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NewsletterAuditory Processing Disorder in the United Kingdom
ISSUE NO 6 • DECEMBER 2006
We aim to raise awareness and recognition of Auditory Processing Disorder as adisability, through educating both professionals and the public.
We aim to support research into APD, which will enable good diagnosis andtreatment to be developed. We also support individual sufferers and parents/carersof individual sufferers, through self-help networks and internet forums.
INSIDETHIS ISSUE
PAGE SIXHE’S GOT WHAT? What I want myson’s teachers tounderstand about
his APDBy Debbie
www.apduk.org
PAGE FIVEMind’s Ear? What is it?
By Geoff Dobson
During the past year, APDUK hascontinued to make slow but steadyprogress in achieving the aims laid out
in our mission statement. In doing so, we havemaintained close links with the MedicalResearch Council Institute of Hearing Research(MRC/IHR) APD Steering Committee, whoprovide us with regular updates and withwhom we will continue to work closely in theinterests of all those with APD in the UK.Training began in June 2005 in theadministration of the new APD tests and wehave been informed that these will becomplete and hopefully available early in 2007.With the MRC/IHR’s help we also intend tocompile a database of those UK professionalsappropriately qualified to test for APD andwhere they can be located. The issue of APDtesting for adults is also being pursued.
Disability Living AllowanceGraeme Wadlow has recently succeeded inwinning his claim for Disability LivingAllowance on the grounds of APD. This is alandmark victory which now means the DSShave APD listed as evidence of a disablingcondition and sets a precedent for anyone elsemaking such a claim. To this end, it is now evenmore pressing that APDUK attains registeredcharity status in order to give us more weightin our fight for APD recognised disability statusin the UK, with all that it encompasses.
GP referralI have recently written a letter to themanagement of Great Ormond Street Hospitalon behalf of APDUK, requesting that they
might also accept GP referral for APD testing,as referrals are currently only accepted fromaudiology consultants and this request is underreview.
Annual General MeetingWe held our 4th AGM online at the end ofSeptember, at which time I was re-elected asChair for another year. Graeme Wadlow andMel Bastier are now joint Vice Chair, MarkMitchell remains as Honorary Treasurer andAngela Mitchell as Honorary Secretary. Inaddition to past members of the ordinarycommittee, we also welcome another adultmember diagnosed with APD to further assistin the promotion of help for the issues whichadults with APD face. Thank you to all of themfor their continued support and effort.
StatisticsOur information can be downloaded fromthe APDUK website www.apduk.org (withover 1300 individual visits a month) and mypersonal web page found atwww.lacewingmultimedia.com/APD.htm(with an additional 2000+ individual visits inthe past year) and our newsletters.Newsletter downloads from both websitesnow total in excess of 1800 copies since theywere first published. In addition these canthen be photocopied and passed on to thosethat have no internet access, so the amountof individuals reached may, in fact, be muchhigher. Please pass them on. With every newedition published there is renewed interest inpast editions, so the figures continue to risedaily for all issues - and this interest is not just
Progress and co-operation
Continued on page 2PAGE TENThe value ofacceptance
By Aly
PAGES 16-17See our cracking Christmas Gifts
UK based, but worldwide. Downloads ofhandouts and articles we provide havealso totalled in excess of 9000 in the lastyear. Our handouts themselves will alsobe updated in the near future, in thelight of our increasing knowledge ofAPD and how it affects people,something that we are all still gainingdaily.
At present all our information isprovided free of charge and we hope tomaintain this as long as possible,although lack of funds may not allow usto do that indefinitely, or to extend ourscope. This is an issue we need toaddress and in order to do so, we toraise funds as a matter of urgency inorder to produce leaflets and othermaterial to reach those that do not haveinternet access. Our low membershipfees and additional donations, althoughalways very welcome, will not beenough to enable us to do this.
Charity statusWe also need more member support, soplease, if anyone would like to joinAPDUK, (at present a non-profit voluntaryorganisation seeking charity status andrun by unpaid volunteers in their freetime), please complete a membershipform at the end of this newsletter.
We need everyone’s help, whetherparents, adults with APD or professionals,to show the charity commission that thereis a need for APDUK as a charity, and aswe are the only support organisation inthe UK providing support, informationand firsthand practical advice for APD, wefeel there is a very great need. If anyonewishes to help us and has even half anhour a week to spare, please contact meat [email protected] .
WebsiteThe APDUK website has undergone amajor revamp in the past year, thanks tothe hard work of our Vice Chair GraemeWadlow and it includes a new guestbookarea. Of particular additional globalinterest is the new learning styles section,which Graeme has taken so much timeand effort to add in recent months. It
would appear that it fills a gap in thisarea of research as nothing of its kind canbe found anywhere on the internet. Itincludes many collected leading articlesby respected authorities in this field. Thiswill soon be followed by a new section onadults and APD and plans are in hand forinformation on advocacy and a section onthe legal rights of the APD individual,relating to the education system, benefitssystem and in the workplace.
Merchandise and commissionAlso available is our online shophttp://www.spreadshirt.net/shop.php?sid=121954 with APDUK merchandisefurther advertising what APD is all aboutand adding a small commission to ourfunds for every item purchased.
Books, CDs DVDs, games etc. can also bepurchased via Amazon (|UK and US)through our website, at no extra cost to youbut also provides APDUK with a modestcommission. http://www.books.apduk.org
Both options are ideal for those lastminute Christmas gifts!
Forums and chatWe continue to visit online forums,spreading APD information andpromoting discussion on APD relatedissues. Forums visited include manyeducation and disability forums for bothparents and professionals, as well as theOldAPDs adult’s forum, with a growingnumber of members in the UK.
The APDUK message-board formatopen forum and specialised forums arenow well underway again after sometechnical hitches. APDUK research chatswere sadly suspended for some months,as both Graeme and I were unavailable torun them due to other commitments andDamien Howard being unavailablebecause of work commitments. Insteadwe held open door policy, weekend longchats for some months. We beganholding formal chats again in August andI hope you will join us for a chat very soon(see details on and other APDUK forums).
The futureAs for plans for the coming year andbeyond, I envisage that we will continue
to maintain the progress we have madethus far and extend it as a long-term planbut dependant on suitable funding. Everychild newly diagnosed with APD will oneday be an adult with APD and we need topave the way for awareness of APD, bysupporting them and those that arealready adults and putting measures inplace so that the children will not have tosuffer a lifetime of ignorance and apathythat today’s adults with APD haveendured and unfortunately still continueto do so.
