I've Been Told That My 7 Year Old Some Has CAPD - Does Anyone Know What This Is?

..basically.. your son cannot process all the information coming into his ears at the same time in order to organize it and then reproduce on paper or on a test..you may also want to try a listening program called The Listening Program.. it's classical music that is specially made to filter in and out certain tones to strengthen different parts of the brain and ear. I had CAPD growing up and essetially still have it. However: i am now a pediatric occupational therapist-very successful. the teacher just need to find ways to help him learn in a more visual way. Ie-have teachers give him written oral lectures or let him copy a friends notebook or let him record the class so he can go back and listen to it to pick up things he missed.
the listening program website is www.advancedbrain.com.. also on that website they have a game that helps which helps with digit spans.. look into it.
my mom got me into a program when i was little that she had to implement at home called NACD. www.nacd.org i truly believe this helped me through school and college..
good luck feel free to email me ____@____.com if you want anymore info
J.

D.-
I'd be glad to help in any way that I can...I am a special education teacher! I have a bunch of questions but not sure whether or not to post them all. Here are a few sites that I found that may help. I am a huge fan of ldonline. I used this site a lot!!

www.kidspeech.com/tips.html
www.ldanatl.org/factsheets/Auditory.html
www.healthtouch.com/level1/leaflets/aslha/aslha024.htm
www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/process_deficit/table_deficit...
www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/process_deficit/pro_deficits....
www.Kidshealth.org/parent/healthy/central_auditory.html

May I suggest looking into earobics- a computer game (www.earobics.com) Alot of the schools districts have this. Also for the reading and capd, Fast Forword, alot of school districts have as well. I would also suggest taking this evaluation to your school district and asking for some special education, if you dont want to go that severe you can ask for a 504 plan, and you want a speech therapist working on some auditory processing lessons for your child. Some people like auditory integration training, i did not find it useful. I liked the listening program ALOT and thought it was great.

Hope this helps
C.

D.,
I am a Science teacher who grew up with this disorder. I agree with everything that Beth A. wrote. Reading and writing were very difficult for me. But being the thoughtful caring mom that you are, you can help him at home. Make it fun. Practice giving him verbal directions to him and have him complete a task. Such as have a coloring book and tell him to color only a certain area with a specific color. Start verbally. Tell him to do something specific in the house. When he does it and follows through give him lots of praise. Also whenever you help him with his homework have him read the directions to you and then ask him to explain them to you. Do this over and over and it will get better. One thing that I have to do and still do, is that I have to read all directions to myself out loud to be able to pay attention. In school I would do it in a very quiet voice and hoped no one would hear me. I am sure there are many other way to help this problem. Be creative. Growing up with a disability is hard but I do believe it makes you a harder worker. I struggled with school but I went to a very difficult college graduated with a BS in Environmental Science and have a Masters in Education (and it was not easy for me). Another thing... After the teacher is finished explaining the directions to the class ask her if she could discretely go over to your son to make sure he understand the directions. As a teacher i would always do this for my students that had disabilities. Good luck.
E.

D., I understand what you are going through. I also have three little ones. My oldest daughter is 8 and has a "visual processing disorder" which is the same as what your son has, but affects what she sees and how the brain processes it. They are both classified as learning disabilities and not something your child should be kept behind for. It warrants special education services and it is dealt with by finding strategies that help your child learn, just like a child who has dyslexia. Children with these disabilities need certain techniques that help them learn and retain information. I am sorry I do not have any info to help you with him at home, b/c I still struggle with my daughter and helping find her things that work for her. I learned alot of information online. Where I live we have a "no child left behind" act, which prevents children from being left back and provides them with special education services to help them with their issues. Repeating the year is not going to help your son, they need to find a strategy that works for him. My neighbors son has auditory processing disorder and he gets speech services in school. I would inquire more in your childs school about what services he is entitled to. Good Luck.

