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School Success Kit for Kids With Sensory Processing Issues | Child Mind Institute

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Going back to school is an exciting time, but for kids with sensory processing issues it can be overwhelming. Here are a few tips and strategies to help your child (and you!) feel calm, comfortable and confident this year.

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Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) looks different as children get older. For student with APD their learning and reading skills may still progress, but early clues may gradually fade, and new and different clues may emerge as the student gets older.

APD Checklists are available to help therapists (usually SLPs) figure out whether students are presenting with auditory processing deficits that require more comprehensive assessment. Parents and teachers may also be asked to participate in order to determine whether deficits are consistent across all settings. ¹

Early Childhood and Preschool APD Warning Signs

Speech and language delays are the most common early outward signs of an auditory processing problem. Consequently, they generally receive vigorous attention from teachers and parents. However, often there are no speech delays and yet APD is present. Here are some other signs of auditory processing difficulties to look for:

Learning to speak

Being able to rhyme

Separating meaningful sounds from background noise

Remembering stories or songs

Staying focused on a person's voice

Sound localization - recognizing where sounds are coming from

Confusing similar sounding words

Slow start to recognizing letter sounds in words (as opposed to alphabet)

Elementary Age APD Checklist

Many aspects of auditory processing dysfunction only surface in elementary school when multi-tasking comes into play. For instance, reading comprehension requires decoding skill AND understanding content at the same time. This requires processing efficiency that is beyond the reach of most children with APD. Common symptoms of auditory processing disorder in the 5-10 year old range include:

Remembering and following spoken directions

Difficulty with reading - sounding out and/or reading comprehension

Inattentiveness while in class, doing homework or reading

Mishearing words of songs

Spends too much time on homework

Word retrieval and rapid automatic naming difficulties

APD Checklist for Teenagers and Adults

Auditory processing disorder in teenagers is harder to detect, since by high school most outward speech and language issues disappear. This does not always mean however that the auditory processing problems have gone away. Rather, they morph into different impediments to academic success.

Common signs of auditory processing disorder in teenagers and adults include:

Talks louder than necessary

Reading progress stalls and/or reading reluctance develops

Disappointing performance in high stakes tests

Slow worker in tests and/or homework

Struggles to remember a list or sequence

Often needs words or sentences repeated

Interprets words too literally

1. Central Auditory Processing Disorder Symptoms; Checklist For Auditory Processing Disorder For All Ages; Gemm Learning.

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Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) looks different as children get older. For student with APD their learning and reading skills may still progress, but early clues may gradually fade, and new and different clues may emerge as the student gets older.

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At a glance

Auditory processing disorder (APD) makes it hard to know what people are saying.

It isn't related to hearing problems or intelligence.

APD can impact people of all ages, and in different ways.

Auditory processing disorder (APD) is a term that refers to problems in how the brain understands speech. The sounds may be loud and clear. But people with APD don't pick up on the subtle differences between them.

For example, they may not recognize the difference between cat, that, and bat. The words seventy and seventeen may sound the same. Words can also get scrambled, so the question "how are the chair and couch alike" might sound like "how a cow and hair are like."

There are four auditory processing skills that people may struggle with:

Auditory discrimination: noticing, comparing, and distinguishing between separate sounds

Auditory figure-ground discrimination: focusing on the important sounds in a noisy setting

Auditory memory: recalling what you've heard, either immediately or in the future

Auditory sequencing: understanding and recalling the order of sounds and words

APD can have an impact on learning and interacting with others. But it isn't related to intelligence. People with APD are as smart as anyone else. They just struggle with a specific group of skills.

About the author

About the author

Gail Belsky is executive editor at Understood. She has written and edited for major media outlets, specializing in parenting, health, and career content.

Reviewed by

Reviewed by

Kelli Johnson, MA is an educational speech-language pathologist, working with students from early childhood through 12th grade.

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What is auditory processing disorder? Auditory processing disorder (APD) refers to problems in how the brain understands speech. Learn about APD symptoms and treatment.

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There are extra resources to learn more about Auditory Processing Disorder in the blue sections.

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Is a disorder of the auditory (hearing) system that causes a disruption in the way that an individual’s brain understands what they are hearing. ADP is a disorder of the auditory system at the level of the brain, in an area called the auditory cortex.It can only be tested for and diagnosed by an audiologist.
(nationwidechildren.org, Auditory processing disorder)

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How is it Treated?

Auditory Processing Disorder is relatively rare - with only about 3-4 percent of the population truly having APD - and is not always fully understood.

Currently, APD is recognized as a "specific learning disability" under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This qualifies a student for reasonable services and accommodations at school if they have been diagnosed with APD by an audiologist.

Following a diagnosis of APD, a customized list of recommendations to best help the child succeed is created by the audiologist and provided to the child's family and school for consideration. Each child and diagnosis is different, so careful attention is taken to ensure that the child's individual needs are met appropriately.

Some examples of recommendations include:

Specific and strategic seating arrangements in class

A device to help raise the level of the teachers voice above the classroom noise, called an FM system

Written or picture-based instructions to accompany verbally presented instructions

Specific focus on auditory processing skills in a therapy setting

Can it be Cured?

The areas of the brain responsible for auditory processing abilities continue to grow and develop throughout childhood until around age 13, when the auditory system is considered to be more mature and adult-like.

Due to this gradual maturation, it is possible that a child who was diagnosed with APD before age 13 could essentially "grow out" of APD. Additionally, a child's auditory processing skills may also improve if he or she is receiving therapy for APD.

For these reasons, it is recommended that children diagnosed with APD before age 13 be re-tested every 1-2 years until after their 13 th birthday to monitor for any changes or improvements with their auditory processing skills.