TalksI also hope that APDUK can be more pro-active in the next year, by giving talks onAPD to interested groups. To this end, Ihave put together a Power Pointpresentation on how APDUK affectschildren, adults and their families in allareas of life from school to adulteducation, socially and in the workplace.
This presentation complements thepractical advice and strategies suggestedin our official handouts, with informationabout what it is like living with APDthroughout life, from early yearsonwards, how to detect it, how it canmanifest, how it is diagnosed, how tosupport those that have it and how tocope with it.
If anyone would like to arrange for meto speak to their organisation etc. pleasecontact me by email at [email protected]. Iwould only request personal travellingexpenses (several cups of tea!) and anydonation you feel appropriate towardsAPDUK funds.
We have come so far already but we willcontinue to learn about APD for manyyears to come and pass on what we knowfor the benefit of others as APDUKprogresses. Thank you, as always, foryour support.
Aly, Chair APDUK ©
www.lacewingmultimedia.com/APD.htm www.gifted.lacewingmultimedia.comwww.geocities.com/saylon_uk/AllforOne.html See also www.apduk.org APDUK site
PAGE 2
CHAIR'S REPORT
Progress and co-operation...Continued from page 1
All People Deserve Understanding and Knowledgewww.apduk.org
MORE THAN JUST WORDS
If you have any time to spare, please joinup to APDUK and contact me to volunteer.You may not think you have the necessaryskills to work on the committee of avoluntary organisation but everyone hasvital talents that can help.
Whatever your background, work or lifeexperiences, all you need is a genuineinterest in supporting those with APD anda willingness to help.
Come along to a chat and meet us (you willjust need to contact me to register first)...or just email, phone or write to us withany comments or queries. Thank you!
WELCOME TO ISSUE NO.6
Contact information
APDUK is a non-profit voluntaryorganisation run by unpaidvolunteer parents. Our onlymonetary support for runningcosts comes from membershipsubscriptions and kinddonations. We are currentlyseeking charity status and inorder to do this we need to raisemore funds and membershipsupport. This will enable us tocontinue and extend our work inhelping those with AuditoryProcessing Disorder in the UK.
Please donate what you can www.lacewingmultimedia.com/APD.htm buy books, CDs, DVDs,games or other gifts fromAmazon via our books pages (atno extra cost)http://www.books.apduk.org/or join ushttp://www.members.apduk.org/to make APDUK even moresuccessful in helping those withAuditory Processing Disorder inthe United Kingdom.
Thank you for your continuedsupport.
PAGE 3
Website: www.apduk.org, www.apduk.org/info.htmFurther Information: www.lacewingmultimedia.com/apd.htm
Aly Mountjoy, Executive Chair APDUK [email protected] Tel: 07815 995491 (2.30 – 6 pm)
Graeme Wadlow, Executive Vice Chair [email protected] Tel: 01442 214555 (6 – 10 pm)
Mr. Mark Mitchell, APDUK, c/o Dacorum CVS, 48, High Street,Hemel Hempstead, Herts HP1 3AF
"Never doubt that asmall group ofthoughtful citizenscan change the world;indeed its the onlything that ever does."
Margaret Mead
Schools anddisabilities -views neededI am working with a group ofschools to produce theirDisability Equality Scheme.We would welcome the viewsof anyone who has adisability, or a child with adisability, or is an advocatefor someone with a disability,who would be willing toemail their view of the mostimportant thing that theybelieve schools could do thatwould result in improvedoutcomes for those with adisability.Many thanks, [email protected]
EDITORAlyson [email protected]
DESIGN Mel [email protected]
CONTRIBUTORS• Graeme Wadlow
• Damien [email protected]
• Sally HindMRC Institute of Hearing Research
• Geoff Dobson
• Debbie, John’s mom
• Tracey
• Nina Robertson
• Gerri
We need YOU...
RESEARCH
MRC Institute of HearingResearch diagnostic testbatteryThis work is known as the Children’s AuditoryProcessing Evaluation (CAPE) Study. The CAPE testbattery consists of (a) audiometric tests to check thechildren’s ears and hearing, (b) psychoacoustic tests tocheck their auditory processing ability, and (c)cognitive and language tests to check their generalability.
The study is about to enter the third phase (seeprevious update report on Phases 1 and 2). This part ofthe study aims to use the reduced test battery with avery large number of children drawn from the UK. Thedata from this phase will tell us how well children of agiven age perform on each of the tests. The data willprovide the reference points by which we can check theperformance of children suspected of having APD. Fourareas of the UK have agreed to help with this phase:Glasgow, Cardiff, Exeter and Nottingham. We intend totest 400 children from each area – 1600 in total.
A subsidiary study to check if the auditoryprocessing tests from the CAPE battery can be usedwith younger children aged 3 to 5 years is now almostcomplete. The children were able to do most of thetests.
BSA APD Special Interest GroupThe UK Steering Committee comprises 12 memberswho represent a broad range of relevant disciplinessuch as audiology and speech language therapy. Thecurrent chair is Sally Hind (Developmental Psychologist,Institute of Hearing Research), and the vice chair isDoris-Eva Bamiou (Consultant in Neuro-otology,National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery).
GROUPS: Regional APD groups have been formed inWales, Scotland and Ireland. The Regional and UKgroups liaise with one another to keep each informedof current work and progress.
OPEN MEETINGS: The APD Steering Committee held their4th APD Update Open Meeting on 22 June 2006 inSheffield. It was attended by some 70 delegates of mixedprofessions. A show of hands indicated that approximately40% were non-Audiologist; these were mainly SpeechLanguage Therapists.
The Chair for the day was Professor Stuart Rosen (UCL).The morning comprised three main elements: 3 x 30minute research presentations, 1 x 15 minutemethodology talk, and 1 x 40 minute open question anddiscussion period. Maggie Vance (UCL) started the talkswith a presentation on Measuring Speech DiscriminationSkills in Young Children; this was followed by Justin Cowan(IHR) reporting on the APD Diagnostic Test Battery beingdeveloped at IHR; the third talk, CAPD and otherDevelopmental Disorders, was given by Caroline Witton(Aston). Professor David Moore (IHR) addressed the prosand cons of using a Case Study Approach to answerresearch questions.
The afternoon sessions were choices of 2 out of 3 x 50minute workshops. Each workshop aimed to show theimportance of a multidisciplinary approach to diagnosingAPD, using case studies and demonstrations to encourageextensive discussion. Workshop A (run by Dilys Treharne &Kath Williamson) was from a Speech and LanguageTherapy perspective; Workshop B (Run by Tony Sirimanna& Doris-Eva Bamiou) was from an Audiology/Medicalperspective, and Workshop C (Run by Soumit Dasgupta &Frances Tweedy) was from a multi-disciplinary perspective.