There is plenty on the web about Central Auditory Processing Disorder. I found this article and I like it:
http://www.iser.com/caparticle.html

The article explains the problem and also states that CAPD often accompanies other learning disorders and/or ADHD. In my experience as a nurse practitioner, it is often difficult to distinguish from ADHD Inattentive Type. If he only had trouble with the parts of the test when he was confused by distracting noises, it may be ADHD without CAPD.
I know most parents are fearful of medication for their children (and who wouldn't be?); but if tutoring, etc doesn't help, this is something for you to consider.
Another piece of advise... save all the reports you get, and his report cards in a folder or file. They will help other professionals who see him in the future.
Good luck,
C. Z

Judy M hit the nail on the head. Request an Emergency IEP meeting. The principal, school psychologist, teachers, you (and if you want to take someone with you) and a parent advocate will be there.
Tell them that you want him to get the extra bit of help he needs. Whether it be a tutor or for him to be put into a smaller class like a 1:8:1 or a 1:6:1.
This means 1 teacher, 8 students, 1 helper, or 1 teacher, 6 students,1 helper.
This gives more one on one attention to the students. It helps them concentrate more on what they are learning and doing.
Another option is ask them for a tape recorder and have the teacher record the information for him as she is teaching it. He can then play it back so he can hear it all again and play it at his own pace as he's doing homework and such.

My son is bi-polar and these are a couple of things we did for him when he was about 7 yrs old. He is now in 10th grade, 15 yrs old and he's back in regular school for the first time since 3rd grade. He's also on no meds for the past 2 years. his grades are right up there in the A/B range and he still gets some extra help in school, but he's doing great!

Do not let the school tell you they can't do anything to help him, or that it costs too much to do this stuff for him.... it's the law that they do it. Many parents don't know about this, as many schools don't want to spend the extra money to help kids that need it. I was lucky and had a principal who was willing to do anything to help my son, and he did. He made sure I was aware of everything they had to provide for my son, including a tutor at our home until they could get him into an Alternate Education program at a different school since ours didn't offer it.
Your school MUST provide everything for your son to get his education, including transportation to a different school if your doesn't have the facilities to help your boy.

Good luck.

I just want to add a few words of encouragement. My sister has this condition, and though I was never diagnosed, I think I have a mild form. She was held back a year and given special tutoring in middle school. I learned coping mechanisms on my own. She went on to complete a masters degree and I have a Ph.D. YES, your son can succeed!!! [edit: It's hard to type and spell-check while nursing. I shouldn't multitask so much.]

That said, holding him back, getting him tutoring and anything else you do that helps him succeed will make all the difference in how he views himself and how his classmates respect him. [Later edit: What I mean is that the positive effects of success will outweigh the negative effects of the required assistance.]

Wishing you all the best...

Hi D.,

Some of the rules may change from state to state but if you are in New York you are entitled to a free testing of your son's skills and ability level by the New York City Department of Education which can arranged for you by his school with testing to be determined by your local CSE (Committee on Special Education). That way, you have at minimum, two professional opinions on a diagnosis. Once that is underway, make sure that your son has an IEP (Individualized Educational Plan) generated for him by city and state licensed individuals at his current school. If you agree with the findings on his IEP you can begin searching out, with guidance from your local school district, neighborhood schools that have blended classrooms of students with differing abilities as well as a regular and special education teacher assigned, so he does not have to be left behind a grade because of a disability. If you disagree with the IEP, you can request a review and content analysis of the document. Also, in all actuality, his school is responsible for providing assistance and alternatives. Specifically you might want to look into the availability of an amplifying monitor. The monitor is worn by the teacher and amplifies into a small headset or hearing aid device worn by your son in the classroom. The amplifying monitor will subtly raise the volume of the teacher's voice while blocking out other sounds in the classroom. Also, you might might to look into whether or not your son qualifies for a one-to-one para-professional to assist him with general classroom strategies and mastering basic learning techniques. Regarding his improving at home - he may be very stressed by what is being pereceived of as a "failure" to succed on his part and has probably already heard a number of times in school that he was just not trying hard enough or that he needed to stay focused. Ask your tutor to focus on fun learning activities. Let him choose what he want to read -descriptive picture books or simple texts that he is guaranteed to succeed at are good starting off points. Once his confidence is restored, he can sucessfully be moved to other reading materials. Ask the tutor to provide standardized testing for your review before he/she begins tutoring. In the long run, it will save you money as the testing can be repeated, at home, to determine growth. Also, you might want to consider having the tutor test out interference thresholds, at what point/sound/volume/color/scent/movement, is his learning interrupted? Your son is the best source of information on this. Most of all, try not to focus on your son's diagnosis - stay focused on what he can do and how he can grow from there. Best of luck!
L.