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Auditory Processing Disorder (APD), also referred to as Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD), is a disorder of the auditory (hearing) system that causes a disruption in the way that an individual's brain understands what they are hearing. It is not a form of hearing loss.

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Things to look for in your child for possible APD.

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Things to look for in your child for possible APD.

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1. Is it hard for the child to understand what you are saying when there is any background noise?

2. Is the child slow to understand a joke or exaggerations in a story?

3. Do they have difficulty staying engaged during a lengthy speech or when they must listen for a long time with no visual props?

4. Does the child have difficulty paying attention to you talking if there are loud or sudden sounds around them?

5. Does the child have difficulty following directions in many steps to complete a task without any visual cues?

6. Does the child have difficulty remembering or relaying information given to them verbally?

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Misconceptions about children with APD and what is really happening.

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Misconceptions about children with APD and what is really happening.

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"The child is just hard of hearing!" The most common misconception about APD is that the child can not hear, but it is the processing of the words between your lips and their brain that things get all mixed up. As you may say, "Do you want to play ball?" They may hear, "Do you want to play doll?"

"My child can not have APD; it is very rare!" Research shows that around 7% of children have just APD, while another study shows up to 43% of children with other learning disabilities also have undiagnosed APD alongside it.

"Children with APD are less intelligent than others their age." This is not true for children with APD score average or higher on an IQ test if appropriately given. If they take a verbal IQ with no visuals, they are slow to respond due to the processing scramble words may have when they are listening.

"APD? No, that's not real they have ADHD." These two disorders have similarities that can confuse the diagnosis, but with proper observation, you can tell the differences between the two. ADHD has an attention disorder in all or many areas of the entire being, while APD is specifically processing words while listening with no help from visual aids.

"My child is so disrespectful and lazy!' Children with APD come off of ignoring you and just not paying attention when they answer something unrelated to the question. We need to be more aware of the long lag time for processing; they need to unscramble the words they hear. This will cause a crazy response or what seems like a  disrespectful attitude. It takes more effort and energy for them to respond correctly than the children you believe are respectful. (Larken, 2018)

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All yellow sections will help with strategies to teach APD students effectively.

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While the student may look like they are keeping up with the visual cues and labels in the room, providing written instructions or a written transcript of the daily lectures is an excellent strategy.

You must ensure the written is a replica of the verbal instructions. This will help to reinforce what they thought they heard, and it will make sure they are staying on track with the class.

You can use this strategy before your lesson or after it is finished. If provided before they can highlight the areas, you have the gesture cues for them to pay close attention. If the student wants to keep up with visual cues, providing them afterwords will coach them on their strengths and weakness with note taking.

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A student with APD can still be successful with the help of visual cues in your lesson plan. You may have charts, videos, or still pictures to help explain what your lecture is teaching.

At the first of the year, you and your student could develop a gesture cue you can use during a lecture to signal to them, "This is important; please pay attention right now."

The classroom can be a great way to help the student with labels. You can label what is needed for an assignment or label areas to help process instructions for them more quicker.

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If you're seeking to encourage your child with special needs to complete tasks independently, try using visual cues and labeling for that task.

1. Identify the task and the environment in which it will take place.

2. Identify which elements in the environment to label.

3. Attach visual labels to these items (using hook and loop fasteners or tape).

4. Model for your child how to use the visual labels to guide them through their task.

5. Be sure to positive reinforce them as they complete the task!

The special education resources on this page were authored by Watson Institute's special education consultants and faculty.
Classroom Centers - Visual Cues and Labeling Classroom Centers - Visual Organization
If you have questions or concerns about the Watson Institute's use of this information, please contact us.

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Visual Cues, Labeling and Organization - Watson Institute

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If you're seeking to encourage your child with special needs to complete tasks independently, try using visual cues and labeling for that task. Identify the task and the environment in which it will take place. Identify which elements in the environment to label. Attach visual labels to these items (using hook and loop fasteners or tape).

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ADHD or APD? Identifying and Treating Auditory Processing Disorders In Kids with ADHD

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ADHD or APD? Identifying and Treating Auditory Processing Disorders In Kids with ADHD

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ADHD or APD? Identifying and Treating Auditory Processing Disorders In Kids with ADHD

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1. Be aware of your students "tells." You will begin to tell if they are struggling and they need more time. Just slow down without bringing attention directly to them. If they do not show signs of moving on, you can privately see what you can provide to help them with the task they struggled with. You are their advocate, and as you get to know them, it will be easier to understand how to help.

2. As you lecture, be precise in your speaking. Pronounce new or significant words with the intent to be helpful in understanding. As you talk, have purposeful pauses or breaks to allow for "lag time" for those needing extra processing time. Could you provide a written version of the lecture ahead of time? Yes!! You can!! Being proactive will help your classroom management and meet the needs of all students, not just ones with learning disabilities.

3. Have check-in questions like, "What did I say to do?" or "What are you going to do?" These questions will help you know if what you instructed was received and processed correctly or not. Have questions in the middle and the end of each subject to help them to stay on task and not fall behind the other students.

4. While preparing for the lessons, notice if there will be new vocabulary words or new directions. Prepare a list of words with simplified definitions and provide them with shorter instructions on the new directions.

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Seating arrangements are critical for a student with Auditory Processing Disorder. They need to be close to the speaker so they can see with no distractions around them and to be able to see them speaking to help them stay engaged in the lesson. When you know the loud students or ones that will speak out, you can seat them the furthest away from a student with APD. It is ok to try different approaches until you find the fit for a calm environment.