Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) - Looking for Home Resources/any Help!

I suggest you contact the Ann Martin Children's Center and see how they can help you. www.annmartin.org. They are in Oakland but it might be worth checking into their educational programs (if you can handle the drive) or seeing if they can recommend anyone close to your area. Good luck.

J.,
Our son has apd as well, and has also been diagnosed with ADD on top of that. I have no idea what a 504 plan is.
Where are you located? Our son is in special ed classes and is mainstreamed into 3 regular classes for his other
3 classes. We have also had to get creative with his learning, because he only learns visually. Like with his math, we bought a giant screw, and put nuts and bolts on it.Then when he had to subract 3 from 10, he could see it
visually. I have also discovered that my husband is the same way, I just never knew it until I went in searh of
answers for our son. I am truly surprised that you got a
diagnosis from the school like that, we had to go to see
a medical professional. And everytime Ben goes on a growth spurt his add gets worse. He has a hard time even
getting himself ready for school. He is in 8th grade, and
will be going to high school next year. He presently does the work of 4th grade at the most. And his mainstreamed classes have been modified for what his capabilities are.
He seems to accell in computers and science, anything that is hands on, that he can see. I hope this helps you at all, we also have out here what is called resource support,
a ratio of 2-3 kids with one teacher at a time working on specific things that all 3 kids need help in at the same time. Ben also had to go to speech for 11 years, since he was two, he was not speaking, only grunting. He is definetly a challenge for us, but we love him dearly, as well as his two sisters. I forgot, when you want certain services for your son, or tests done, you have to turn in a written request that is dated, one for the teacher, one for the principal and one for you. You must be sure to include that you want what ever it is done, and they have to have results back to you within 30 days, it is the law.
You can also go to the office and ask for a parent handbook
on the specail ed classes. This gives you all of the laws
and a lot of other information. I have had to get really pushy at times. Something else to consider is to watch the teachers. Our son's first sdc teacher was so lazy. A lot of the kids were also destructive. Their parents did not discipline them because they were in special ed. We
expect our son to behave and act like a person. We have annual IEP meetings, and plan ahead as much as we can.
I am currently looking into something called brainasium.
It is for kids of Bens situation. Let us know what happens. W.

A good organization to be part of is PEN - Parents Education Network

http://parentseducationnetwork.org/

they have many informative lectures

If your son is continuing to struggle on his 504 plan you need to ask in writing for an updated assessment to have him considered for an IEP (Individualized Education Program). Children who are diagnosed with CAPD can qualify for an IEP under the category of eligibilty of "other health impaired" which provides more supports by way of academic goals and objectives, interventions and accommodations. Section 504 plans "level the playing field" for the disabled while IEP's are designed to meet "the child's unique needs". The fact that he continues to struggle on a 504 plan highly suggests an updated assessment and an IEP.

CAPD disorders are complex and school districts know little of how to address this. You should ask for a referral to an audiologist in the same request.

There are numerous therapies out there including AIT and software for younger students which are designed to "reprogram" the brain. Some school districts offer this others don't.

Some children with CAPD mimic signs of children with ADHD - I would ask the school district for a comprehensive psycho ed evaluation and consider getting one privately if your insurance can cover it. Have these ready and ask these folks to include recommendations for interventions.

CAPD interventions often include:
FM monitors for a child so they can hear clearly
Preferential seating
Quite distraction free environments for test taking
Speech and language services
Academic supports to enhance learning and memory recall

If you are having problems advocating in your school, you should consider looking into hiring an educational advocate or a special education attorney.

Hope this helps,
M. Leigh
Leigh Law Group/EDULEGAL
Not intended as legal advice you should consult with an attorney if you feel your rights have been violated

I had my daughter tested in college for Auditory Processing Disorder. She, also, had short term memory processing problem.

What I understand about Auditory Processing is that the student can hear fine, but may have trouble processing the information. It can lead to problems with phonics and comprehension, since they are missing part of the information that is given to them.