I would look into his nutrition and diet. Does he have any food sensitivities? Does he crave or only eat certain foods? Is he getting enough EFA's? I would consider giving omega oils, a good quality brand like Nordic Naturals. There are exercises (physical activity!) that can help with brain functioning. Example: Brain Gym. Does your son have any sensory issues such as aversion OR craving for certain sounds, textures, fabrics, lighting, etc.? If you are interested in more info, feel free to email me directly.

Hi D.,

I had my son evaluated when he was 4 1/2 and he has Sensory Integration Disorder which is now called Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD). You can start by googling these two phrases online. I also have a book called, "The Out of Sync Child" which has a lot of information for processsing disorders. Basically, your son has sensory issues that can be helped through occupational therapy and special classes at school. If your son's teacher has told you this, you can move straight to the child study team for further evaluation and they will have to give your child assistance through the school. you are lucky in this way because I have to battle my school in order to get my son the help he so desperately needs and he is 6 now. Our school in West Milford has refused to evaluate him for his entire Kindergarten year. Now I have to fight for his rights and I am a mother of two with one on the way. I am exhausted. You are getting a free pass since his teacher has written this in his report card. I suggest you get him help for this ASAP while he is maleable and before he develops skills to get around his learning disabilities. Don't let them tell you that he will outgrow it in time because he won't and it will only make it harder for him to keep up with his peers as the years go by. This will only hurt his self-esteem more.
Good Luck. I hope I helped you some.
S.

If the teachers think he should repeat a grade please listen.. it is much easier to repeat and get a firm ground of basic skills now than struggle all the way through school - if need be move him to another school - request services for him from your school, if you had him tested outside the school have the school test him and make sure all agree on things the school will do to help him - the school must provide services but usually parents need to push to get them. As far as self esteem goes what will his be like if he gets to high school and is still struggling with the basics.

There is a device that you can get for him to use in school. Basically he wears a receiver and the teacher wears the transmitter, so that when the teacher speaks, he hears it directly into his ear, as if you were whispering directly into his ear. I've seen this device and it's used in schools. Teachers have no problem with using it. Ask your doctor.

Is there any "special Education" programs at his school?
I was in special ed for basically the same thing but I didn't get it told it was actually that.....I also had a severe speech impediment which required therapy until middle school.
I'm sorry to say this about the teacher but.... if it took them this long to suggest that he repeat 1st grade then they weren't being very observant!!
I would definately continue assisting him at home and see if there are other things you can do to stimulate him to want to learn stuff. He might just be bored if the teacher is just "talking". See if you could sit in a few of the classes or have another teacher sit in to see if the students are being interactive with what's being taught or it's just "book" stuff. Or if the person who did the evaluation tests on him is outside the school, see if they could sit in on class. But try to have it on short notice of thet teacher, they might try to change the class time to be more interactive thus giving "false" results.
This is 1 of the primary reasons people choose to "home school" their kids. There are plenty of people out there that wouldn't mind taking on another student if the public sector isn't doing the job!
Good Luck! J.

Hi there,
Would you consider practicing with him in the evenings after school or on the weekends. Take small steps to do simple instructions with the television on or the radio on. Start out with 2-4 steps and progressively work to more.

Now no I may not have any experience with this same issue but as another poster posted that you should have him be left behind is ridiculous. There are programs out there that allow children to focus their skills in order to work out their problems. Some may be a bit pricey but in the long run it can help him a lot.

It isn't the schools responsibility to have him keep up with his work in school. That responsibility belongs to the parents. I see that you have younger children but the age that they are may be young enough for you to have an hour alone time to focus on fine tuning his abilities.
Good luck

I was dx'd with this after failing my first lecture course in college. Since this is having an academic impact, I suggest looking into getting your son an IEP through the school. Accomodations and modifications that would help him include: All directions being written / visual as well as spoken, a separate (quieter) location for testing, directions being single step rather than multi-step.

There are loads of resources out there on the internet, and a basic google search will bring you so much information on being your son's advocate.