WORK IN PROGRESS: In order to establish clinical needand a possible indication of the prevalence of listeningdifficulties, MRC Institute of Hearing Research proposes toconduct a prospective audit of audiology clinics inNottingham to ascertain the prevalence of patients (bothadults and children) referred for audiological assessmentwho do not have any measurable hearing or ear problems.
POSITION STATEMENT: The Steering Committee is draftingan interim Position Statement which will be placed on theBSA website www.thebsa.org.uk once fully ratified.
Sally Hind, December 2006
PAGE 4
Progress report ondevelopments in APD
This is a brief update report on the MRC Institute of HearingResearch’s project to develop a diagnostic test battery for APD.
Children taking part in this study will be drawn from primary schools,aged 6-12 years, and have no measurable ear or hearing problems,and The British Society of Audiology’s APD Special Interest Group
You probably know aboutMind’s Eye or Visualizing,where you imagine a picture
of something in your mind. Whichyou recall from your memory orcreate in your mind.
Well, Mind’s Ear is the ability toimagine a Sound or Sounds in yourmind.
Though about 8 months ago, I washelping a mother whose 8 year oldchild could only comprehend whatshe was reading, if she ‘read outaloud’?
Where I had the mother ask herchild; ‘if she could hear the words inher mind when she ‘read silently?’The child replied; ‘Do you think that Iam crazy, of course I can’t!’
Where it turned out, that shedidn’t know about Mind’s Ear, andhad never learnt how to imaginesounds in her mind. Or as someoneelse said; ‘Talk aloud in her head’?
Since then I have been raising thesubject of Mind’s Ear on a number ofdifferent Learning Difficulty forums,where it appears that this is a quite acommon problem. Where oftenchildren never knew that people canimagine the sound of words in theirmind. After all, no-one told themthat people do this.
Which made me wonder if thismight be something that somepeople with APD might share? Sothat is why I have written this articlefor the APDUK Newsletter, just tobring it the attention of APD peoplefor discussion.
So if you have APD, my simplequestion is ‘whether you are able torecreate the sounds of words in yourmind?’
Though further to that, is if youcan, ‘how clearly’ can you imaginethem?
Where I’ve found that somepeople can create the sounds ofwords in their mind, but that they arenot clear or well formed. Or that ittakes a major effort to do it.
But I would add that I’m involvedin independent research intoWorking Memory, where WorkingMemory is the collection of Mind’s
Eye, Mind’s Ear, as well as Mind’sTouch, Mind’s Taste, Mind’s Smell.Where each of our Senses, has itsown Working Memory.
Which work in co-operation. Forexample, if you ‘hear’ the word Rose,you might also recall a picture andsmell of it in your Working Memory.
Yet, a difficulty with any ‘one’ ofthese Working Memory Senses, iscommonly explained as a ‘disorderwith some region/s of the brain’.Suggesting some permanentdysfunction?
Whilst this may be the case forsome people, it is only for ‘some’.
What isn’t commonly known, isthat Working Memory in factrepresents a ‘Set of Acquired Skills’.
Whilst different brain regionscontribute to the Working Memory,there is no actual part of the braincalled the Working Memory.
Just as there is no part of our Bodycalled Walking. Walking is anacquired skill.
Mind’s Ear, Mind’s Eye, etc, areequally acquired skills that we needto learn how to do.
With Mind’s Ear, I have beenlooking at 2 basic skills or tools thatare involved.
PITCH AND RHYTHMPitch involves the skill to easilyreproduce the spectrum of Pitches inour Mind’s Ear, that we can hearwith our ears. Then to createmultiple different Pitches, one afterthe other.
Rhythm is the other important
Skill, as it provides a structure toorganize a sequence of varyingPitches. Providing a precise ‘timing’and ‘tempo’ to the sequence.
These are both essential forproducing individual words and alsomultiple words in our Mind’s Ear.
Where perhaps you might try acomparison in your Mind’s Ear or OutLoud, and say the words ‘pitches’ and‘pictures’. A subtle difference.
But then try comparing; ‘pitching’and ‘picturing’.
Though I have been exploringdifferent techniques to develop theMind’s Ear, which require some
special materials called; Songs, Rhymes,Poems.
Which basically involves practicingreproducing the sound of single linesof a favourite song, rhyme, poem inthe mind. But starting with the firstword, and then adding words.
Though Rhythm can also involvetapping of the foot or hand/finger,where a sense of Rhythm needs to bedeveloped.
But basically I’m trying to identify a‘self-help’ model to develop the Mind’sEar, where the only cost might bebuying a CD of one’s favourite band, orgoing to the library to borrow a bookof rhymes or poems.
So if any of this is relevant toyou, you might like to discuss itfurther on the discussion sectionwhich has been set up for this topicon the APDUK Open Forum :http://apduk.org/OpenForum//? Alsohelp with the further development ofsimple Self-Help exercises.
PROFESSIONAL VIEWS
PAGE 5
Mind’s Ear? What is it?by Geoff Dobson ©Australia
PARENTS' PERSPECTIVE
PAGE 6
Ibecame a teacher before I eventhought of becoming a mom. I lovedmy students, each a unique learner
who taught me much more than Itaught them. I didn’t realize at the timethat every bit of my education, bothformal and serendipitous, laid thegroundwork for what would be my mostchallenging school experience—that ofadvocating for my own child.
My son’s APD was diagnosed 2 _ yearsago when he was in fifth grade. Finally,after six years of a rollercoastereducation, I had the explanation as tohow he could seem like a genius onemoment and a tuned-out laggard the
next. In my innocence, I thought thatthings at school would get easier once Iknew his diagnosis. They haven’t. It’sstill a daily challenge, but it is a bitsimpler because now I am empoweredby the truth.
After years of armchair quarterbacktheories as to what makes my sondifferent, there is no more discussionabout ADHD, PDD, autism, an inabilityto read, or being lazy. These theorieshave been quashed. The good news isthat John’s definitive diagnosis is
accepted by his district and educators.The bad news is that they still do notfully understand how APD manifestsitself in the classroom.
The root problem is that John’steachers don’t realize how much of theschool experience is auditory. Althoughmy son has an IEP which specificallystates the accommodations he needs forsuccess, there are still almost daily kinksin the process. Some of them arerelatively minor (confusing directions inthe communication log, problem-solvingtechniques discussed orally that areneeded for homework), and some aremajor and blatant (criticism for “not
paying attention” during lectures thathave no written listening guides,incorrect information as to assignmentsand tests, point deductions for notproducing work in class at the speed ofother students).
