Tag Archives: auditory processing

Boom, Bang, Chirp: the Sounds of Summer and the Auditory System

Posted on

Summertime is filled with distinct noises, like that of a fire engine in the Fourth of July parade, fireworks exploding in the sky, or the steady hum of crickets chirping in the yard. For some children, these sounds can be quite stressful. Like the other sensory systems (touch, taste, smell, sight, etc), your child’s sense of hearing, or their auditory system, takes in information, processes it, and produces an external response. Sometimes, this information isn’t processed correctly. In these cases, your child may demonstrate hypersensitivity or hyposensitivity to sound, and those fun summertime activities become a source of anxiety for your little one.

What is hypersensitivity?
If your child seems to overreact to everyday sounds or seems easily distracted by noise that you are able to tune out, she is demonstrating auditory hypersensitivity. Your child may experience an intense fear of mechanical items with “whirring” sounds, such as vacuum cleaners, hand dryers or flushing toilets in public restrooms, blender, hairdryer, and coffee grinder. She may overreact to unexpected sounds by covering her ears or crying. She may seem to be overly tuned in to background noise in the environment, such as the fan spinning or the clock ticking.

What is hyposensitivity?
If your child seems to enjoy loud noises in his environment, demonstrates difficulty figuring out where a sound is coming from (localizing), and/or has difficulty figuring out what a sound is (distinguishing), he is demonstrating auditory hyposensitivity. Your child may constantly create noises with his mouth throughout the day. He may prefer to keep the television very loud, but become upset when others speak loudly. He may have difficulty hearing and responding when his name is called, especially from another room.

What causes these kinds of sensory auditory dysfunction?
The stapedius is a middle ear muscle that contracts in response to loud noise in order to protect the small hair follicles on our inner ears. Scientists say that sensory-based auditory issues may be due to a poorly-functioning stapedius. The middle and inner ear muscle systems are also important in the function of other sensory structures, such as the vestibular system – which determines your child’s equilibrium and balance.

What can I do?
If your child is demonstrating some of the behaviors above, consider contacting one of our occupational therapists, who can provide your family with helpful tips and tricks to minimize distraction, utilize noise-cancelling items, work through difficult school-based tasks, and more! If your child is demonstrating difficulty with language interpretation, difficulty learning to read, and/or a speech delay that are accompanied with the symptoms listed above, he may be experiencing Auditory Processing Disorder (APD). APD is dysfunction in the brain’s ability to translate sounds. An audiologist can help identify the issue and provide suggestions for next steps.

Questions or concerns?
If you have questions or concerns about your child’s responses to noise, please contact us at info@playworkschicago.com or 773-332-9439.

Jen Brown, MS, OTR/L
Director of Occupational Therapy Services

Reference: Dodd, George. (2002). Distinguishing sound from noise- the significance of attention and noise sensitivity. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 112, 2243. 25 October 2002. https://doi.org/10.1121/1.4778910

“What is auditory processing? Does that mean my child can’t hear?”

Posted on

“I think my child has a hearing problem. They don’t always follow directions and often need me to repeat things.”

There is a common misconception among the families in the speech and hearing world that a child who presents with an auditory processing disorder can’t hear or that a child who has difficulty answering questions or following directions has a hearing impairment.  While the term may sound confusing as both issues concern the auditory system, they are in fact very different from one another. Below are some fast facts on what auditory processing is and is not.

What it is/may present with:

  • Auditory processing disorders are conditions where children have difficulty processing the meaning of the sounds they hear.
  • A disconnect between what the ear hears and the brain processes
  • A breakdown in receiving, remembering, understanding, and then utilizing auditory information
  • The inability to interpret, organize, or analyze what they’ve heard.
  • May have difficulty following directions, especially more than one direction/step at a time
  • May often need information repeated/rephrased
  • May need extra pause time for processing before responding
  • May look confused, give a blank stare, or often ask “huh?” or “what?”
  • Appear easily distracted or bored, especially when conversations/activities don’t include visuals
  • May become upset, angry, or frightened by loud noises and noisy environments
  • Increased difficulty understanding speech in noisy environments
  • Display poor memory for words and numbers
  • May have difficulty with complex language such as word problems, riddles and jokes, or a long story
  • Struggle to hear the difference in similar sounding words
  • Have difficulty paying attention for appropriate amounts of time
  • Have difficulty expressing complex speech
  • Struggle with language skills, including reading/reading comprehension, spelling, vocabulary, and understanding information presented verbally

What it is not:

  • A hearing impairment; all the parts of the hearing pathway are working well.
  • ADHD, Dyslexia, or Sensory Processing (although many children with these disorders struggle with auditory issues as well)
  • Not the result of more global deficits such as autism, intellectual disabilities, attention deficits, or similar impairments.
  • Not defiance or laziness in a child
  • It is not rare-research suggests it is in 2-7 percent of U.S. children
  • Not a lack of intelligence

Diagnosing either hearing loss or APD requires a multidisciplinary team:

  • A pediatric ear, nose, and throat (ENT) doctor will assess any medical problems with the hearing pathway (e.g. ear infection, fluid in the ears, etc.)
  • An audiologist will test hearing sensitivity to determine if there is a hearing loss and administer the series of tests that will determine if APD is present.
  • The speech language pathologist (SLP) will test developmental milestones in speech and written language.
  • The teacher or an educational expert will look at/identify academic difficulties (as well as implement modifications to the classroom after diagnosis)
  • A psychologist will evaluate cognitive functioning.

Things to remember:

  • Even if your child has multiple symptoms of APD, only careful and accurate diagnosis can determine if APD is actually present.
  • Although a multidisciplinary team approach is important in fully understanding all difficulties/aspects associated with APD, the diagnosis of APD can only be made by an audiologist.
  • Treatment of APD is highly individualized. There is no one treatment approach that is appropriate for all children with APD.

For further information, call us at PlayWorks Therapy, Inc. for a language evaluation or ongoing therapy after your child has been diagnosed!

Therese Schmidt, MS, CCC-SLP