Are you the parent of a child with autism or a learning disability that has been diagnosed with auditory processing disorder? Would you like to understand how this disorder affects your child’s education? Would you like to learn about some things that your child’s teacher can do in the classroom, to help your child learn? Here we will give you parenting tips suggested by Helene Goldnadel that will help your child in their classroom.
Auditory Processing Disorder is the inability to attend to, discriminate among, or understand auditory information. This disorder negatively affects a child’s education in many ways that will be discussed.
- Make sure that your child’s teacher understands what auditory processing disorder I,s and how to work with your child. This disorder can negatively affect reading in many ways as well as other areas of academics. Your child’s teacher may require special training in this area, to be able to effectively work with your child.
- Make sure that your child is receiving preferential seating near the person that is giving the instruction. A distance of three to four feet is best, and will allow your child to receive the most benefit not only from auditory communication but from visual as well. Ask your child’s teacher not to put them near a noise source such as bathroom, equipment etc.
- Make sure that your child’s teacher is giving visual cues, which will make it easier for your child to understand what the teacher is saying.
- A peer partner may be helpful in keeping your child on task and helping them to understand verbal directions and instruction.
- Ask that your child’s teacher provide a separate work area for your child to limit distractions.
- Ask for FM amplification to improve access to auditory information. The recommendation for this system is usually made by an audiologist, who is especially trained in this area.
- Ask your child’s teacher to speak in a clear modulated voice to increase the chance that your child will understand what is being said.
- Ask your child’s teacher to break down verbal directions to small steps. Also ask that the directions be repeated and perhaps used with visual cues.
- Your child can repeat the verbal instruction or the directions to ensure that he or she understands them.
- Children respond better to positive feedback than negative feedback or punishment. Work with your child’s teacher to put in place positive supports that will help your child.
- Have your child’s teacher review, preview and summarize a class lesson.
- If your child needs more time on assignments ask their teacher to allow this as a accommodation.
- Long complicated directions could be tape recorded so that your child could listen to them several times.
- Open classrooms are very difficult for children with auditory processing disorder. Doors and windows should be closed as much as possible to reduce or eliminate distractions.
- Ask your child’s teacher to allow them to use special organizational materials such as organizers, notebooks to write verbal directions down, etc.
Also read: Don’t Let Vocal Quality Suffer During Your Rendition