Hi D.,

I had CAPD as a kid and probably still have it today, but I have learned techniques to help me compensate for it. I was not diagnosed with it until I was in collage after many years of struggling in school and having to work 3 times as hard as other students to make decent grades. My parents had tutors for me from time to time and that did help me catch up to the class when I fell behind. Sitting in the front of the class also helped, but I rarely did it because I always felt so self conscious.
Basically a quiet and somewhat structured environment was best for me. As an adult, I had to learn little tricks to remember things and stay organized. I had to learn how to 'listen' and hear the differences between similar words. I had to be brave enough to ask people to repeat or clarify things when I didn't understand something.
I think that if I would have been able to work with someone familiar with this learning disorder at age 7, my life would have been a lot easier. I had to teach my self how to deal with this disorder. I'm sure that someone who has experience with children and CAPD can suggest many great techniques that can help him.
I wish you and your son all the best.
-B.

i have a 7yr old daughter and she has been diagnosed with a learning disability she is very smart but has a hard time in school they also told me the same but she too has self esteem issues she goes to a counslor everyday in school they do group activities and i thing that has been boosting it up a little she will pass but she will have to go to special ed classes. maybe that wont be as bad she will still do things the other kids do but in a different class well what i am trying to say is why dont you ask the school counslor to help your son and see what they can do for him.

D.,

As a speech-language pathologist I have worked with several children with CAPD. I suggest calling an IEP meeting with your school district, request the required evals, and have an IEP put in place. SLPs are trained to work with children with CAPD. You can also purchase materials yourself to do work at home with him. One great website is: www.superduperinc.com

Good luck!

I don't know what this is, but I would seriously consider holding him back a year. My oldest newphew should have been held back a year when he was younger. And he wasn't. Now as a junior in high school it is to late and he can barely keep up. He has had to go to summer school more times then I can count because he fails a couple subjects. My youngest newphew was held back a year in 1st grade and now he' is a mostly A student. What time of year was he born. A lot of the time fall kids have a harder time keeping up. Especially boys. And you have to remember if he is born in fall then he is in class with kids who are 10 or 11 mos older then him. And developmentally that can be a big difference. And that almost year is a big difference in maturity. You need to think about him staying back, because now is the time to do it. Not when he gets older. And every year just builds on the last, creating more problems for him in the long run. I think that keeping him in a class he can't keep up with will create worse self esteem issues for him in the long run. Because he's always going to be behind, it won't give him the confidence he needs to feel he can succeed. Which is a feeling he will carry in everything he does for the rest of his life. Yes it will be hard in the beginning for him, but after awhile it will be forgotten and he can move on. The long run results of pushing him through can be far more damaging.

I'm not familiar with your son's situation but just wanted to say, please don't base him not repeating on "self esteem". Now in first grade is the time for him to repeat if he needs to. Not heaven forbid 5th because everything caught up with him because I can guarantee you it will affect him more negatively if he gets held back later rather than in 1st grade. Older classmates are going to be more quick to notice he was held back then than they are now.

Our school here doesn't hold children back which is absolutely ridiculous I think. My friend's son was put ahead when he obviously should not have been because of concern for his self esteem so now the child is in the next grade struggling and being pulled out for tutoring. Like struggling more and more every year and being pulled out for tutoring won't affect his self esteem negatively.

Find out what you can about his condition and get him all the extra help you can but if he can't be brought up to speed in time for the next school year, I really think you are doing your son an injustice to not put him in the grade he needs to be in whether it is 1st grade again or 2nd with different learning mechanisms in place.

You need to contact you child's principal to discuss having a 504 plan or and IEP developed to help your child have enough time to process the information they are learning in class and to teach different skills. They should provide him with a seperate location for testing and additional time.

i'm not so sure on this one, but i googled it and it said that it's like ADHD.....this is a link that i got to that describes all about it (though i see you have plenty of responses on the matter) according to what i read on this is sounds like what i have (though with my memory, i can't for the life of me remember if that's what the person who did a hearing test on me called it). if it's quiet i can hear just about anything say (especially if whispered to where i'm not supposed to hear) though if there's ANYTHING around, making noise, i CAN'T hear just about anything but the noise. the problem for me (from what i was told) is specifically in my right ear. she said that i hear perfectly in my left ear, but if some other sound is "caught" by my right ear, it "distracts/confuses" my hearing all together!

i am CONSTANTLY asking people to repeat themselves, hearing things that aren't said and at most times hearing something completely different. honestly, people get really pissed off with me, though it's MUCH MORE ANNOYING FOR ME! i hate to have to repeat myself (growing up with many family members going deaf i'm used to it) and to have to have others repeat themselves just so i can hear/understand them drives me absolutely nuts! i'm not so sure what they can do about it, i didn't read the whole article, though i'm sure i should. but below is the link, hope it helps out. good luck, and be patient (and sorry if i got the wrong thing, but that's what google popped up and it definitely sounds like what i have).

http://www.iser.com/caparticle.html

I have worked one-on-one with several students in an elementary school. I personally haven't had a student with CAPD but if I were you I would make sure the school is doing their part. Too many times I have seen that some kids have their problems ignored. Make sure they know his problem and that they are doing everyhting they can to assist him in learning at school. They may have tips and techniques for you to use at home as well.