They do very well with visual instruction. Some tutoring centers such as Lindamood-Bell can assist with the phonics and comprehension.

With Auditory Processing Disorders, there may be some speech and language issues. Have you ever had your child tested for these? If your child has trouble expressing himself or not understanding directions, he may qualify for speech and language services. If your child qulifies for speech, you can have goals written for speech and language into an IEP. Also, ther 504 accomodations can be written into the IEP.

I was looking on my email for information about 504 plans. The following websites may help you. www.ldaca.pagesweb.com/section504online and www.ldonline.org

Also, check out Pam and Pete Wright's website. He has information regarding special education law and 504 plans.

Another group you might want to check out is COPAA. Their website is www.COPAA.org. It is a group of parents, advocates and attorneys for all learning different children.

I don't know what ADP is, but I do have a little experence with 504 plans. Which school district are you in. Are the
teachers following it, some don't. A place to go is warmline
family resource center. They can help you find resources on
info and what he needs. Why does he have a 504 not an IEP
And I have learned sometimes you have to get pushy, and not
be nice to get what your child needs. Good luck.

Hi J.,
While I don't have the answer for you, I may know someone who does. A friend of mine is a parent advocate for children with special needs. She may be able to guide you in the right direction. Her name is Paula Flower and her website is www.floweradvocacy.com. Good luck.
L.

Hi J.,
I am a Registered Nurse that works with students who have special needs in a school district. I want to be honest with you, most 504 plans don't work because rarely do teachers do what they are supposed to do and what is put in the plan. Also, when a student is found to have a processing disorder but doesn't qualify for special ed they automatically recommend a 504. What I highly recommend you do is contact your schools RSP teacher or Resource specialist teacher or a special ed teacher and ask them what they would do in their classroom for a child with Auditory processing disorders. His teacher can be giving him outlines of what she might be discussing in class so that he can follow along easier. It would be very difficult for him to listen to lecture type teaching without any visual assistance, he would have trouble processing the auditory information. Or he can have a little tape recorder in class so that what she talks about can be brought home and you can go over what she said together. Those are just a couple examples, but I know your RSP teacher would have more. Also make sure he is sitting at the front of the class!!!

You are going to have to be his biggest advocate and push push push for what he deserves to get in his classroom. I wish I could be more help, but know that if you don't follow through and continue to check in with his teachers and school, they will let the 504 fall. I wish I could be more help, I know its frustrating to see your child struggle.
Best wishes,
gabby

Hi J.,
I was looking into visual therapy for my daughter and met Marilee. I studied a little OT. Her practice made more sense to me. Here is the link to her web site. I encourage you to check it out: http://www.help-with-learning.com

Also take a look at www.time4learning.com
I started uding this web site in the summer for summer school. I now homeschool. I just was able to get the charter school we use to add this as part of their program. Now they are telling others about it. This meets all state standards in each subject if you like it.

Hope this helps some.
~ S. Weckter
Global Wellness Concepts, Inc.

I know Maria from Sutter Physical therapy has a listening program to assist with this problem.
Lisa Balogh, the OT for the Tracy district has another listening program for the kids. My son had it for several months.

I am sure you already have this information, but just in case you don’t:
A 504 Accommodation Plan must address:
1. The nature of the student’s disability and the major life activity it limits.
2. The basis for determining the disability – no physical or mental impairments.
3. The educational impact of the disability.
4. Necessary accommodations.
5. Placement (LRE)
As a parent, you have the right to examine all relevant records relating to decisions regarding your child’s Section 504 identification, evaluation, educational program, and placement; obtain copies of educational records; obtain a response from your school district to reasonable requests for explanations and interpretations of your child’s records; request an amendment of your child’s educational records if there is reasonable causes to believe that they are inaccurate.
Written consent for evaluation of your child is only necessary if it includes a psychological testing (i.e.: IQ tests, etc.)

