*Consent for this in-depth testing, conducted by an audiologist, is part of a full case-study special education evaluation AND requires parent consent through an Individual Needs Assessment /Review of Existing Data (INA) meeting.

This evaluation through a special education referral is free to parents. A letter is mailed to parents with contact information to make an appointment at their convenience. The audiologist provides a written report to the parent and TCSE Audiological CoordinatorAuditory processing is what our brain does with what it hears. This is a central nervous system issue related to how the brain translates signals and sounds that are heard. This is different from language processing or the skills of attention and concentration. Although the human auditory system is fully developed at birth, auditory pathways don’t fully mature until age 10-12 years old. Accurate diagnosis of APD is critical because:

Not all listening problems are APD, although APD causes problems listening. APD can be associated with reading, spelling, and language disorders⁠—but so can other disorders. Other disorders⁠—such as ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, and mild cognitive impairment—can mimic APD but require different treatment. There are different types of APD and they need to be managed differently. A generic list of suggestions may help certain types of APD but make others worse or at a minimum be ineffective. Auditory processing disorders are not one size fits all. Recommendations for environmental modification, compensatory strategies, or remediation are based on the type of processing disorder identified through formal assessment. The types/categories include; Auditory Perception; Prosodic Dysfunction and Integration Dysfunction. Through a school’s multi-tiered systems of support, concerns regarding the processing of auditory information to the brain may include a review of the listening and learning abilities and behaviors in the classroom and specific screening measures. To avoid confusing APD with other disorders that can affect a person’s ability to attend, understand, and remember, it is important to emphasize that APD is an auditory deficit that is not the result of other higher-order cognitive, language, or a related disorders. General education accommodations may be provided without a diagnosis of auditory processing disorder when deficits in this area are present and educational impact is identified. Likewise, a diagnosis of auditory processing disorder does not automatically qualify a child for special education and related services.

Screening measures and tools are used by speech-pathologists in coordination with the classroom teacher to determine whether further auditory testing may be warranted. An audiologist uses this screening information and language testing with other educational assessments and medical history to help understand the reason for referral and the educational impact being reported. None of these screening tools are used to diagnose auditory processing disorders. These screening measures allow the educational team to gather valuable information regarding these skills prior to a referral for testing to help determine if a full audiological battery is suggested by the results. These screenings include, but are not limited to: Test for Auditory Processing Disorders in Children (SCAN 3 C/A) Differential Screening Test for Processing (DTSP) Fishers Checklist CLICK KERE Children’s Auditory Processing Scale( CHAPs) CLICK HERE

Valid and reliable testing for APD requires that : a student is at least 7-8 years of age because the variability in brain function is so marked in younger children that test interpretation may not be possible. b. the student has hearing within normal limits and c. the student has average intelligence d. the student’s child’s attention skills need to be within an average range, or if the child has ADD/ADHD it should be effectively managed. It is important to be confident that poor performance on the APD test battery is truly reflecting a child’s processing of auditory signals and not deficit in concentration or attention. Only a qualified audiologist can diagnose auditory disorders. The comprehensive battery of tests includes otoscopy, pure tone audiometry with speech reception threshold, word recognition testing, standard spondaic word (SSW) test, phonemic synthesis (PS) test, speech-in-noise (SN) test, random gap detection test (RGDT), and competing sentences test (CES) along with a review of additional language, cognitive, or academic achievement testing and medical history completed by the school district.

• Reports and diagnosis presented to the district IEP team outside of the general education MTSS or special education processes can provide valuable information for the school district to consider; however, best practice requires that in order to formally diagnose APD, this outside evaluation must be completed by an audiologist and include more than screening measures and accompanying language or achievement testing. If the team reviews an outside evaluation and determines a referral to the TCSE contractual audiologist is needed to confirm a diagnosis, parental consent should be obtained and routed to the TCSE Audiological Coordinator. The team may use the information provided in an outside evaluation to make recommendations for gen.ed. accommodations or modifications to an existing IEP without a formal diagnosis.