Looking for a good website to explain CAPD to me ...

[Luanne]

I am wondering if this isn't what has been going on with my 19 year old daughter all these years and I just didn't know it.

[Claire]

Here is one website (http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/medical/ears/central_auditory.html) that offers a decent introduction to the topic. CAPD is now referred to just as APD. Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auditory_processing_disorder) has some additional information.

There are different subtypes of APD, and the different subtypes affect children somewhat differently. Not all children with APD will exhibit the same symptoms. APD can be difficult to distinguish from symptoms of ADD/ADHD. The two conditions are often also co-morbid.

[Luanne]

She seems to display these signs:

Is your child easily distracted or unusually bothered by loud or sudden noises?
Are noisy environments upsetting to your child?
Does your child's behavior and performance improve in quieter settings?
Does your child have difficulty following directions, whether simple or complicated?
Are verbal (word) math problems difficult for your child?
Is your child disorganized and forgetful?
Are conversations hard for your child to follow?


What can or should I do at this point to try to help her?

[Claire]

I would probably have her do FastForWord (http://www.fastforword.com). It usually helps with the ability to follow conversations. Cost for the software is about $900 plus you need to pay a provider. I would probably look for a provider with a package charge (software and oversight) under $2,000 total -- maybe $1500 to $1800. This is an intensive program your dd would have to buy into. You also need to have a computer, the right kind of sound board, and good quality headphones. The original program called for 100 minutes on the computer 5 days a week for 12 weeks, but I would recommend doing the modified protocol which is more like 50 minutes a day for 24 weeks. It is *tough* for someone with APD to get through this program, so you have to be prepared to encourage, provide incentives, act as a cheerleader, etc. to get her to stick with it for the entire time.

For the loud noises, I would recommend TLP (http://www.advancedbrain.com). This is available for about $350 from online providers and is easy to do at home. It is a highly modulated sound therapy that requires listening for 15 minutes a day. It is very incremental and graduated, and is designed to normalize responsiveness to sound (all frequencies).

For people with severe APD, it's a good idea to complete TLP first as it can make getting through FFW easier.

You could follow up TLP and FFW with PACE (http://www.processingskills.com) or LearningRx (http://www.learningrx.com). These are very good programs for improving a variety of cognitive skills including attention skills (ability to sustain focus, ability to sustain focus in the presence of distractions, ability to multi-task), short-term auditory and visual memory, working memory, etc. Cost for PACE is usually $2,500-3,500 and LearningRx is usually $3,500-6,000. (They are from the same company and the programs are almost identical, so PACE is more economical.)

If you can't afford all of these programs and had to pick only one, my guess is that the most valuable overall would probably be PACE. Doing TLP, FFW and then PACE would be the best way to cover all the bases for optimal remediation. TLP and FFW would work on reducing the underlying APD deficits at the sensory level. PACE works on the next level up; any sensory deficits limit the gains from PACE. That's why using all of the programs in order is likely to yield the best results in the end.