Auditory Processing Disorder & Learning

The Importance Of Language Processing In Learning

Homework frustration?

Disappointing grades?

Even though studies shows as much as 80% of the difficulties children have at school -- staying engaged, taking in instruction, doing homework in a reasonable time, reading -- stem from one or more cognitive issues, schools and tutors spend almost no time trying to resolve these underlying problems.

Learning is a complicated and integrated process where a lot has to go right for academic success. Visual processing, memory and a number of other cognitive abilities play their role, but by far them most important cognitive skill, the most basic and fundamental skill upon which most other skills are built, is auditory processing.

In many ways though, how we process the language is the single best indicator of academic success. And here's why. Language is not only how we acquire knowledge -- listening or reading -- it is also our operating system, we think in English. And so even a modest auditory processing difficulty can have a profound impact on learning skills. Here are some examples.

Listening In Class
It may present difficulty in the classroom hearing the lesson content, making homework based on that lesson more challenging than it would be otherwise. Or, the auditory processing problem may prevent your child from hearing the assignment clearly, leading to frustration later.
How language processing disorders impact learning

Thinking and Reasoning
For most of us, the English language is what we use to think. Language is our operating system. If our ability to process language is impaired in any way, learning efficiency and effectiveness is at risk. Auditory processing disorder is noise in the system. It creates extra work at every turn, making learning more exhausting and eroding confidence.

Reading Problems
Auditory processing problems in children almost always lead to reading difficulties. Sometimes it makes for a slow start in reading, but almost always impedes reading comprehension. By 4th grade, a great deal of homework frustration comes down to a reading difficulty that undermines learning confidence and independence.
Auditory processing & reading problems

Attention Deficit
Anyone who has to work hard just to listen, especially in a noisy classroom, is going to struggle to stay engaged. Ditto for reading. If decoding is difficult, reading can be torture and reading for long periods is just not going to happen. These are natural reactions to a cognitive skill gap, auditory processing disorder. But oftentimes, these reactions are used as symptoms to diagnose attention deficit disorder. In any event, an inability to focus is another impediment to learning effectiveness.

Homework Frustration
Auditory processing problems in children are often first recognized by a parent by seeing how their child handles homework. For some children there is frustration or resistance at homework time, others take hours, much longer than they should. These are all valuable clues of a possible problem. All aspects of learning need to be in synch for homework to go well. Listening skills during the lesson and when hearing the homework assignment, reading skills in class or at home reading the assignment, concentration and focus in class and at homework time.

Disappointing Grades
In many ways, test taking skills are learning skills. Tests require good reading, thinking and writing skills. And so much of what is written above applies to child who knows the material but has mediocre grades. One added skill needed for test taking is working memory, the ability to retain what is read (or heard) while reading (or listening). To answer multi-choice questions, a student must have good working memory skills and yet most children with auditory processing problems do not. Because their listening accuracy is compromised their memory skills are not well exercised.

Program To Build a Sound Learning Foundation

Many of the learning skills required to avoid disappointing grades and/or homework frustration result from an auditory processing disorder, a learning disability that is not hard-wired. Auditory processing skills can be strengthened with sound exercises. Gemm Learning uses Fast ForWord at home with professional oversight that strengthens the processing, memory and attention skills required for learning independence.
Our Fast ForWord auditory processing processing treatment