Auditory processing is the ability to make sense of the sound that comes into the ear and to process or interpret what is heard. A difficulty with auditory processing does not mean the ear is not hearing, but that there is a difficulty with how this information is interpreted or processed by the brain. It affects how we listen and therefore how we view the world. It can interfere directly with speech and language and can affect all areas of learning, especially reading, comprehension and spelling but also mathematics and other fact based subjects since memory is often a major factor.
Poor auditory processing can lead to many difficulties; some are listed here:
- Immature or inappropriate language,
- Difficulty with a) learning sounds of letters or letter names, individual words with in categories etc. b) following verbal directions c) classification of objects and ideas presented verbally,
- Auditory discrimination difficulties - the ability to recognize differences in sounds,
- Difficulty with auditory blending - the ability to put together sounds to form words,
- Weak auditory memory - the ability to store and recall verbal information,
- Poor auditory-visual integration - a skill which requires, amongst others, the ability to relate a visual symbol with a sound,
- Poor auditory closure - we do not process 100% of speech and simply guess the missing parts, Auditory closure is the ability to fill in these missing parts,
- Hypersensitivity to sound which either causes the child to "shut down" or to exhibit ADD behaviour.
At Fountain House we work to re-train the child to process more efficiently. Within their time at the Centre, when necessary, pupils will have one-to-one therapy time working through a phonological awareness program suited specifically to them. In addition we use a CD-based program of music to retrain the auditory perception. This auditory training is based upon the neurological effect of sound upon the nervous system. The program uses soothing, balanced classical music to re-educate the hearing mechanism to take in a full and even spectrum of sound. The goal is generalised improved auditory tonal processing. In this way it can improve listening skills and so language, attention and communication. As a consequence, memory and all literacy skills can be much improved.
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