I expect for there to be a learningcurve for John’s teachers. No otherstudent in my son’s suburban district hasbeen officially diagnosed with APD, sothere is much learning that needs tohappen on their part. And they arewell-meaning educators who like my son
and sincerely want to help him.The most frustrating issue for me as
John’s parent, however, is that whensomething happens that is inconsistentwith John’s IEP, there is not an amicableprocess to address it. If I bring suchinconsistencies or deviations to theattention of John’s teachers, I am metwith frustration, defensiveness, andeven criticism. No matter howconciliatory I am in my approach, I havenot yet found a way to insure that John’sIEP works like it is intended to.
In my continuing search for ways tocommunicate what is needed for my sonto succeed at school (and to reduce ourstress at home), I prepared a summarysheet for a recent meeting with my son’steachers, his principal, and the districtspecial education director. I will find outin the next weeks and months whetherthis summary makes the school yeareasier.
Entitled “An APD Student in MiddleSchool,” I have revised the sheet andeliminated specific names to publish inthe APD Newsletter. Perhaps this willgive a helpful portrait to other familiesor educators as to what the experienceof one APD kid has been like. Perhaps itwill encourage other parents to writesimilar summary statements for theirown children in communicating withtheir schools. I am also hopeful thatother readers may have suggestions asto how I can improve my efforts tocommunicate with my son’s teachers. Ifso, please email me [email protected].
Parenting a child with APD is achallenge and a journey. I adore my son,and I am hopeful that withunderstanding, effort, and advocacy hecan have a happy and productive future.As his parent, I am grateful to the manyprofessionals and parents who arededicated to raising the awareness ofAPD and its implications for children. Ihope that sharing my son’s and myexperiences will help in this endeavor.
He’s got what?What I want my son’s teachers to understand about his APD
By Debbie, John’s mom ©
Debbie lives in the US; she isalso a member of ourOldAPDs forum which
provides support for adultswith APD and parents.
PARENTS' PERSPECTIVE
PAGE 7
I am John’s mom. John is twiceexceptional. He is both gifted and hasa learning disability. I am hisadvocate.
I strongly support education andthe district schools. I am deeplygrateful for the principal’s personalinterest in John.
I want John to be successful as astudent and citizen of school. He hasmade great progress here.
I encourage John’s participation inband, chorus, drama, jazz band, showchoir, art, and phys ed - kinestheticsubjects and activities that Johnexcels in without any supports.
I help John daily with his study ofEnglish, science, math, and social
studies - academic subjects whichrequire varying amounts of supportand which have daily homework. Inthese subjects John needs help atschool and at home.
John has been diagnosed with aninefficient auditory processingsystem. This is not a problem with hisability to listen, but with the way heunderstands what he hears. It is not abehavioral choice on his part. His APDreduces his understanding of oralinstructions and content. John has anIEP and a 1:1 associate for support inhis classes so that he can receive allinstructions and content in writing.
John’s education is stressful. Eachevening I serve as his tutor, helping
him learn what he didn’t process atschool. He also has several homeworkassignments each night. Everyevening is dominated by schoolwork;there is no break.
Whether or not assignments,instructions, and content are inwriting facilitates (or handicaps)John’s ability to do work in class andat home. If assignments, instructions,and content are not clearly written,John doesn’t remember them, and Idon’t know them. We both need tohave a way to find out what we don’tknow.
Communication becomes ourlifeline and the key ingredient toJohn’s success.
I consented to John’s classification as a special ed student 2 years ago. In 2years, John has had:4 different special ed teachers (a different one each year; he’ll have 2 more
in the next 2 years.)
3 different school psychologists (1 in fifth grade, a new one in 6th grade,and a new one in 7th & 8th grade).
3 different 1:1 associates
2 different district Special Ed Directors
Each year John has had over a dozen educators working with him at thebuilding level:12 educators in 5th grade (principal, assistant principal, special ed teacher, 1:1
associate, classroom teacher, counselor, art teacher, PE teacher, Spanishteacher, music teacher, band teacher, gifted teacher)
13 educators in 6th grade (principal, assistant principal, special ed teacher, 1:1associate, classroom teacher, social studies teacher, counselor, art teacher,PE teacher, Spanish teacher, music teacher, band teacher 1, band teacher 2)
18 educators in 7th grade (principal, assistant principal, special ed teacher, 1:1associate 1, associate 2, homeroom teacher, science teacher, social studiesteacher, math teacher, English teacher, art teacher, band teacher, jazz bandteacher, chorus teacher, math teacher, PE teacher, tech ed teacher, familyconsumer science)
16 educators in 8th grade (principal, assistant principal, 1:1 associate, specialed teacher, homeroom teacher, science teacher, social studies teacher, mathteacher, English teacher, art teacher, band teacher 1, band teacher 2,saxophone teacher, chorus and show choir teacher, PE teacher, dramateacher)
John has had 45 different educators in his 2 years of special ed. Only 13 ofthese people have worked with John for more than a year. This is a greatnumber of people who need to know how to work with a twice-exceptionalchild.Each new person initiates a new learning curve for the teacher, for John, andfor me.Continuity is critical. The continuity so far has been John and me. This is noone’s fault. It is a significant challenge for us all.
An APD Student in Middle SchoolReport From John’s Mom (November 2006)
Questions of the DayIEP:How is the IEP to be carriedout and monitored,specifically in terms ofcommunication,accommodations, class work,homework, tests, and grades?
Communication:Who is my communicationlink with John’s world atschool? More specifically,what do I do - and who do Italk to - when I see somethinghappen that is not consistentwith the IEP?
“Coming together isa beginning,staying together isprogress, andworking together issuccess.”
Henry Ford
Good communication is a continuous process. Continuity is vital.
PARENTS' PERSPECTIVE
I’d like to tell you about a definingmoment in my family’s life: the day mydaughter was diagnosed with APD.
Little did any of us know that it would bea turning point in more than her life.
Rebecca was born in 1995, she was apeaceful baby who slept well and grewinto a compliant toddler who reallyshould have been born a flower child. Weall joked she was off with the fairies mostdays. As she began school she was able towrite neatly for her age and the teachercommented she was the only grade onestudent who started with a capital letterand used lower case for the rest of theword. Within months though her writing
became messy, she was chastised for notconcentrating and became disillusionedwith it all.
Later that year I removed Rebeccafrom school, mainly because of difficultiesher elder brother was having but alsobecause she was obviously suffering. Ihome schooled them until we movedstate where I enrolled them in a privateschool. We have since moved schoolstwice to be in one where I am satisfiedwith the level of care.
