I would like to get my daughter evaluated for auditory processing disorder. She's 6 1/2.
She has trouble following verbal instructions, and gets confused a lot in conversation. She's very smart though so not behind in school on written work. She has had trouble in other areas though like dance class (lots of auditory distractions there!).
I talked to the audiologists at her ENTS (she had ear tubes in and adenoids out when she was 3 due to ear infections). They said there is a clinic in Galveston and one on Post Oak that do evaluations. But she is too young for Texas Children's, they won't test there until age 8. BTW, her hearing is totally normal now.
So my questions are: Do you have any experince with either clinic? Or recommendations for another clinic? I would love to find someplace closer to home/ Clear Lake area but willing to travel to get her the help I think she needs.
Any good books/ websites dealing with auditory processing disorder that you would recommend?
I have no recommendation for you as far as a clinic is concerned. However, you can talk to speech therapists and ask them who they can recommend. Not just anyone can do an evaluation, but usually, speech therapists know who can do the testing.
Good luck!
D.
Any developmental pediatrician should be able to give you a good start on a diagnosis. My son was diagnosed with sensory and auditory processing disorders by his dev pedi; we then went to Able Kids Foundation in Fort Collins, CO (yes, one heck of a trip, but we made it into our Spring Break!). They are the only place in the world that make ear filters that improve processing. My son is more pronounced in his right ear, and with that filter in, he went from 30% comprehension to 88% comprehension just like that - it was amazing! It basically filters out all the background noise for them. He now wears it daily and had a lot less trouble focusing in class and in extracurricular activities too.
We are having our son evaluated in a few weeks, also 6 1/2. The audiologists around here won't do it until age 7 or 8, but Kennedy Kreiger Institute, a hospital that specializes in children does do it. Look at your local children's hospitals and their departments of neuropsychology. Start there and see what they can provide. My nephew has APD, and they worked with his teachers to get him proper instruction. he had a microphone on his desk and the teacher spoke into a mike so he could hear, and there were lots of picture prompting. Good luck.
I work with a woman with a daughter with SPD.
Her daughter is now a sophomore in college.
When she was a kid there was WAY less known about SPD.
Her daughter was much older before it was identified, so I just wanted to say Way to Go for being her advocate!
Good luck!
The school district will do the testing for free. You may not like the results, though, since she is not behind in school and meeting her educational milestones, she may not qualify for special services. BUT, I do recommend you go this way to start the paper trail that you may need later.
Your audiologist gave you the names of private clinics that you would have to pay or yourself (insurance usually don't cover LD diagnostics, since school districts do it for free). It is a long process, so I suggest you get the ball rolling ASAP.
Even though she may not qualify for services, there may be some interventions that the teachers will be able to do for her in class. Then you will need to stay on top of the teacher and make sure she is doing it. Most teachers are NOT trained for special needs kids. And I don't mean autism. I mean LD special needs.
Good Luck
My son was just evaluated for this. I would ingest who I went to...as she was involved in setting up the tests to evaluate apd. But...she's in Chicago. No went from Iowa to see her. They evaluate on about 6 different auditory levels....my son didn't so well in a few. Then she gives ideas to my sons speech therapist and teacher at school to aid in his learning. I would highly recommend it.....it has given us such insight on things....why following directions is so hard...and also what he is still strong in. If you have any specific questions....let me know. Oh...and insurance didn't cover it....cost us $600. Lots of audiologist a that perform the evaluation require a psychoeducational analysis before they will evaluate....just wanted to give you heads up on that.
Talk to school and see if they have any testing. My son has Sensory Processing issues and ADHD. They should be able to help you, and provide you with OT for this so that they can help her strenthen her weaknesses.
Good luck.
Once you have had her tested...
Schedule a mtg w/ the "team" at the school---the principal, the teacher, the speech pathologist, the special education teacher...
You want ALL the teachers to be on board and understand your daughters needs when it comes to school. You will want the gym teacher, the music teacher, the art teacher, the classrm teacher to know how to give your daughter the proper instructions that will help her learn best and nurture her self-esteem, too.
TLTC.org is a good website.
In the meantime, contact the school psychologist and tell her you want to set up a mtg w/ the speech pathologist.