D.

Although my daughter does not have this particular problem, we did have my daughter classified so that the school would help her with extra help in the classroom. Since you have had your son tested you should speak with your school's Child Study Team and work out a Individual Education Plan for your son. Although it may seem scary to "classify" your son, he will receive federal/state funds to the school to assist in his educational needs. Look into this, be his advocate.

My best friend (also named D.) son (who is my youngest sons best rfriend) was also diagnosed with CAPD when he was in the 1st grade. You want to start the IEP process with your school system ASAP. There are various things that can help - some of which she has gotten into the IEP and others that have not. There is possibilities for classroom carpeting requests, desktop speakers, preferential seating, speech classes and resource room. Does your son hear certain noises that no one else hears really loud and at the same time have trouble understanding someone right next to him when they are speaking? There are so many levels of the problem and so many things you can try. I would suggest googling it, checking on what testing your school system will do and how cooperative they will be on getting him the services that he needs. Unfortunately, depending on your district you may need to get an advocate... You may find if you watch him carefully that he already may have started to compensate by learning to read lips... My friends son developed many unusual coping skills while in the process of getting him the help he needed. And, the most important thing she does for him is tell him that he will NEVER use that as an excuse for not getting ahead in his life. That it may be a reason why things are more difficult or will need to be done differently but that it has nothing to do with a lack of intelligence (I believe it often brings out skills that may never have developed because of his own resourcefullness). She reiterates all the time that he can and will do everything that his friends do just possibly at a different time. I am struggling with the school system with my son who I feel strongly has a processing problem probably associated with geneitc dyslexia...I am getting nowhere fast and it is SO frustrating watching him try so hard and getting nowhere... and, D. and I have both heard the retention should be considered an option and have also decided like you have that it is NOT. My son only missed the cut-off by 6 days so he is already the oldest in the class...I am not going to have him be nearly 2 years older than most of his classmates. His Kindergarten teacher said that it was obvious that something was going on as at the years end he still did not/could not recognize all of his letters or all of the letter sounds but could tell you more about American History than most of the 7th and 9th graders in the district. In 3rd grade he still struggles with basic additiona and subtraction and his spelling is totally off... he cannot write a coherent report including his own autobiography, BUT, he can dictate a very impressive report... I am determined to get him what he needs... that will be your most important thing to do also... be determined to get what he needs...and don't stop until you see him progressing. It is so fortunate that you have a diagnosis... there is a lot out there about it, and other parents in your area may be a wonderful resource on the ins and outs of the special education programin your district. (AND, I don't know your age, but my friend and I both had to get past the stigma we recalled hearing the term 'special education' in terms of our children... it does NOT mean the same thing as it did 30-40 years ago when we were in school.) Don't let anyone give you the impression that CAPD means a lower IQ or ADHD or anything beyond what your doctor and the tests reveal.

Try this site

http://www.kidshealth.com/parent/medical/ears/central_aud...

Hi D.:

You have gotten some great advice. My 9yo was diagnosed this year with ADHD inattentive type. However I have been doing some research on CAPD and as someone here mentioned Visual Processing-there sre some studies that advise if one is diagnosed the other should be looked into also. I think that he has both Visual & Auditory Processing issues and am seeing his peds this week to dicuss some 'alternative' ways of coping.
In your case I would suggest that you immediately speak with the teacher, principal and school psychologist and tell them that you are requesting that the state come in and test your son--This is your right and the school must act on your wishes, and it is free. Once you sign the papers indicating that you want the process to start, the teacher can then start modifying how your son is taught---preferencial seating, quiet room for testing, modified homework and organizational help.
Please do not get hung up on repeating a grade, and I know easier said than done. The most important thing is to be the advocate for your son and to get him the help he needs so he can over come these hurdles and enjoy life.

Good luck, if I get any good info from my ped I will send it on to you.

-M.