The following year Rebecca regressedfurther. She forgot previously learnedskills, the alphabet for instance. I wouldsit in class with her and point to theletters as I spelled a word for her. It wouldtake forever to write a small paragraphand reading was excruciating for her asshe forgot what a word was from one lineto the next. The most worrying thing washer blank periods. She would just phaseout in the middle of something andeverything previous to that was lost,sometimes she’d looked surprised to bewhere she was.
Naturally we were all a little worried.The teacher referred her for educationalassistance and I took her to apaediatrician. He ran various tests andscans ruling out dyslexia and epilepsyamongst other things. Eventually hereferred her to an audiologist. As luck
would have it the paed had been readingan article on APD and had called acolleague who agreed she fitted nicelyinto that niche since all the serious stuffhad been ruled out.
It was APD and we left theaudiologist’s office in a much happierframe of mind, equipped with enoughinformation to ensure a start to happiertimes in the classroom. I’ve since beentold that knowing is a waste of time sincenothing can be done but I totally disagreewith that idea. Rebecca has a dominantright ear. Placement at the front left of aclassroom has been essential, in fact herteacher this year inadvertently placed herat the back right last term and herperformance level dropped. The teacher
ensuring they have eye contact with herbefore giving instructions and thenphysically walking up to her to check hasshown less misunderstandings.
After beginning to make those simplechanges within her life, we all noticed areturn of her amazing memory capacityand the ability to ‘parrot’ words back toyou. Verbally she was capable of testresults much higher than her grade level,yet on paper she was achieving two levels
below grade. At that stage we were stillawaiting testing through the studentservices division. The following year shewas finally seen by the speech pathologistwho informed us she had no speech issueswhich we already knew. Unfortunatelythere was a shortage of occupationaltherapists and she is still to completeassessment nearly three years later.
Not long after that Rebecca was alsotested by an Irlen specialist andprescribed tinted lenses. Within weeks ofwearing her glasses she began to read
and within three months she was readingfluently to age level. Now you can’t gether out of a book.
So, five years on Rebecca is in gradefive (she repeated grade 1) and still lovesschool. Some days she comes home witha headache and bags under her eyes fromthe effort of the day. In some areas she isstill a little behind grade level and she stilldoesn’t like to write much. Mathconcepts confuse her unless she isphysically shown how to do it. She hasbeen lucky to have had threeunderstanding and helpful teachers overthe years. Her gift is music. Piano lessonsshowed the ability to play by ear and herpitch is infallible. Flute was a bit of afailure, not good if you suffer sinusitis,trust me. This year’s instrument of choicehas been guitar which she picked up withease.
Not long after Rebecca’s diagnosis, Ifinally had the hearing test I’d beenputting off for years. I was convinced Iwas going deaf so it was a shock to betold my hearing was better than a child’s.Then he asked had I heard of APD and thepuzzle pieces started falling into place.One day when talking to youngest, Scott,I realized that he needed to be tested.After a hearing test showed aboveaverage hearing , APD was suggested.Then my eldest Jack, who was diagnosedwith Asperger’s and ADHD, was beingassessed by the student services team andwhen I received the report it was advisedhe be seen by an audiologist for APDtesting. Jack’s ADHD was eventually
removed and replaced with APD – youknow, the old cause and effect argument.Life is interesting to say the least in ourhousehold, especially when we’rewatching a movie. Isn’t it amazingthough how one little day in a life canchange everything so much…
PAGE 8
By Tracey ©
Tracey is a member of theOldAPDs forum in Australia,adult with APD and mum toJack 13, Rebecca 11, Scott 8.
The day that changed everything
“The following year Rebecca regressed further. Sheforgot previously learned skills, the alphabet forinstance. I would sit in class with her and point to theletters as I spelled a word for her.”
“Not long after Rebecca’s diagnosis, I finally had thehearing test I’d been putting off for years. I wasconvinced I was going deaf so it was a shock to betold my hearing was better than a child’s.”
NEWS
PAGE 9
APDUK POLL RESULTSHere are the latest results of the international online poll for parents/supporters, adults with APD
This is an ongoing poll; please take part to help APDUK to improve our support and services.http://www.lacewingmultimedia.com/poll.htm Please send any comments to Aly [email protected]
Which of the following has helped you most as a parent/supporter of a child with APD/suspected APD?
Support of others/knowing you aren't alone 35%
Validation that your child isn’t lazy/stupid as others suspected 12%
Validation that you weren’t making it all up/imagining a problem 35%
Obtaining an APD diagnosis for your child 6%
Support for your child with work at school 6%
Remediation programs for APD - if appropriate 6%
Which of the following have you found useful as a parent/supporter?
APDUK website 22%
APDUK information/handouts 22%
APDUK Newsletters 11%
APDUK online forums 11%
APDUK online chats 22%
APDUK representatives' contributions to other related forums 6%
Assistive technology/FM system/soundfield - if appropriate 6%
What has helped you most as an adult with APD/suspected APD?
Knowing you aren’t alone/support of others in similar circumstances 47%
Validation that you aren’t lazy/stupid as others suspected 13%
Validation that you weren’t making it all up/imagining a problem 20%
Obtaining an APD diagnosis 7%
Acceptance from family 13%
Which of the following have you found useful as an adult with APD/suspected APD?
Remediation programs for APD - if appropriate 7%
Accomodations at work/college/university 13%
APDUK /OldAPDs online forums 40%
APDUK online chats 27%
APDUK website 13%
Which of the following have you been unable to obtain, whether as a parent/supporter or an adult with APD?
Support of others in similar circumstances 9%
Validation that you weren’t making it all up/imagining a problem 5%
An APD diagnosis 14%
Acceptance from family/friends 5%
Acceptance/support from professionals 14%
Acceptance at school/ work 18%
Support with socialisation 27%
Remediation programs for APD - if appropriate 9%
SOCIAL ISSUES
PAGE 10
Those with Auditory ProcessingDisorder (APD) fight a daily battlefor acceptance, the most vital of
commodities and often one of thehardest things to find. Acceptance hasthree aspects: 1. First is the acceptance of the
individual that they have APD. Thisoften does not come readily and forsome, not at all.
2. Secondly comes a decision whether totell others, to self advocate or try tohide the APD by denying itsexistence. This can be a majordecision for some people and candepend on many factors: theirpersonality, whether they areoutgoing or not; what effects theyperceive that this revelation will haveon their lives for better or worse; orsimply on how they feel thisinformation will be received byothers.