In the 504 Plan, the following should be addressed:
Physical arrangement of the room:
Depending upon your child’s needs he might need to be seated near the teacher, a positive role model, have his desk with more space around it or in a position out of a high traffic/distractions area (like not by the pencil sharpener).
Lesson presentation: these are just good techniques for all children and the teacher should be doing them anyway!
1. The teacher should stand near your child when presenting a lesson.
2. Allow for warnings of transitions (“We will be finishing math in about 5 minutes – 3 minutes – 1 minute – and moving on to spelling”).
3. Allow extra time for your student to process this orally given information and not expect immediate compliance.
4. The day’s schedule with times should be written on the board (visual processing) as well as taped to his desk and printed in his binder/student planner.
5. The lessons should be presented orally, visually (including outlines for easier note taking, and/or allowing your child to copy the notes of another student, because processing oral lessons is his problems, etc), and whenever possible, with hands on manipulatives. The 504 provides for extra help to modify your student’s curriculum so that the burden is not entirely on his teacher. If you have a poor school district, offer to help – the teacher can give you her lesson plans in advance, a teacher’s book for each subject – and you can make up written points of importance. Don’t let the school district tell you this asking for too much. If they can’t provide it, and you offer to help them help your child, they’d better step up!
6. Oral instructions should have few pieces to them. Multiple pieces should be written on the board.
7. The teacher should check for understanding (she should be doing this for ALL students - student orally repeats back the information/directions) throughout the lesson and have a “ticket out” (student must give the teacher a piece of information before he leaves for recess/lunch/moves on to the next lesson – thereby requiring accountability and often better attention.)
Assignments/worksheets
As long as your child’s processing issues are dealt with appropriately, the only modification to assignments and worksheets should be oral directions written down for him!

What hinders learning?
The feeling of being overwhelmed – huge in auditory processing disorders
Distracting noises and/or people
Tired
Fast track – getting information too quickly
Disorganization – easily occurs with auditory processing problems – think about it and it’s easy to see why!
Lesson/directions not presented well.

Do not let your child over hear you putting down the teacher, putting the blame for his problems on the teacher, etc. But do have high expectations that the teacher’s role is key to accommodating your son’s auditory processing issues. He may be starting with a negative attitude because of so many years of frustration and possible failure. Maybe a meeting with you, the teacher, and your child to kick off a “whole new” start would help, plus rewards to motivate your child to give this new process at try. Your teacher or the school district’s behavioral specialist should have tons of ideas for this! And it should be part of the 504!

Good luck!
T. Clark

dear J.:

this days, experts label our children with so many names that ..they do not focus on the strategies, because each child is unique, each learns differently... i have a 12 year old that has learning challenges, and i focus in various ways to help him learn... one such method is hooked on phonics... he is passed the tapes, passed the cards, and passed the first part of the readings, but i have noticed that when we read each story, he is able to answer all of the questions because it is broken down by parts, so he focuses on each sentence, rather than get lost at the middle of the page , or forget what the point of the story is....
find ways in which your son learns best,,, weather with music, chess is great for math, as that teaches us to strategize to solve problems.... making art projects, where they follow steps, where they can create... putting together plains, boats,etc....
each child is precious and unique, please find your child's talents and that is going to be your asset to help him grow upon that..... always grow from the positive... do not get stuck on labels..... your son is much more than that.....
einstein said that imagination is always more than knowledge, because knowledge is limited.... and the purpose of school is not just to get knowledge, it is mainly to learn skills that are going to be tools for the rest of his life... remember that love is a better teacher than duty (also from albert einstein)..... my son was also detected as a gate kid for social studies..he is 12 and in 7th grade, and we still get to study together and not focus on the grades he gets, but on what he had learned and can actually remember.. our potential does not have limits... please do not allow experts to limit your son's potential
warmly,
sandy

Hi J.,

I just went through the 504 plan, auditory processing, ADD things myself with our 7 yr. old son. I'm new to mamasource so I'm not sure if you are from Humboldt County or not, but if you are, I can help you with specific resources. You can e-mail me at ____@____.com

These are things we are either trying or have researched.

