Auditory processing and language therapy

I have been trained in Lindamood-Bell learning processes, my daughter has done really well with LMB, she has ADD and CAPD. The other thing I would look into is using an Assisitve Listening Device to be used with your son to help him with attending and processing of auditory stimuli. Has your son been tested for either a hearing acuity or auditory processing problem? Have you tried a different medication? What about bio-feedback, behavior modification therapy, or an ADD coach?

usually covered by medical insurance with a referral from your GP. There is a search engine to locate qualified CAPD audiologists (and lots of information about CAPD) at http://pages.cthome.net/cbristol/.

Mary

What does an ADd coach do?

Never biofeedback. Some behavior mod ,but time and money!!! What sort of assistive device are you speaking about and how does it help?
Carly

I agree- I have no idea what a coach would do. Also- with the problem of not processing language adequately- would it be a help to him if hecannot follow what the coach is instructing.

I too am trained in the Lindamood-Bell programs. They are useful up to a point in someone with CAPD which is really what it sounds like you’re describing.

How is your son’s actual decoding skills? With CAPD, they’re often quite poor. LMB’s LIPS program would be highly effective for that problem.

The Visualizing and Verbalizing problem can be helpful also. Again, other supplemental work must be done. I really agree with the idea of trying an Assistive Listening Device. And continuing to try different medications and/or different doses. It can take some time before the proper med and calibration are discovered. No program will work very well when the person who needs to do the work is distracted. Period. There are great programs out there - I’m sure we all have our favorites - but if the underlying problem is one of distractibility that hasn’t been addressed - then everything will proceed much slower.

I haven’t yet seen a child with true ADD of CAPD who’s been helped by biofeedback. I’d love to see it, but frankly, so far I haven’t.

helps the kid get organized. Teaches him to recognize when he is out of control and what to do to get back in focus. Basically guides him through behavior modifications techniques. Sometimes I include the parents in my sessions. I talk a lot with the parents because to help a child with ADD and CAPD it takes a united front. Sometimes parents need to be taught the scaffolding and structure skills that I use with my students as some kids problems are magnified when there are problems at home. Check out Daniel Amen’s Website. He has lots of books to help with ADD.

From what you have shared behavior modification activities should be increased with lots of structure and reinforcement at home and school. I think he would benefit from an Assistive Listening Device too. an Assistive listening device is kind of like a one way walkie-talkie. The child wears the receiver and the teacher wears the microphone. This way whatever the teacher says is piped right into their ear and it minimizes the distractions and filtering out all the noise in the classroom.

He may be one of those kiddo’s who can’t take stimulants and needs something like Zoloft instead so keep trying different things, meds, Assisitve listening device and behavior modificiations until something clicks.

His distractability is an overiding feature. Last week we had the IEP meeting which was a disaster. His reading level has gone backwards. This summer we did not have him tutored because my mother was sick and i spent so much time with her. The speech therapist stated at the IEP meeting ” he is easily distracted” Ritalin makes him have a nervous”pick” and adderall only helps some and the impusivity. If he takes a thrid dose, he cannot sleep. I am at my wits end. He has not progresses in the last 3 yeras, but I know he is capable. If I prompt him with a sound he can then discuss what he wants to. Retrieval is a priece of this and I thought the visualization may be a piece missing.
Carly

Wow, he has got it rough! Three years and no progress? Sounds to me like the district is getting worried, and they should be, because whatever they are doing, it isn’t meeting his needs, that’s why your IEP’s are so tough. Do they have a Lindamood-Bell center near you? You could try asking the school to pay for it, there is a lot of research out there to support LMB for kids like your son, though you’ll have to find it and make it stick with them. I agree that a diagnosis of CAPD might help, and an FM station (another name for an auditory trainer) would be a logical accomodation if he does have it, so check out that website for CAPD audiologists!

As for which is the bigger piece of the problem, that is a very difficult question to answer, but important nevertheless. I have treated lots of kids successfully with LMB, Fast ForWord, etc. and seen big improvements in reading/spelling, but usually the ADD continues to affect them in other areas, like organization, social skills, and application of skills like note-taking, writing papers, etc. I don’t think LMB does anything to address that problem, nor does FFW in my opinion. They claim it does work on attention/concentration, but I have found that kids who have AD/HD have a REAL difficult time sticking with that intensive time on the computer and making serious progress, because just when they are getting somewhere their attention wanders…. many of the activities are boring compared to your average video game, unfortunately, in which many of these kids are virtuosos!

There are some doctors who treat AD/HD with homeopathic remedies, I have one client who was successfully treated this way recently, though I’m sure that’s very experimental also… anyone else on LD Online know about such treatments? There’s a new form of biofeedback, it’s called neurofeedback, that’s had some encouraging results, my son (who is 19) tried it when he wanted to go off his medication and it did make some positive changes for him. There’s also PACE, which claims to improve Attention Processing, and if he also has Auditory/Visual/Motor deficits it addresses those also, so you might want to check that out, their website is www.processingskills.com

I’m working with a child who sounds just like your son, off the boards on auditory processing (less than 1%ile) when I started with him, a total non-reader, and he has ADHD in the extreme, doesn’t respond to any of the medications they’ve tried so far, so you better believe we use a lot of behavior mod. I work with him one-on-one three times a week, for which the district has helped to pay, using Lindamood-Bell, and have gotten him to grade level (he’s in 2nd grade) in reading/spelling in just under a year. He still has a block with the auditory processing, though, can’t really hold on to more than three sounds at a time, and even that is inconsistent, so we’re thinking about trying either Fast ForWord or PACE. I tend to favor PACE because it is personal, one-to-one with a tutor instead of on the computer for 90 minutes a day, something I don’t think he’ll be able to handle. Anyway, it’s a big challenge, but keep looking and you’ll find the answer I’m sure! Feel free to check out my website, there’s more information there, and referrals in different parts of the country to independent LMB tutors, centers, and so forth, you can find it at www.angelfire.com/on2/thepuzzle

Sharon

Thanks for the lengthy discussion. Yes- it is a challenge. We are paying privately for therapy and a special ed school. We broke because our school ditrict is BIG city and finds every escuse not to help. They were suppose to cover summer 2 yeras ago and jsut kept sending me from one person to another. We are probably going to have to take legal action. But you know all of the issues i am talking about. he just can’t attend. And he is very good at the playstation and game boy “stuff”.
Carly

You are right- biofeedback did nothing for him and it was a big financial waste. We are paying for this and his private school education.. We are not rich- both professionals, but it is killing our retirement.