Auditory Dysfunction and Sensory Integration Disorder

Guest
K, Kelly, this is verbatim my reply on Wildflower's thread on Sensory Integration:

Lack of concentration due to background noises isn't the same as sensitivity to noises. I thought they were one-and-the-same, and they may be intertwined, however, when my difficult child started experiencing extreme sensitivity, and I explained it initially to his psychologist & psychiatrist, they both told me the same thing.
I was assuming a connection to me & my mother's inabilities to filter background noise. I cannot concentrate on a phone call if a convo is happening close by, I cannot hear convo in my car if traffic is particularly busy, I can lose my thread of concentration...if, uh. Sorry, the phone rang.
They both told me that what I am experiencing is an actual disorder of its own, Auditory Dysfunction. It was, like most disorders these days, largely unrecognized until recently. (How did doctors & scientists used to make $$? Seems they figured out 90% of the world's problems just in the last 20 years!) It was considered a type of hearing loss.
Anyway, I may be a bit off on the name; there isn't much you can do about it, it's basically an inability to properly filter unnecessary noises. So I haven't done much studying or follow-up. It's more like, interesting personal trivia for now. :rolleyes:
 

Guest
I'm not Kelly, but I believe what you are referring to is more commonly known as Central Auditory Processing Disorder (Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD)) and Auditory Processing Disorder (Auditory Processing Disorders (APD)). My son has both Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD) and Sensory Integration Disorder (SID).

The sensitivity to noise related to Sensory Integration Disorder (SID) and unable to hear in background noise is related to Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD) are not the same thing, however, as with ADHD, bipolar, etc., they are neurological disorders. Depending on the degree of Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD), it can be much more complex than just not being able to hear well in background noise, however.

in my opinion psychologists often miss these disorders during evaluation, because they don't presently fall under MH issues. Sensory Integration Disorder (SID) falls under the expertise of an Occupational Therapist (OT); Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD) under the real of an audiologist. These issues were missed by everyone that had ever evaluated my son. It's why you'll see me post sometimes that if I had it to do over, I'd have difficult child evaluated via a multidiscplinary team at a Children's Hospital. It's my understanding a full evaluation would pick up on sensory and other issues.
 

Faithful-Heart

New Member
My son Nate, also has the autory processing disorder and Sensory Integration Disorder (SID)...though he got therpay for the Sensory Integration Disorder (SID) by an Occupational Therapist (OT) and is much better now. On the autory thing he went through a period of time where he heard EVERYTHING...but of course if the TV was on or radio or other kids making noises he did not hear me talking to him. I also had his hearing tested twice cause I thought he was deaf! He would swing back and forth to being too sentive to noise to seemlying not hearing anything. Drove me nuts trying to figure out if he had super hearing or was deaf... :frown:

Now that he is a bit older..almost seven he doesn't seem near as sentive to noise as he used to be. In fact now likes the TV and radio up loud! Too loud sometimes! But yet he is still having problems understanding what is said to him...or he forgets it. I think actually what happens (just guessing) is if he really doesn't 'get' what I said he doesn't remember cause what I said made no sense to him so why remember it?

Now that I am homeschooling and sitting right next to him and showing and talking to him on school work he seems to do fine. Its when we the TV is on...or he is running through the house...he misses the more casual talk. Or if he is really focused working on one of his projects. One time he was working on something and I was telling him something...he wasn't listening...so I threw in..oh yea I am going to get an elephant at the store too...

I figured the word elephant would stop him in his tracks...nope...he just kept on going...too wrapped up in what he was doing.

If I REALLY need to get him to understand something...I have him repeat it back to me. If he can repeat it I know he not only heard me but understood it. If he can't repeat it back then he didn't get it.

When I first found out Nate had this problem some people on here gave me links to programs you could buy to help your child over come this...but I didn't have the money to get anything so didn't save the links. But you could do a search and see if you find anything. There are teaching tools out there.
 

Guest
Oh, very good! Thanks, Alisha, although, my personal experience with it is not troublesome enough or life-threatening, so for now I think I'll continue shrugging off my own & concentrate on difficult child's!
I think the worst I've ever experienced in terms of the Auditory disorder is embarrassment. Realizing I'm having a phone convo & haven't heard a word the caller has said, or, my boss is talking to me about the big project due next Monday, the phone rings and I lose the entire thread of convo and have to ask the boss to start over :rolleyes:
Also, Alisha, thanks for the tip on the Multidisciplinary Team; think I will call the CPH back today & see just what evaluations are scheduled for difficult child next month.
Anyway, thought I'd bring it up when Kelly mentioned it in wildflower's thread. Always interesting to see what info is out there. Seems like there is always another fork in the road to ponder; so many of these conduct & sensory disorders share similar traits.
LOL, how do you like that? I stated the obvious! Geez, that's like telling a one-armed man, "hey, did you know you still have 2 legs?!"
If you can't laugh at yourself, then be prepared to be the only one not laughing! :laugh:
 
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