Duke Speech Pathology and Audiology's Central Auditory Processing Clinic provides comprehensive multidisciplinary evaluation and treatment services for patients with central auditory processing disorder (ADP).

What Is Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD)?

Central auditory processing disorder (CAPD) is when a person’s hearing abilities are normal but they are unable to understand and process speech. CAPD is a disorder that is associated with a number of behaviors and symptoms, some of which may be quite subtle. Testing for this disorder is typically completed on patients who are six years and older.

Common Behaviors and Symptoms of CAPD

CAPD presents itself in a number of different way, including:

• Poor listening skills
• Difficulty following spoken directions
• Difficulty understanding speech in background noise
• Difficulty with phonics (association between letters and letter sounds)
• Delayed responses to questions or conversations
• Inconsistent or inappropriate responses to requests for information
• Difficulty following rapid speech
• Difficulty learning a foreign language
• Poor singing, musical ability, and/or appreciation of music
• Misunderstanding what is said
• Frequently saying “huh” or “what”
• Difficulty following conversation in groups
• Organizational problems
• Easily distracted
• Difficulty with social skills

Academic Problems Common with CAPD

When children have trouble understanding language, they often struggle in school. Common academic problems associated with CAPD include:

• Reading problems
• Difficulty with divided attention tasks such as note-taking
• Difficulty understanding humor and sarcasm
• Difficulty copying from the board
• Poor spelling
• Poor attention to spoken information

What Can I Expect When We Come for the Evaluation?

A speech pathologist and audiologist will conduct an interview and evaluation to determine your child's specific strengths and weaknesses in the home and at school.

Upon completion of the evaluations, you will meet with team members who will explain the results, answer questions, and discuss appropriate remediation, management and intervention.

The evaluation begins at 10:00 AM and will conclude at 4:30 PM.  Please arrive promptly as the evaluation will take the entire time.  A lunch break will be given from 12:00-1:00 PM.  There is a cafeteria on site to purchase lunch or you may bring your own food.

Audiology assessment may include testing of:

• Hearing
• Auditory attention
• Speech discrimination
• Temporal processing
• Dichotic listening
• Filtered speech
• Spatial processing
• Phonological processing
• The auditory pathway using electrophysiological measures

Speech pathology assessment may include an assessment of:

• Vocabulary
• Language comprehension
• Language expression
• Phonics skills
• Written language
• Social skills

How Should I Prepare for the Evaluation?

Please bring the following items with you to the evaluation:

• Copies of relevant previous evaluations/reports
• Copy of IEP or 504 plan (if you have one)
• Central Auditory Processing Disorder Questionnaire and Checklist (this will be mailed to you once an evaluation has been scheduled)
• A snack

Please do not alter your child’s diet, medications, or routine for this appointment. Continue all treatments and medications as prescribed by the child’s physicians.