3. The third aspect is out of their hands,but affects them directly and issomething we all strive for; it isacceptance by others, which, if inplace, can lead to either essentialvalidation and support for theindividual, or if not, they sufferdenial and isolation. This is often thedeciding factor on whether to tellothers about the APD at all.
SELF ACCEPTANCE
Accepting you have APD is not settingyourself limits; it is acknowledging thatyou, like everyone else, have things thatyou find difficult but at least you knowwhy. Everyone at some time in their liveswill have difficulty with something: weare not all born with infinite knowledgeand we all have to learn; some thingswill be harder for some people and
other things for others. Even the most“gifted and talented” among us havelimitations.
Many people go through their wholelife not knowing why they havedifficulties; those that find out are oftenglad that they know why, for it is thatknowledge that empowers them toimprove their life. Denying that youhave APD is a common reaction,especially in teenagers who want to be“normal”, to fit in. Adults too find it asgreat shock and in many cases gothrough a grieving process, as canparents when they find out their childhas APD or any disability, even when it iswhat you expected to find out andfinally have answers. But it is onlythrough acceptance that progress can bemade. Through acceptance come self-awareness and self-knowledge, theability to build on one’s strengths, to usewhat you are good at to help youdevelop unique coping strategies thatwork for you, whether visual orkinaesthetic, reading instead of relyingon listening, writing things down to aidmemory, making pictorial reminders etc.This is where the support and acceptanceof others can make a great difference; byaccepting your child has APD you findthat you are the best person to helpthem, especially if you have APD yourselfand can pass on strategies that you havefound useful. Adults who finally accepttheir APD are also relieved to know thatwhat has caused them to struggle alltheir lives is not their fault. With adiagnosis they also have access to thebenefit of disability law. Acceptance ofthis diagnosis may allow you to openmany new doors.
Denial of one’s APD can have manycauses:• reluctance to see oneself perceived as
“different” from others- buteveryone is different anyway, eventhe ones that appear to be what isdeemed “normal” or “neurotypical”have their own quirks oridiosyncrasies.
• not wanting to appear stupid,incapable or unattractive- but thosewith APD often have compensatorygifts that others find very attractive,like empathy, musical or artisticability or even something as simple asthe ability to make people laugh(everyone is good at something and aperson’s true worth does not comefrom purely academic ability, career
status or money).• not knowing how others will react-
but they may, in fact, be glad of anexplanation of what is making youmiserable and they may be only tooglad to help.
To deny the APD is to deny yourself,because it is a part of what makes youwho you are and gives you thecompensatory gifts that others lack.Learn to accept them and use them.
SELF ADVOCACY
It is not easy for anyone, man woman orchild, to stand up and say “I have aproblem and I need help.” Neither is iteasy for someone with APD to copealone and hide their difficulties. Theywill be more obvious as you get olderand the workload increases, in schoolwhere auditory sequential teaching isthe norm, in work placements wherelistening and understanding areessential and certain jobs require higherlevels of processing skills than others, insocial situations that you cannot control,where noise levels are high. If you areable to accept that the presence of APDwarrants certain accommodations, youcan then ask for them and take backcontrol over your circumstances. Schools,employers, family and friends cannothelp if they don’t know you need it.Many people with APD become socialrecluses rather than admit they cannotcope with noise and social interaction.
Many also become isolated because theydo admit it, ask for help and are refusedit. But unless you try, you will neverknow how much better life can become,and with a disability diagnosis you have
The value of acceptance“To be nobody but yourselfin a world which is doing itsbest day and night to makeyou like everybody elsemeans to fight the hardestbattle which any humanbeing can fight and neverstop fighting. ”
E. E. Cummings
“Once we accept our limits,we go beyond them.”
Brendan Francis
“Learn to value yourself,which means: to fight foryour happiness.”
Ayn Rand
SOCIAL ISSUES
PAGE 11
the law on your side in requesting suchaccommodations for children at schooland adults at work. The rest comes downto personal coping strategies to help youdeal with what you cannot change andways of avoiding those situations thatyou cannot control. If you don't admitthere is a problem, you cannot evenbegin to solve it. If you say nothingabout your APD, settle for your lot andhope it will go away, it won’t and sooneror later you may reach a stage whereyou will be unable to cope with asituation. EVERYONE needs helpsometimes. There is no shame in that,only in denying who you are and whatyou could be. Don’t settle for less thatyou want to have: fight for what youdeserve.
ACCEPTANCE BY OTHERS
Validation of one’s identity as beingacceptable to others is vital to everyindividual; we all need to feel that webelong and have the approval of ourfamilies, friends, social peers, teachers,superiors and mentors. The smallestchild will aim to please, thrive on theattention gained by doing somethingthat is accepted and earns approval.Someone with an invisible disabilityneeds it even more and sadly, it is notalways given.
Parents may deny their child hasAPD - or any disability if this disability isinherited - because they may feelresponsible. It is not your fault or theirsbut to deny it you also deny them thehelp they need. To grow up finding thatyou have APD – something about youthat causes you isolation through simplymisunderstanding what is said, thatmaybe even causes others to shun you,something that makes you appear lessthan perfect, something that sets youapart – can be very hard. To find out thatsomeone you love and trust knew aboutit all along and failed to act, or evenhelp you, is far worse than denial bystrangers. Children need the samesupport and validation from theirteachers and other caregivers, who theyoften spend as much time with as theirfamily. Late-diagnosed adults can beshunned by partners or lifelong friends,once they find out they have APD. It canbe hard to deal with the fact thatsomeone you love needs has a disability,but it is far worse for the sufferer. Simpleadjustments like facing them when youspeak and/or turning down the T.V.,
taking ‘phone calls for them or gettingan answer-phone, eating in quieterrestaurants etc. can make so muchdifference to a person’s life and cost verylittle. But what means more is that youaccept them and love them as they are.
To look at someone with APD, youmight never know they have a disability;there is no wheelchair, guide dog, orwhite stick; nothing to indicate that theyare any different to the majority. If theynever say, you may never know. There isno indication that they may need yourhelp or acceptance but that doesn’t denythem the right to ask or receive it.People with disabilities should not beexpected to conform to a world they areborn unprepared for. It is neverunreasonable to ask for a level playingfield or to expect that it be given. It is,however, unreasonable and inhuman torefuse.
CHOICES
If you have APD, you may feel thatpeople will never find out and that youcan just go along with life as thoughnothing is wrong. But you may beunder-achieving at school or at workand may want more out of life than justsettling for what you have. If youchoose to seek appropriate help, that
which you are fully entitled to, then youcan aim for what you truly want. Thereare some professions which may causemore problems for those with APD thanothers, but it all depends on theindividual difficulties you have, aseveryone with APD is affecteddifferently and copes differently andneeds different support. Everyone isentitled to dream and to try to makethose dreams come true. At least if youfail, you will know that you had thestrength to try for what you want, andthat’s more than many people ever do.Failure is no more than an opportunityto learn from your mistakes.
