A study has found that 43% of children referred for learning difficulties have Auditory Processing Disorder (APD). 25% have both APD and dyslexia.Auditory Processing Disorders in Children Suspected of Learning Disabilities—A Need for Screening?
Vassiliki Iliadou, et al.
International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngoly
May 6, 2009
Aim:
The current study aims to assess:
(a) the prevalence of auditory processing in a population of children reporting learning difficulties,
(b) the correlation of APD diagnosis with age, the intelligence coefficient (IQ) and with the presence of a specific learning disability such as dyslexia, and
(c) to evaluate the reliability of each auditory processing test used in this study in identifying APD.
Method:
We evaluated 127 consecutive children referred to the academic tertiary LD Clinic of the Psychiatric Department by means of a psychoacoustic, mainly non-verbal, test battery.
Results:
APD was found to be present in 43.3% and co-existing with developmental dyslexia in 25% of cases. The diagnosis of APD correlated with age in that children with APD were younger by 2 years than those without a diagnosis of APD. The diagnosis of APD did not correlate with IQ or with the diagnosis of dyslexia.
Interpretation:
High prevalence of APD in the targeted group of children suspected of Learning Disabilities sets the grounds for a possible benefit in screening for the disorder.
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See also:
• Symptoms of Learning Disabilities
• Symptoms of Auditory Processing Disorder (in pictures)