Phonic ear - its an expensive speaker, microphone system that the teacher speaks into. Your child can have an ear piece in his ear and it helps the child to hear and to not be distracted by background noise.

A timed timer wrist watch. They also have clocks. You can look this up on the internet and get more info than I can type in a reasonable amount of time. You can find both on e-bay.

You can have the 504 stipulate that whenever the teacher is going to lecture on or explain things verbally in class that she also provide written instructions for your son.

He should also be able to get any resource help that he needs.

Three things that I believe helped my son with the ADD anyway are:

Melatonin - in liquid form to help him sleep
Omegs 3's - brain vitamins. They seem to help him focus
Juice Plus vitamins. I'm hoping if his body is healthy and has all the nutrients it needs then that may transfer to an overall sense of just doing better. Also, when my son is sick, every ADD, auditory processing symptom he has is exacerbated.

V.

Hi J.,
My 14 year old son has an auditory processing disorder. My son works with the resource specialist during an elective to help finish homework and tests. The teachers should be working with him and modifing his work. My son needs a little more time on projects and he works better in a quiet setting. Allowing him the extra time has brought all his grades up from f's to c's in 4 weeks. With the 504 your son is entitled to these modifications. When he goes to junior high make sure you talk to all of his teachers and he has a resource specialist to help him. If you would like to talk more you can email me at ____@____.com

Excellent book: When The Brain Can't Hear. Wishing you all the best.

I sent your request to someone who works with kids with learning differences. Here is her response...

A great reference for any parent is Wrightslaw - the website is www.wrightslaw.com
It has how to interpret test scores, ask for updated testing IEP's etc.
Auditory Processing Disorder is often misdiagnosed so any parent should have a full psychoeducational assessment done with a licensed educational psychologist.
UC Davis has a great institute called the MIND institute which knows a lot about autism and learning disabilities.
Hope this helps!

Hi J. -

I'm an educational advocate and neurodiversity counselor (serving kids like yours) as well as being a mom of a neurodiverse teenager who's been through it all! If you want to give me a call, I'll be glad to give you some resources and some pointers, free of charge of course. You can look up my phone number on my website -- www.evolibri.com.

Take care,

J.

Hi J.,

I hate to be Debbie Downer here but my son was in a similar situation - had a 504 from grade 4 all through high school. I didn't feel like the 504 did anything for him in grade school, except force the school to cut him some slack.

High school was a completely different situation, he had an amazing program that really helped build strategies for learning / studying.

He is attending college now as a 22 year old, he just got the second to the highest score on the mid-term. We all felt good about how hard he has worked and how far he has come.

My advice to you on this is pay tons of attention to building your son's self esteem. Find things he does well and make a huge deal out of it. School is temporary - keep it in perspective.

tif

J. M. I want to encourage you to go to this web site.
http://wrightlaws.com and learn the laws that pretain to your child.

Auditory Processing Disorder is mostly handled by a Sensory O/T. it envolves a lot and needs a Sensory O/T to help with it. The school will tell you they can not provide this unless your child is on a IEP. That is wrong, they can provide services for anything that is interferring with his education.

Auditory doens't mean hearing impared, it is the way he sees, and uses the senses. Often times they will use recorders and the like with head phone for him to process materials. I am not sure how to reach you but a good place to be on for more information is to subscribe to this site.
____@____.com

All types of problems are handled on that site. I would love to talk to your farther concerning your rights and your childs rights, free of course.

