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A variety of approaches to managing the effects of CAPD have been described. Among the most commonly discussed approaches are strategies that can be placed into two categories: those that target therapeutic remediation and those involving compensatory intervention. A third approach to management incorporates the use of technology.
While some clinicians feel that therapy programs alone will help a child with CAPD, others recommend both therapy techniques and parent-teacher management guidelines to aid the child or adult. From our research, we advocate the implementation of compensatory management that has been shown to be helpful for children and adults with CAPD (Willeford and Burleigh, 1985). We also recommend the use of technology for the management of CAPD.
In an effort to aid children and adults with CAPD, we have designed a compensatory management program which targets adult’s or children’s primary difficulties in their academic, work, and social environments. Inappropriate structure, incomprehensive commands, and tasks which continually stress the CANS will lead to failure. However, with compensatory management, the child and adult will be better able to cope with the various auditory demands placed upon them at home, at school, and at work.
Our research has led us to believe that it is very important to identify the relative strength of the CANS. In other words, one must try to determine if one ear is stronger than another for interpreting auditory information in difficult listening situations. When this occurs, special management should be implemented. If both ears are equally stressed, then compensatory management should be individualized to meet that individual’s needs. Management should also be centered on the individual’s personal listening challenges. Management protocol, then, will vary depending upon the auditory profile of the child or adult.
Another important management tool is the use of FM auditory systems. This was first recommended by Drs. Jack Willeford and Joan Burleigh in 1978 (Willeford and Billger, 1978). Individualized and speaker FM systems have been used successfully with children and adults with auditory difficulties including CAPD. The use of such units has shown good improvement in classroom performance for a number of children at the Central Auditory Diagnostic Center at the Able Kids Foundation. Furthermore, we have fit FM units for college students who have had great difficulty processing auditory information in large lecture halls. The use of a FM system allows them to receive instruction on practically a one-on-one basis. Again, their classroom performance is improved along with a decrease in the amount of energy they are expending just trying to understand confusing auditory input.
New proprietary technology has been developed by Dr. Joan Burleigh for assisting children and adults with central auditory processing difficulties. This technology employs a filter system which changes the relationship between the two ears in a novel way. The filter minimally attenuates sounds in the speech frequency range while decreasing input in the higher frequencies to a greater extent and is particularly useful in noisy listening situations. This filter is fit so that hearing is still within normal limits, even in the targeted higher frequency range (Burleigh et al. 2002). Advances in technology provide one of the most exciting emerging avenues for CAPD management.
Burleigh, J.M., McIntosh, K.W., & Thompson, M. W. (2002). Central Auditory Processing Disorders. In A. Bundy, S. Lane, and E. Murray (Eds.). Sensory Integration: Theory and Practice (2nd ed.) (pp. 141-165).
Willeford, J.A. & Billger, J.M. (1978). Auditory perception in children with learning disabilities. In J. Katz (Ed.). Handbook of clinical Audiology (2nd ed.) (pp. 410-425). Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins.
Willeford, J.A. & Burleigh, J. M. (1985). Handbook of Central Auditory Processing Disorders in Children. New York: Grune & Stratton.
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