AudBility: an online program for central auditory processing screening in school-aged children from 6 to 8 years old

Abstract

Purpose To analyze the performance of students aged between in an auditory skills screening software program, considering the influence of biological determinants and the correlation of auditory tasks with the behavioral assessment tests of central auditory processing (PAC), as well as to present the cutoff points of the battery. Methods In the first stage, the sample consisted of 96 students with typical development, who underwent hearing screening at school. A self-perception questionnaire and the auditory tasks of sound localization (SL), temporal resolution (TR), temporal ordering of frequency (OT-F) and duration (OT-D), auditory closure (AC), dichotic digit- binaural integration (DD) and figure-ground (FG) were applied. Of these, 66 children participated in the second stage of the study, including basic and behavioral audiological assessment from PAC. Results The gender variable influenced the DD task to the right ear. Age influenced the outcome of five auditory tasks. The right ear performed better in the DD and OT-F tasks. At the age between 6 and 7 years, there was a correlation between screening and diagnosis in the tasks of AC, TR, DD, FG, and OT-F. At the age of 8 years, there was a correlation in the DD and OT-F tasks. The pass/fail criteria varied according to the task and biological determinants. Conclusion There was a correlation between screening and diagnosis in a greater number of tasks in the age group between 6 and 7 years. The cut-off points for the auditory tasks should be analyzed according to age, sex and/or ear side.

Theoretical and Practical Knowledge of Central Auditory Processing Disorder ‎among Primary School Teachers

“…If left untreated, an impairment to this complex process, particularly from within the brain, can have devastating results on children's development. Nevertheless, advances in the identification and management of these central impairments, collectively known as "auditory processing disorders" are seldom utilised (Jerger & Musiek, 2000;BSA, 2011), and a battery for evaluating children at risk is yet to be developed (Wilson & Arnott, 2013;Amaral, et al 2019) Also known as "Central Auditory Processing Disorder" (CAPD), this term encompasses a range of disorders defined by an impairment in auditory comprehension with normal perception. This usually exists in the presence of regular hearing tests, meaning that the individual affected with CAPD has problems interpreting speech and non-speech sounds despite normal hearing sensitivity (BSA, 2011;De-Wit et al, 2016).…”