EduLink Background Story - Auditory Processing Disorders (APD) in children

Our senses connect us to the outside world. They help us perceive and structure our surroundings. Hearing is probably our most important sense as it gives us access to spoken language, necessary for the development of speech, language and communication in general. Development of speech and language in children is a continuous process, in which the first years of life are of the greatest importance (see Stollman, 2003 for review). Normal function of the auditory sensory organs and the central auditory pathways is a prerequisite for the normal development of speech and language in children (Stollman, 2003). For a number of children the process of developing speech and language is hampered and their ability to communicate effectively does not develop in a straightforward fashion. During the past decade the subject of (central) auditory processing disorders has received a growing amount of attention because of the possible link between auditory processing disorders and learning disabilities in general, and language impairment in particular. (Stollman, 2003) To better understand Auditory Processing Disorders, it is important to understand auditory processing of spoken language and the way it influences a person’s ability to communicate and learn.