The UWSHC has a team of specialists and graduate student clinicians who work together to diagnose and treat central auditory processing disorders (CAPD).
Signs and symptoms of CAPD may include one or more of the following behavioral characteristics:
- Difficulty localizing sound
- Difficulty understanding spoken language in competing messages, in noisy backgrounds, in reverberant environments, or when presented rapidly
- Taking longer to respond in oral communication situations
- Frequent requests for repetitions, saying “what” and “huh” frequently
- Inconsistent or inappropriate responding
- Difficulty comprehending and following rapid speech
- Difficulty following complex auditory directions or commands
- Difficulty learning songs or nursery rhymes
- Misunderstanding messages, such as detecting prosody changes that help to interpret sarcasm or jokes
- Poor musical and singing skills
- Difficulty paying attention
- Being easily distracted
- Poor performance on speech and language or psychoeducational tests in the areas of auditory-related skills
- Associated reading, spelling, and learning problems
- Difficulty learning a new language
Note that these characteristics are not exclusive to CAPD and may be present with other disorders.
Candidates for CAPD assessment are between the ages of 7-18, have normal hearing, and average intellectual ability. Exclusionary factors for CAPD assessment include a known hearing loss and/or an intellectual disability. Those enrolled in, or planning to enroll higher education (e.g., technical college, university) where accommodations for learning are warranted, may be a good candidate for CAPD assessment. Adults who have concerns about learning and listening can contact the UWSHC for an evaluation by a speech language pathologist.
Before the appointment, patients interested in a CAPD evaluation receive a case history form to complete. UWSHC staff will contact patients to schedule the appointment after reviewing the history. The evaluation includes audiology and speech and language assessments on the same day. Following the appointment, the UWSHC CAPD team meets to discuss results and recommendations. The patients receive a personalized report including these results and recommendations.