I am not sure if this will help but my son suffered hearing loss in 2nd grade as a result of an explosion and has seen an audiologist frequently since. When we requested records (for legal issues) we noticed the audiologist noted that he would benefit from the California ear institute in Palo alto. We made an appointment and just Wednesday he had his visit. They do phenomenal things there on the cutting edge of technology, in the waiting room there was a 17 month old baby who just had implants and it was amazing. They might be able to help you there as they don't just treat symptoms but also tell you how to "catch up" developmentally after the hearing problem is solved. Had I known about this place sooner, I would have never wasted my time with audiologists for the last 3 years I would have gone to the institute first and had the problem taken care of sooner for my son. I am not too familiar with the 504 plan but found that some schools seem more interested in the funds they receive for having the program in place and less interested in the specific needs of the child. Upon hearing of my sons hearing condition his school wanted to have him put as permanently disabled so they could receive extra funding, but a program or a label wouldn't have been able to help my son learn better. Best Regards!

Try Parents Helping Parents:
http://www.parentshelpingparents.org/

Best wishes to you!

Hello J.,
I have 2 sons that are Dyslexic and ADHD. They have 504 plans too. Go to www.chtu.org/504 and you can see the FAQ. The best way to help our children is to dig our heels in and learn everything we can about their LD and their rights. Become your child's best advocate! We just moved to CA and I am learning that here (unlike Texas where we moved from) you really have to "push" your way around to get help for your children. Best of luck!

J. I work in Special Education and this is more common than you think. PLease ask your son's school to have him tested. In fact insist on it. That way he would become Special Ed and not just a 504. There are more services I feel available to him, especially as he moves into Jr. High and High school. What we use for accomodations are notes, either a copy of the teacher notes or a note taker, written instructions instead of verbal. Most of all he needs patient parents and teachers. He might appear "lazy" to teachers because he doesn't do what they ask. A daily log of assignments(ie planner) can help him be more organized too. Do not say did you do this or that but have him write down what is due for homework and read it together. Hang in there you have only just begun.

Being on a 504 in an elementary school means your son is served only by single teacher he has and it should be followed up by the principal. Was it an SST (student study team?) that went for a 504 as opposed to qualifying for Special Education? As a parent it's important for you to ensure the accomodations provided by the 504 are implemented on a daily/weekly basis. Think about how long he's been on the 504 - if it's truly not making a difference, you have the right to call a meeting again and, either get new/more accomodations for his classes OR try again to get him into special education. A lot 504 kids are boarderline SPED - but the goal is to keep all children in the least restrictive environment. I don't know what went on at the meeting that ended up providing a 504, but know your rights and make sure all his accomodations are being implemented in the classroom. You should get in touch with the school psychologist (who should have been part of the original team) and discuss your concerns. It's tough to think of all your concerns when you are in the heart of a meeting - so write down all your questions and get a meeting with the psych. Again, know your rights - you should have been handed your rights at the beginning of your team meeting. If you need another copy, go to the school and get one. Make yourself a presence in your son's education - step forward and be firm about what you want. I teach high school - so one thing we ensure for our students with APD is they MUST get all the notes from a lecture - but I don't know how much of that goes on in elementary school. Also follow up any directions with comprehension questions. Give one instruction at a time. eg: "honey, I need you to take the garbage out." Then ask 'What are you going to do?' Then move on to more complicated directions. I'm sorry I can't provide any good strategies right now - I know if I were in a meeting with our school psych, she'd be rattling off strategies to help him out in the learning environment - but it's definately early morning and my thinking cap is not on.Good luck - from a mommy and SPED teacher

You don't say where you got the information on 504 plans -- perhaps www.php.com (Parents Helping Parents in Santa Clara). They have a good library. I belive they have a learning disability group. I would imagine they have some information on auditory processing disorder.

Also I really like the "Schwab Learning" Web site. www.schwablearning.org. I beleive the story goes that Charles Schwab the discount broker realized he had a learning disorder when his son was diagnosed with one. I think Helen and Charles Schwab recently got another agency to run their web site. I typed in "auditory processing disorder" in the search and it came up with a lot of links. Good Luck!

