Auditory Processing Disorder in 6yo Boy

Curlywhirly – please do yourself a HUGE favor and buy the book called The Right Side of Normal. I am reading it now, and I wish I had read it several years ago when I first suspected APD in my dd (before the diagnosis and stress of therapy). My third dd has the same (more intense) type of indicators as my other daughter, and as I read this book, I am seeing things so differently this time. I am only half way through, but what she talks about are things that I see playing out in my home often (reading, learning, relationships, etc). I am finding better ways to have learning happen for this child as she is ready and it has helped the entire family relationship.  =)

Please be at rest regarding his age and his interest in reading. Do not insist that he meet the pace set by his sister. He will be more prepared for reading if you go at his pace. I know that sounds hard to do, especially from pressures involved with therapies, friends, family, etc. (voiced or not, there are subtle pressures on you both – been there, done that).  Often children with these issues really take off between the ages of 8-10 with reading.

Use lots of varieties of color to help him take mental pictures of his letters, words, numbers, shapes, etc. A child with APD is a right brained learner – creative, sees things in pictures, etc. Play to that and you will be making things easier for both of you.

Also, if he is interested in mechanical things, find books that help him see more of that area. Often for children with these differences that is what sparks the interest in learning more traditionally.  Perhaps reading those aloud would capture his interest. This can become a real strength for him.

I  agree with retrofam: my dd does better if she can do legos, artwork, or something with her hands that allow her time to process the information, too.

I’m with the others. I have a son with a nice little buffet of such issues – and he’s currently going through the testing process for APD, which I already know he has. Though thankfully on the milder end.

Your son is obviously a very visual learner – whether by trait or by need, so that is a need you’re going to have to meet. Children with APD also tend to do well with kinesthetic methods as well. CM approach is by far best suited to an auditory learner, however, it is certainly doable for visual/kinesthetic learners as well. It’s just a little more work on our part 😉

I do think you’re going to have to allow separation of levels though between your two six year olds, even though I realize that’s more work for you. You’re going to need to scale back on the expected outcomes etc… for your youngest. I would stick to easy picture books for now – there are many beautiful, classic picture books that are not twaddle, and great living books as well! Have separate lessons for him, if possible, so that he can get the directed, one on one focus that he likely is going to need.

If you do want to continue trying to combine them, then I agree with others – try letting him have coloring pages (preferably that relate to what you’re reading), visual charts, maps etc… anything visual that you can add to what you’re reading – do so. But, keep realistic expectations, that he just may not be up to following along with the olders reading.

As for actually learning to read – don’t worry! All children learn in their own time – with challenges or without. Some are early readers, some are late. It’s all okay. I think it’s more important to foster a desire to read, a love of books first, without the pressure of having to learn to read. And typically that love of books comes from meeting them with literature that is on their capability level. Nothing will frustrate a child faster than being told to sit and listen to something that doesn’t interest them, that is over their head, beyond their comprehension etc…

As for the actual nitty gritty therapy workings of APD – have you looked into the LIPS program (Lindamood Phoneme Sequencing)?  A friend of mine recently bought it for her son who is struggling with speech/APD, and all I can say is wow. It’s expensive, but you can get by with just the TM, if you’re willing to make the resources yourself. It’s a very visual/kinesthetic approach to the therapy, and works for several different situations (dyslexia, speech, APD etc…). What I love about it is how easy it is to use (scripted), but… you don’t tell the students the answers, instead it’s discovery based. It allows the child to discover the answer for themselves. It will take you from discovering sounds to reading and spelling.

Again, it’s pricy – but… so worth it. Especially since you can do the therapy yourself. And again, you can just get the TM and make the manipulatives yourself. You can sometimes find it used on eBay, Amazon etc…

http://www.lindamoodbell.com/programs/lips.html