Overview
Listening is a very complex process. The actions of the outer ear, middle ear, and inner ear send sounds via the auditory nerve to the brain. The brain then interprets the auditory information; for example it tells us that a particular sound is a dog barking or a bird singing. Auditory Processing is a medical term for Listening. A child who can hear well, but cannot understand the sounds may have Auditory Processing Disorder (APD).
Some Symptoms of APD
- Difficulty understanding when listening
- Difficulty following auditory directions
- Difficulty remembering multi-step instructions
- Difficulty understanding in noisy situations
- Difficulty following conversations in a group
- Difficulty with note-taking in class
- Difficulty copying from the board
- Reading and spelling difficulties
- Short attention span and fatigues easily
- Verbal IQ lower than performance IQ
Services Offered
Audiology testing may include:
- A complete hearing evaluation
- Screening Questionnaire
- APD test battery evaluation including
-Speech in noise testing
-Speech discrimination testing
-Dichotic listening
-Temporal processing
Speech-Language Evaluation and services may include:
- Speech and Language evaluation
- Speech and Language therapy
- Fast ForWord® and Earobics® computer-assisted treatments
Benefits
After the evaluation one of the clinicians will discuss the test results with you and make appropriate recommendations. Recommendations may include:
- Speech and Language intervention
- A custom designed hearing training program with listening strategies
- Collaborative management with patients, parents, educators, and speech-language pathologist
- Usage of an assistive listening device to overcome background noise in the classroom
- Collaboration with educators to implement needed classroom modifications
To schedule an appointment, call the ETSU Audiology Clinic at the Johnson City Medical Center, (423) 926-2500.