• Impulsive in class, lack control in school setting

• Trouble getting started or finishing tasks

• Lack of time management and follow-through

• Difficulty planning and executing long-term assignments

• Poor note-taking

• Doesn’t know how to study for tests

• Waits until the last minute to start tasks

 

Here at ELC we have programs to increase their focus and boost their self-esteem making it easier to have an organized daily routine.

Dyscalculia is treatable in children because their brains haven’t yet finished developing, making it possible for them to learn skills and develop abilities they need to adapt to this condition. Treatment usually takes the form of one-on-one learning programs.

 

The programs are symptom-specific and focus on what a child struggles with most. Treatment should also start as soon as possible. The sooner the treatment starts, the better the chances for children to adapt to this condition and limit the impacts.

 

In addition to symptoms that directly relate to someone’s ability to do math, people with dyscalculia may show emotional symptoms when faced with situations where math is necessary. Those emotional symptoms often include:

• Anxiety (including test anxiety) or even panic.

• Agitation, anger, or aggression (such as temper tantrums in younger children).

• Fear (including a fear or even phobia of going to school).

• Physical symptoms of any of the above (nausea and vomiting, sweating, stomachache, etc.)

Dysgraphia is a neurological condition in which someone has difficulty turning their thoughts into written language for their age and ability to think, despite exposure to adequate instruction and education.

 

People with dysgraphia may have several different difficulties when it comes to writing and may speak more easily and fluently than they write. They may have issues with:

• Letter formation and/or legibility.

• Letter size and spacing.

• Spelling.

• Difficulties writing in a straight line.

• Difficulties holding and controlling a writing tool.

• Writing letters in reverse.

 

Having one of these signs doesn’t mean that a person has dysgraphia, but if your child is having trouble learning the basic skills for writing that are appropriate for their age, they should be tested to see if they need specific help.

ELC can help!