Auditory

When the CAPD {Central Auditory Processing Disorder} diagnosis came for my daughter, I had read about it extensively, and felt I had somewhat of a handle on what the doctor would say {at least that was what I told myself}.  What I wasn't prepared for was when she said it was "dual hemispheric".  I didn't read about that part.  Turns out it is not very common.  Google it.  Tell me what you come up with.  You will not find anything~at least I didn't.  I should play the lottery more, really...

That means both sides of the brain are equally affected by this inability to process auditory information.  This is significant because what I had learned was that we all have a dominant side of our brain when processing auditory information.  Typically our right side receives the auditory signal more clearly because as the auditory signal enters your right ear, it follows a straight path over to the left side of your brain, where your language processing areas are located.  Have you ever wondered why every time you answer the phone, you probably put the phone to your right ear?  Hmmm...  How about that? Now if you are one of those people who can use either ear, like, it doesn't matter to you~well, you are showing off, so stop it. Okay, I'm joking...but your brain must be really well wired or something. 

I will draw a picture of this to make it a little clearer...if you are one of the people who has educational contact with my daughter, then you are already familiar with my sketches to help you understand my girl.  It's as much for me as it is for you~promise.

Auditory Processing Diagram 

{Please forgive the grainy photo, my computer became possessed after I made this up, and as a last resort, my daughter had to save me with taking a picture of the screen with her ipod touch....I'll take it. 

I have been going nuts}

OK, back to the science.  So when the auditory signal enters the left ear, it has quite a road to travel.  Remember, your language processing centers are located on the left side of your brain.  But, guess what?  The signal doesn't just creep up the left side of your head.  No, it has to travel to the right side of your brain {where it realizes that the right side mainly handles artistic tasks, music, patterns...} then make a turn to head back over to the left side where it can find all of those language processing areas {you know, all the logical thought processes: language, math, order...}. 

So imagine all of the opportunities the signal has to get messed up along the way, especially when the road to language areas is longer.  The interesting part about my daughter is that she does not have a dominant side. Both sides showed equal interference when receiving signals during testing.  Remember, her hearing is perfect {yet she complained frequently that she could not hear the teacher in school}.  What she perceived as hearing difficulty was really a processing difficulty.  To ensure that the testing was not flawed in any way, the doctor continued to test, and the results repeated themselves.
Fascinating, really.  But you really don't want your kid to be fascinating at the doctors office, you know?   Sometimes that can lead to more questions...

So what can be done to help kids with CAPD?  Well, there are lots of things, and some of the below links are great resources to help your child.  One of the best accommodations is the use of an FM System {Frequency Modulation}.  In our school district {Appoquinimink}, we are lucky to have  "Sound Field Systems" in place in our classrooms.  You can read about them here, and on Phonic Ear's website.  Not only are they beneficial for children with processing needs, there is significant research that shows the systems use is beneficial for every child in the classroom.  In a nutshell, the teacher wears a microphone that amplifies their voice at a constant level above all the other noise in the classroom {like rustling papers, the hum of the lights, chairs scratching on the floor}, making it easier to decipher what signal they need to attend to~like the teacher.  All of those "extra sounds" in a classroom might seem negligible to us as adults, but to children with any processing issue, ADHD, or if they have been deemed as a "kid" {that is a joke}...they can be deafening.  Kids don't always have the ability to filter out that noise on their own.  The Sound Field System does the filtering for them, so they can focus. 
Hey, that is one of those invisible accommodations I talked about before...if you didn't see that post before, feel free to check it out. 


To read what the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association has to say about CAPD, click here.

An excellent document on CAPD can be found here where the disorder is discussed more in depth.  Read the whole document if you have the time.  It's worth it.

Have a great day!

{Jenn}

PS-Remember, if you have any questions you'd like answered, just ask!

Accommodations

When my oldest daughter was in kindergarten, she had a hard time remembering her school lunch code.  When you are in line, and you are 5 years old, it is daunting knowing that you will have to remember that number and punch it in all by yourself!  Yes, the lunch ladies are always helping with that, but my first thought was to make her an accommodation.  As a former teacher, I like accommodations that are invisible.  What I mean is that it helps the student without others noticing, so it's "no big deal".  So I embroidered her a fabric bracelet with her lunch number on it.  She wore it to school on days when she was buying lunch.  She thought it was cool, and all she had to do when punching in that number was look at her wrist.  Problem solved.  No embarrassment, or toe-tapping by kids who were starving in line.

When your child is having difficulty in school, the first thing you hope is happening is that the teacher is making accommodations for your child.  By "making accommodations" I mean that the teacher is finding ways to help your child complete a task to keep them on track with the pace of the lesson, and make it meaningful at the same time.

Believe me, teachers are constantly making accommodations {informally} all day, every day, as they teach.  It's being done "on the fly", and in more formal, thought out ways as well.  Think of it this way~when the eye doctor says you can't see that well, they give you the prescription to go get glasses, right?  So you put on the glasses, you see better, and just get on with life, right?  That's what accommodations can do for your child in school.  What makes them meaningful is when they are thoughtfully decided upon for your child's specific needs. 

Not every kid is going to need the same accommodation in order to be a successful learner.
If your child has an IEP, you are going to make sure that your child has specific accommodations noted in their IEP, as part of the document.  Yes, it should be in writing.  If it is just something you decide on verbally with the teacher, and that teacher leaves the class, or the child goes on to the next grade to a new teacher, you are running the risk of having the next teacher just guess at what is most helpful for your child.  Don't start over when you know what is working.  No one wants to re-invent the wheel, for God's sake, and the more time without the help you child needs in class, the more time they are frustrated, and possibly embarrassed.  They work hard enough to keep up. 

You probably already know lots of things that help your child at home...

• Does your child need larger print when reading text?
• Do you repeat directions frequently when you need your child to do something around the house {well, more than you normally would....}?
• Do you use picture clue reminders at home for routine tasks?

These are all accommodations, and can be transferred to the school environment.

In Delaware, we have the state test {DCAS}, starting in 3rd grade.  It's important to understand, as a parent, if your child does not currently have specific accommodations in the classroom setting, your child may not be successful with the accommodations you might come up with to be used during the state test {check out page 8 of this document from the State of DE website}.  They should be very used to the help they receive in school~if you throw something brand new at them during the state test, it could throw them for a loop.  You don't want that for your kid, believe me.

So, to be clear...

• Yes, the accommodations for the state test should match up with the accommodations listed in your child's IEP {which are usually listed on each goal page}. 
• And, yes, they are checked off on separate pages in a different area in the IEP {the "Student With Disability Form" is 4 pages long} so there will be multiple places in the document where accommodations will be noted.

They could be as simple as, "extended time for taking the test", or " intermittent prompting to remain on task".  Whatever it is, make sure your child is comfortable with the help, and it is meaningful.

That's all we really want, right?  We just want them to get the help they need to be successful in school and in life.  That's all the teachers want too.  And if you need help navigating through this, then ask!  I'm sure the teacher will accommodate you.

Have a great day.

{Jenn}

PS~I realize you are all not living in Delaware...the best thing to do is to go to your state Department of Education website, and look for links pertinent to your needs, if that doesn't help, ask me and I will see what I can dig up for you :)