If you have APD you are no lessworthy of approval, acceptance orsuccess than the person next to you.Anyone we meet may have an invisibledisability, difficulty or condition thatyou know nothing about. People don’twear labels stating their problems orweaknesses. The most disablingconditions I have ever come across areignorance and bigotry. Be proud of whoyou are and strive for whatever canmake you happy; it’s what we alldeserve. The choice is yours.
Accept yourself and others willsimply have to take you as you are, ornot at all, and they will ultimately bethe ones to lose out.
“No-one should haveto apologise for whothey are.”
Alyson Mountjoy, Chair APDUK © 2006
“I wish they would onlytake me as I am.”
Vincent van Gogh
“If you limit your choicesonly to what seems possibleor reasonable, youdisconnect yourself fromwhat you truly want, and allthat is left is a compromise.”
Robert Fritz
If you experience auditory processingproblems, you face communicationchallenges that other people don’t. It
is important to understand how this mayaffect you as well as that you may havedeveloped compensatory skills that mostothers do not have. The challenges youface when processing auditory inputmean that you tend to judge yourselftoo harshly, or place the wronginterpretation on what others are sayingand doing. This article discusses some ofthese challenges and gives someexamples from my work as apsychologist with people whoexperience auditory processingproblems.
Many misunderstandings can arisewhen people who face auditoryprocessing challenges do not realise thatother people don’t face the difficultiesthat they encounter. Many issues arisewhen background noise makes it hardfor people to understand what is beingsaid..
One woman, with an auditoryprocessing problem, became veryanxious about her performance at workwhen she moved to a new job in anopen plan office. She found that shecould not cope with telephoneconversations when these had to takeplace at her desk and there was a highlevel of background noise in the office.However, she did not want to seemdifferent from the others, or to ask foran office of her own. In effect, shewanted to be seen as ‘the same aseveryone else’, but had decided she wasa failure because she could not cope, asthey could, with the noisy open planoffice environment. When this womansought psychological counselling forwhat she saw an anxiety problem, herauditory processing problem wasidentified – for the first time in her life.However, it must be noted here thatoften psychologists and counsellors donot know that auditory processingproblems can contribute to socialdifficulties, and to anxiety anddepression, in various ways.
Another example, to illustrate the
relationship that can exist betweensocial and auditory processing problems,is the case of a teenage girl who becameangry with her friends because shethought they were purposely excludingher from their conversation at noisyparties, by ‘whispering’ to each other.While their speech was loud enough forthem to hear each other, it was tooquiet for her to hear easily in the noisyenvironment of the party, so she couldnot join in, or share in theirconversation. She did not believe themwhen they said they were notwhispering, so she would storm off,leaving her friends feeling upset and
wrongly accused of something that theyhad not done.
Auditory processing difficulties canalso sometimes lead to difficult worksituations when an affected member ofstaff misses out on importantinformation. One manager described asituation she encountered when shesent a strongly worded email,complaining that she had not beenconsulted about a decision. She wasacutely embarrassed when told that shehad been at the meeting where thedecision was made. It was made during apart of the meeting she had ‘tuned out’from, after experiencing listening
overload.However, it is not only listening
difficulties such as these that can causeproblems. Sometimes problems arisebecause people do not realise that theyhave developed exceptionalcompensatory strengths in the face oftheir auditory processing challenges.
People with auditory processingproblems often become very good atreading body language. They are oftenbetter at doing this than many otherpeople, but may not realise they havedeveloped an exceptional ability in thisarea, to a degree that most others donot attain. They have done so becausethis additional information helps themto understand what is being said. Peopleoften draw on this ability, in conjunctionwith another skill that also helps themto cope with auditory processingdifficulties. They learn how to get toknow others so well that they cananticipate their thoughts and feelings,as well as what they may want.
By getting to know other people,how they feel, and what they thinkabout, they are better able to anticipatewhat someone may say in a givensituation.
By doing so, they reduce thedemands that listening imposes onthem, and are better able to fill in anygaps in what they are listening to, sothey can more easily understand whatwas said.
By reading body language andgaining an understanding of howpeople think and feel, they can at timesanticipate what people want, whensomeone has not actually yet saidanything about that.
So, people with auditory processingdifficulties can often appear to others as‘mind readers’; they seem to know whatothers want and need before anything issaid about this, and sometimes evenbefore another person knowsthemselves what they want. This meansthey can be very empathetic andsupportive partners, friends or co-workers, if they can use their skills tomeet others needs, with minimalconversation.
However, problems can arise whenpeople who have these skills do not
ADULTS’ SUPPORT
PAGE 12
By Damien Howard ©www.eartroubles.com
Think differently toavoid disappointment
“People with auditoryprocessing problemsoften become verygood at reading bodylanguage. They areoften better at doingthis than many otherpeople, but may notrealise they havedeveloped anexceptional ability inthis area, to a degreethat most others donot attain.”
ADULTS’ SUPPORT
PAGE 13
Damien Howard is a psychologist interested in the social and psychological effects of listening problems. See www.eartroubles.com for
more information on his work.
realise how exceptional this ability is,and expect the same of others. Whenothers don’t interpret their bodylanguage in appropriate ways, oranticipate their needs, they may notunderstand that others simply do nothave the same ability as they do. Mostpeople need to be told explicitly whatothers want. This sort ofmisunderstanding can lead to manydisappointments. A person may decidethat someone else has chosen not torecognise and anticipate their needsbecause they do not care about them, ordo not like them enough to do so.
One man who came to see me forcounselling about depressioncomplained about his wife and hisfriends, because of this type ofdisappointment. He felt they did notgive him the same kind of considerationthat he gave them. When he hadcomplained to his wife about this shehad said that she had not known whathe wanted, but he found it hard to
believe this. He had spent a lot of timemulling over his disappointments, andhad rejected her protestations becauseof his deeply held beliefs.
I counselled one couple when thehusband had not only convinced himselfthat his wife really did not care for him,but convinced his wife of that as well. Hehad presented so many pieces ofevidence and believed so strongly thatshe could not care for him, that she hadbegun to think he must be right. Despitefeeling that she did love him, and thatshe did try to respond to his needs asbest she could, she came to accept thatthe way in which she loved him was justnot good enough. It was only theirdeeply held religious beliefs that werekeeping them together, despite hisdisappointments and her feelings thatshe was a failure as a wife.
