The Able Kids Foundation Advantage

Able Kids Foundation’s Evidenced-Based Program

Able Kids Foundation opened its clinic in 2006. Our work in CAPD dates back to the research that began at Colorado State University (CSU) over 50 years ago. The benefits of the passive filter for CAPD were discovered through CSU’s research more than 35 years ago and it remains one of the pillars of our treatment program today. In a Foundation review of 1,000 clients diagnosed with CAPD, our passive filter management improved clients' ability to understand speech in background noise by 20%.

Many audiologists do not receive proper training in CAPD. Drs. Locke and Wisdom have devoted their careers to the field of CAPD and have evaluated over 3,000 individuals with this condition.

We Serve Every Age, Not Just Kids

Despite our name, Able Kids Foundation evaluates children, adolescents, and adults. Adults are one of the largest groups we see each year and many have lived their entire lives with undiagnosed CAPD, quietly compensating, before finally getting answers and support at the Foundation.

People Travel from Around the World to Able Kids Foundation

The Foundation has evaluated more than 4,000 individuals from all 50 states and 32 countries. Able Kids Foundation is recognized as a global leader in CAPD. Clients are referred to the Foundation by audiologists, occupational therapists, optometrists, physicians, psychologists, reading specialists, speech pathologists, and school districts.

Able Kids Foundation’s Gold Star Diagnostic Test Battery is Sensitive to CAPD Challenges

CAPD can only be properly diagnosed by an audiologist using a sensitive diagnostic test battery — not a checklist, questionnaire, or quick screening tool. Our audiologists, Dr. Megan Locke and Dr. Hilary Wisdom, often compare screening measures to an eye chart with oversized letters –if the letters are big enough, even someone with a real vision problem can pass. Individuals who pass insufficient central auditory processing test batteries may not receive proper support for their CAPD and continue to be misunderstood. Able Kids Foundation’s comprehensive test battery gives objective, measurable evidence of how someone's auditory system is processing information.

We Understand Co-Diagnoses That Frequently Occur with CAPD

CAPD rarely occurs as an isolated condition. It frequently coexists with ADD/ADHD, anxiety, autism, dyslexia, giftedness, hearing loss, misophonia, sensory processing differences, speech and language delays, and traumatic brain injuries. At Able Kids Foundation, we use cross-checks of performance and age-appropriate norms. The Foundation’s results are valid and not influenced by other conditions.

We understand and educate on concepts like the Spoon Theory to help clients and families understand why CAPD is so exhausting (e.g. why someone can seem "fine" at school or work and then completely run out of energy by the end of the day.)

Committed to Education, Not Just Evaluation

Central auditory processing disorder is common, yet widely misunderstood and underdiagnosed. We invest heavily in educating not just our own clients and their families, but other professionals in the field, through community outreach and speaking at local, national, and international conferences as well as podcasts and webinars. Our goal is for CAPD to become a condition that's recognized early, not stumbled upon after years of a child or adult being labeled inappropriately.