Central Auditory Processing
Disorders (CAPD)
Walk a mile in their shoes...
Can you figure out these familiar sayings?
1. Law tent britches full in town.
2. High pled jolly gents two thief lag.
3. Up any shave sup ay urn.
4. Ah waits beep a light.
5. All swell attend swell.
Translations of Familiar Sayings
1. Law tent britches full in town. ･ London
bridge is falling down.
2. High pled jolly gents two thief lag. ･ I pledge
allegiance to the flag.
3. Up any shave sup ay urn. A penny saved is
a penny earned.
4. Ah waits beep a light. ･ Always be polite.
5. All swell attend swell. ･ Alls well that ends
well.
Definition of CAPD
 is a deficit in the perceptual processing
of auditory stimuli and the
neurobiological activity underlying that
processing
 is a hidden disability that occurs when there
is difficulty processing information carried by
audible signals (sounds) that can interfere
with learning. CAPD occurs when the ear and
the brain do not coordinate fully and auditory
information breaks down somewhere
between the hearing mechanism and the
brain. Students with CAPD can hear what you
say but may not understand or make sense of
everything that is being said.
 In the classroom... student
challenges... EXAMPLES OF
PROCESSING MISCUES
 Fragmentations
 Omissions
Substitutions
Intrusions
 affects the neural processes underlying: ･
LOCALIZATION
. LATERALIZATION
-DISCRIMINATION
-AUDITORY PATTERN RECOGNITION
TEMPORAL PROCESSING ･
PERFORMANCE WITH COMPETING
ACOUSTIC SIGNALS
Exhibit one or more of:
 Auditory skills may be inconsistent and not
always predictable
 Partial understanding of context may occur
 Critical auditory information may be missed,
misunderstood, confused, or misinterpreted
 Students may need silent rehearsal time to ﾒ
play back the tape of what they just heard or
were asked
 Students may have organizational issues
 Students may have significant reading,
language or organizational issues
 Students may have self-esteem issues due
to the subtle complex nature of CAPD
Diagnosis
 Speech/language, psychological,
reading and related tests that tap
listening and communication function
cannot be used to diagnose CAPD,
even if the term “auditory processing” is
included in the title of the test.
Students who Can’t be given
CAPD diagnosis:
･ Children under the age of 7 years old
･ Children whose primary language is not
English
･ Children for whom auditory processing
disorders are not the primary barrier to
learning when other disabilities are present
such as: ･ Hearing loss ･ Cognitive
impairments ･ Autism spectrum disorders ･
Cerebral palsy and other physical disabilities
Who Diagnosis ?
 APD is an auditory disorder; therefore a
specially trained clinical audiologist
diagnoses APD, with consultation from
District Psychologist ･ ･
 May meet criteria for LD or ADHD
designation
Educator’s Role in Diagnosis
 Processing Checklist
 Tests of Achievement
 Systematic classroom observation
 Social Emotional checklists
Reading Remediation




Auditory Decoding Weakness:
Phonemic Awareness (singing, rhyming)
Difficulty with sound blending + spelling
Mishears and substitutes similar sound
words for the actual auditory target
 Difficulty decoding letters and words
 Under-developed phonemic awareness and
phonic skills ･ Has implications then for
reading fluency and reading comprehension
Will Require Speech/Language
Therapy
･ Articulation
･ Vocabulary ･ Application of new words /
Multiple-meanings
Syllabication/pronunciation
･ Inferential, abstract and idiomatic language ･
Rapid naming of synonyms ･ Repair
strategies
･ Pragmatic language
･ Conversational exchanges
･ Record of mismappings
Curriculum Adaptations May
Include:
･ Test-taking strategies/language of the
test
･ Content-area vocabulary
･ Organizational strategies
･ Advocacy/compensatory strategies
･ Technology often required:
 Extended time on assignments
 ･ Format adaptations on homework questions
･ Classroom VISUALS
 ･ Classroom accommodations based on
profile
 ･ Set of texts at home/books on tape
 ･ Test-taking adaptations:
 ･ Quiet area
 ･ Modified format
 ･ Extended time
 ･ Segmented testing over multiple days ･
Teacher’s Written Notes
･ BEFORE class to develop background topic
knowledge
･ A visual reference DURING classroom
instruction
･ A learning tool AFTER class for clarification,
verification, and memory prompts
･ A safety net for diminished anxiety and fatigue
from sustained auditory attention all day