Auditory Disorders

If only it were that simple…

Sometimes, it seems like your child just isn’t listening.

Or, even when they are paying attention and trying to listen, they still make mistakes.

They have difficulty following directions – and you have to repeat yourself multiple times.

You don’t want to think it, but a part of you is beginning to wonder – is this some game – until you realize it’s much deeper than that.

Hearing Loss

If your child has been diagnosed with a hearing loss, you may be concerned about whether he or she will learn to speak clearly and understand spoken language.

Or you may still be adjusting to your child’s hearing technology and learning how it all works (e.g., hearing aid, cochlear implants, remote microphones, etc.).

You may have so many questions and concerns – especially if no one else in your family has dealt with hearing loss.

I’m here to help.

As an audiologist, I can provide support to help you understand your child’s hearing loss and the associated technology. I will also help you understand how to navigate the educational options and implications of hearing loss.

Regarding listening and spoken language skills, I use auditory-verbal and auditory-oral approaches, as appropriate, to help them learn to listen and talk effectively.

Depending on your child’s age and specific needs, we may incorporate parent coaching into sessions, during which you will help facilitate activities.

But in all cases, I work with you to ensure that you know how to communicate effectively with and advocate for your child with hearing loss.

Auditory Processing Disorder

You wonder whether your child has the ability to understand what she hears since all the tests say her hearing is within normal limits. In that case, your child may have an Auditory Processing Disorder.

Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) impacts your ability to identify and extract meaning from what you hear. For example, listening to someone talk in a noisy area requires the ability to filter out the background noise and focus on the person you want to hear.

APD can manifest in different ways.

For some children, it may be difficult hearing sounds in words and may contribute to reading trouble.

For others, it may be hard to take notes in class while listening to the teacher lecture.

For still others, it may be problems with ignoring distractions and background noise and focusing on the person talking.

Help for APD is available.

I identify your child’s profile of strengths and weaknesses in auditory skills and develop a plan to improve their listening skills.

In addition to direct therapy, I may also make recommendations to improve their likelihood of success in the classroom.

Hearing and listening skills are the foundation for speech and spoken language skills. Whether your child has an auditory processing disorder or hearing loss, it is my goal to help them develop their listening skills to be as effective as possible.

Contact me today – (240) 391-8438.