I found the articles on the Schwablearning web site very useful for my "typcial" daughter, not just my not so typical son. Usually when I mention that to other parents they think I'm nuts, but the information is much more insiteful than just "read to your child more" or "talk to his teacher"

I wish I had some resources or real help to give you, but I dont. I just thought I'd let you know that I have APD, & I'm a happy, well-adjusted, intelligent adult.
I never even heard of it until about 6 years ago, while working in an audiology center. An audiologist friend diagnosed me.
I did struggle greatly with math throughout school, & I'm sure it would've helped me if I had known about APD, in that I could've gotten more help probably. But in general, I did well in school. I luckily ended up in an environment that was better condusive to learning, for a lot of reasons.
But even without knowing about APD for most of my life, by paying attention I have, on my own, developed coping strategies. And in a way, I'm glad I didn't know. Because now I dont think of myself as having a disability...it's just the way I am.
Anyway, I just wanted to offer support, & my perspective to let you know that APD doesn't have to be anything crippling. I'm sure, with your support & understanding, your son will be fine.

Hi J.,

My son was in 5th grade when he was diagnosed with Tourette's Syndrome. His first challenge was an auditory processing problem (trust me, this is not a sign of Tourette's). To begin with, a 504 Plan is NOT ENOUGH. You need to request an IEP (Individual Education Plan) for your son. An IEP is governed by Federal Laws, a 504 Plan is simply a plan your child's teacher/school/school psychiatrist works on. An IEP means they are required by Federal Law to test your son and determine how he learns and accomodate his learning style/behaviour, etc. You WILL GET THEIR ATTENTION when you mention an IEP. They will have 45 days from the time you put your request IN WRITING to them to have tested your son and to initiate a plan, which will measured over the course of the year, with an update no later than mid-year and re-implemented (testing,plan design plus implementation) every year thereafter including COLLEGE. The biggest benefit, if he's like my son, is that tests can be read to him and he can be given longer time to take them.

Second, an IEP carries through to college, meaning that you can be given tutors and other special learning paraments paid for by the state, not by you. There is also a benefit to your child in applying to a college with an IEP, given that its a stipulated disability. My son is doing extremely well, not even having to utilize his IEP currently in college (but its documented in case he should need it).

Even with Tourette's, my son is not 'diabled' because he's been 'prepared' to be successful. 5th grade is actually a bit late but take it from me, there is tremendous progress that can be made, specifically in middle and high school for him - "tricks in how to learn" - that are really needed. One other thing you should know, he likely has some "gift" as well. My son was able to write on an 11th grade level in 5th grade. The testing will likely reveal this "gift" as well.

Best of luck,
S.

Good Morning, I am not familiar with the Auditory Processing Disorder, however I am aware that you have rights based on your son's diagnoses. You have the right to request/demand that your son have an Individualized Education Program (IEP) which is very costly test/assessment conducted by a psychologist. This is the responsibility of the school district to have this comprehensive test conducted in an effort to provide him with the necessary resources to aid him in maximizing his learning potential. I recommend that you write a letter to your son's school district to request that this test be conducted.

A Little about me: I'm married with two children, my son is 6 years old and my daughter is 4. I'm active member of the PTA at my son's school and I love family trips.

My son has APD and we did a therapy called Tomotis or Auditory Music Therapy. This seemed to help him quite a bit and other parents in his group were pleased as well with their results.
We live in Sonoma County and went through the Swain Center. I know they are now opening a center in San Jose.

I am a foster parent and have done lots of 504s and other I5EPs a good resourse is a plase called CASE (COMMUNITY ALLIANCE FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION) there phone number is ###-###-#### or in the east bay (hayward)###-###-#### ask them to send you a Rights and Responsibilities book it may cot about $25 but it has so much information they can also help you with the school and provide an advicit if needed.
Good Luck

I am a 5th grade teacher and honestly, I don't feel 504's truly help the student. I would speak to his resource teacher. They usually have tools and ideas that can help. Just keep encouraging your son to try the best he can and do not remind him of his disorder. Some parents, without their knowing, create children who use their disoreders as crutches/excuses and then they never work to their highest potential. Good luck!