What it is
Auditory processing and language skills develop with well organised vestibular, proprioception and tactile systems. Our auditory system processes sound, and language received via our auditory receptor, our ears. The process involved:
- Attending to sound
- Receiving information
- Perceiving and discriminating between sounds
- Sound association and decoding
- Remembering what is heard
- Integration of what has been heard and expressing a response.
Children with auditory processing difficulties may experience difficulties with listening or making sense of the sounds they hear particularly in environments with a lot of background noise.
Hypersensitive
| Potential signs | Potential impact | Strategies to assist with learning |
|---|---|---|
| Dislike of noisy environments | Unable to concentrate | Please make sure that the child’s hearing has been checked by a relevant medical professional |
| Complaining that noise is painful | Impacts upon engagement with activities that involve high levels of noise | Ear plugs / ear defenders / headphones (should only be worn for 30-40 minutes at a time) |
| Difficulty filtering out general background noise | Negative responses to unpredicted noise | Consider positioning in class |
| Fear of certain environments | Give warning of predicted noise if possible | |
| Flight/fight type reactions seen in noisy environments | Reducing overall noise levels | |
| Quiet areas for concentrated work | ||
| Proprioceptive input can be calming and can dampen some of these sensitivities |
Hyposensitive
| Potential signs | Potential impact | Strategies to assist with learning |
|---|---|---|
| Difficulty listening to and following instructions | Poor concentration | Use the child’s name to engage them |
| Can be slow to respond to questions or their name being called | Unable to complete tasks | Allow time for a response |
| Can often appear to not hear noise or be unresponsive to loud noise | Struggle to follow instructions | Give instructions in other forms of media |
| Difficulty pronouncing words, using prepositions and sequencing verbal instructions | Confusion as to what is happening and what is expected of them | Gain eye contact while giving instructions |
| Can struggled to focus on foreground noise or to block out background noise | Poor memory recall | Request the child repeats instructions to make sure that they understand |
| Possible difficulties with social interactions | Reduce the background sounds in the environment where possible |
