What has been your experience with temporarily improved hearing in a child or adult using an ADHD medicine (a central nervous system stimulant - alerting agent)? Have heard that temporary reductions in Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD) symptoms can occur with the right medicine - but these temporary improvements in hearing (last as long as the medicine works/a few hours) are very, very rare. What has been your experience?
Time magazine reported temporary improvements in hearing a while back in an ADHD article; also there is a book where Dr. Anita Uhl Brothers, M.D., of Berkeley, California, reports temporary reduction/improved hearing in a well-documented case of mild adult ADD (Inattentive type) with CAPD due to finding the right medicine which worked (a central nervous system stimulant - alerting agent). Comments?
Works for me and my kids..
I have a definite hearing loss and so does my daughter. We get tired of listening and when we do we lose our attention. We both are ADD and have CAPD. When we are on meds we are able to concentrate and process auditory information much better. It is hard to explain but I have experienced this first hand. We also use an assistive listening device which helps CAPD and ADD focusing issues.
Re: Works for me and my kids..
Pattim - thanks for sharing that when you are on meds for ADD, you and your daughter are able to temporarily concentrate and process auditory information much better.
Regarding Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD), what are the exact ADD meds you believe cause the temporary improvement in the ability to hear, listen, and process auditory information for you and your daughter? Is the ADD med Ritalin (as Time magazine reported) or Caffeine Compounds (as Anita Uhl Brothers, M.D., of Berkeley, California reported)?
What is the assistive listening device you use called?
Same here
Two months after my son started adderall, his auditory processing subscore on the Test of Auditory Skills (TAPS) went from a (longstanding over many years despite long and intensive language therapy )1st percentile to 50th. It was still up there a year later. His score on the Peabody Picture Test (for receptive language) similarly went from never more than 6th percentile to 99the percentile. Adderall is similar to ritalin. The lesson here seems to be that, while we shouldn’t confuse CAPD with ADD and unnecessarily medicate, presence of CAPD doesn’t rule out ADD and you may not get optimal results unless the ADD is also treated.
Re: Same here
My daughter and I both have a sensorineural hearing loss on top of CAPD. It is not something that goes away with medication and we will live with this 24/7 and every day for the rest of our lives. Stimulants such as Concerta and Dexedrine spanules have worked in our family. What the meds do is to calm our mind so that we can concentrate and listen more efficiently. We still have trouble with distraction and background noise but with the meds the distraction is minimized; hence we don’t get as tired from listening and our mind doesn’t wander as much.
Caffiene on the other hand interferes with my hearing because…my ears buzz. The assistive listening device that my daughter uses is an ear level phonic ear that cost about $3k and I use an Easy Listener that is valued at $1,300.
There are studies that have been conducted at various universities within the past year or two that have shown assistive listening devices help people with ADD and CAPD. The co-morbidity between these two disorders is amazing..
Re: Same here
I noticed a significant improvement in my daughters auditory processing once she started taking medication for ADD. For a year I think I have missed the cues that the ADD was a severe impediment to her processing and learning, even when the teacher would say “she can do it when she can concentrate.” This summer, a SPED teacher who is working with her has also noted that she has a severe problem with attention but that she can learn. I have seen a remarkable difference in her auditory recall and other related issues.
Re: Same here
Thanks for sharing that you saw a significant difference in your daughter’s auditory processing once she started taking medicine for ADD.
That matches what Time magazine reported a few years ago - Ritalin occasionally can temporarily improve auditory processing for ADHD; also, Anita Uhl Brothers, M.D., of Berkeley, California, reported that several FDA approved medicines (special caffeine compounds) could temporarily improve auditory processing also in a well-documented case of mild adult ADHD - inattentive type.
It appears that these reports are more the exception than the rule and one medicine may work in one case and fail in another, and vice versa.
My understanding is that CAPD and ADD can coexist. There is an interesting discussion begun by Tink with wonderful comments by Pattim on Parenting bb. It is about five pages back. It is about CAPD, ADD, and medication.