With another man, his depression hadserved to distort his interpretation of hiswife’s responses. After arriving home lateone night he could tell his wife was upset
but, unusually, she did not say anythingabout it. She was upset because she wasworrying about him, but because sheknew he was having a hard time shedecided not to say anything about that.However, he began to think that shewasn’t talking to him because she haddecided to leave him. His negativethinking, because of his depression, hadled him to place a catastrophicinterpretation on his astute reading of hiswife’s body language, an interpretationthat was completely wrong.
These examples illustrate the way inwhich anticipatory skills, and a beliefthat everyone has these skills, can leadto quite erroneous conclusions. In thelast case, the man read the situation inquite the wrong way; his depressivenegative thinking combined with hisastute reading of his wife’s responses.
If you have experienced similarsituations, or you identify with any ofthe above stories in some way, thenthink about the suggestions that follow.
• Auditory processing difficulties do present challenges.It is unfair to expect people with listening difficultiesto be able to cope with the demands of listening toother people in the same way that others can. Don’texpect too much of yourself, however much you maywant to appear to be the same as others. If you dojudge yourself too harshly in comparison with others,you will underestimate the very real challenges thatyou face, and also your accomplishments.
• If others expectations and judgments are based onunreasonable demands on your ability to listen, theirperceptions of you may very well be wrong, so don’tbelieve what you think they may be thinking aboutyou. Instead, make sure you maintain yourrelationships with people who do appreciate yourstrengths and abilities, as an antidote to the inevitableuninformed judgments made by others.
• Be aware of others limitations. They may not be ableto read your body language and anticipate your needs.Although you may be able to ‘mind read’ andempathise with others quite easily, others may not beable to do so to the same degree. This does not meanthat they don’t care about you, or that they care lessabout you than you do about them, but they mayshow their caring in a different way.
• Your ‘language’ of caring may be through the way youcan anticipate and act on other people’s needs, but it isimportant to build your understanding and acceptanceof the ‘language’ that others use to express theircaring. Remember too, that you may need to tellothers very explicitly about what you want, if they are
to be able to meet your needs. You will have to usewords and speech to help them know what you wantand need from them.
• Be careful about projecting your own fears onto yourthoughts about what others may be thinking, or whatthey may want. When you care about the way peoplefeel about you, that is when you are most likely to bewrong in your interpretation of others thoughts andfeelings about you.
• Be very careful too, about believing your own opinionabout what people’s responses may mean, instead ofbelieving that people actually mean what they say. Ifyou accept what you believe, and not what they say,you may push away the people you care most about,and who care most about you.
• Talk to others to check out your suspicions and fears.Are they reasonable ones? Make sure you choosesensible people to talk to, and people who are notdirectly involved in the situation. If you think you maybe depressed, then it is even more important that yourun a ‘reality check’ in this way, to test your thinkingabout what other people’s responses may mean. It isalso important to get some professional help. If yousee a counselor and they are not aware of the kinds ofchallenges faced by people who experience auditoryprocessing problems, then it is important to tell themabout these. It may help to refer them to the APDUKwebsite or www.eartroubles.com. Professionals youconsult can use their skills more effectively if theyunderstand about the kinds of challenges faced bytheir clients with auditory processing problems.
Icannot participate in certainworkplace activities, due to myauditory processing disorder and my
Hyperacusis. When there is an all staff meeting or
a department potluck, I cannot attendbecause being in an enclosed area with alot of people puts me into auditoryoverload.
For anyone who has experienced it,auditory overload is no joke. For me, itmeans that I will be nonfunctional andill for the rest of the day. Nonfunctionalmeans that I experience vertigo, cannotprocess speech at all, and must findsomeone to drive me home so that I canrecuperate in isolation.
When I have questions or needtechnical assistance while at work, Ialways look to the intranet for help firstbecause I am unable to navigate the
phone system.By the time I do ask for help, I have
already exhausted all of the usualchannels to try to resolve the issue on myown. Unfortunately, because I look andsound normal, my requests for help areusually either ignored or ridiculed as if Iwas just lazy or a bimbo.
Because of this misperception, I havelearned that it is better to try to resolvemy own problems, rather than expecthelp from others. This has made mequite resourceful and very good attroubleshooting and finding creativesolutions for many cumbersome issues.
MY MESSAGE TO MY CO-WORKERS:• I know that it is difficult to remember
that I am disabled. I know I do notlook or act like someone who isdisabled and I do not constantly
remind you. • But when I do ask for assistance, try
to remember that I am only askingbecause I really need your help.
• Please don’t make me explain all overagain what is “wrong” with me.
• My doctors have already verified mydisability through copious amountsof supporting documentation. Yet,you repeatedly ask me to justify mydisability.
• It is demoralizing to be askedcontinually to explain something thatmost people can never understand. Idon’t really understand it myself.
• APD is a forever part of who I am. Itcannot put it aside when it isinconvenient.
• I have finally learned to accept thisaspect of myself. Can’t you try toaccept me too?
ADULTS' VOICE
Secrets from a TechnicalWriter with APD I am simply not a linear thinker. I am not a linear writer either,but don’t tell my employer!
It seems a little ironic because my procedures and user guidesmust be chronological and I have never been able to write thatway.
When I was a student and an outline was required in my Englishclasses, I was stuck until I started writing the essay first andcreating my outline based on the essay. I have never been able tounderstand how can you constraint a concept to a chronologicalorder when the concept has not yet been expressed.
I write technical content as I see it in my mind. Once I understanda concept by writing about it, I can understand the chronologyand I can put the steps in order very easily. I just cannot see thatorder until I have written down the content. Fortunately, thatmethod enables me to discover missing steps too.
I really hate to have people view my unfinished work. It simplymakes no sense to anyone except me. It must be difficult forsome people to see how the disorganized mess on the page canbecome a precise and concise usable document. Nevertheless,magically, it always does.
Invisible disabilities at work - APD
Expectationsand perceptions Would you expect an individualwith severe animal allergies tospend hours a small room withseveral dogs and cats?
Would you ask a nearly blindfriend to remove her glasses andread the fine print on a bottle ofaspirin?
Would you expect a short-staturedco-worker to reach for an item ona very high shelf?
Would you argue with a fair-skinned friend who tells you thatshe must stay out of the sun?
Would you expect a co-worker toget out of his wheelchair and climbthree flights of stairs?
Would you pressure yourrecovering alcoholic friend to havea cocktail?
Then, why would you take yourAPD friend to a noisy restaurant tohave a long serious conversation?
by Nina Robertson ©
PAGE 14
ADULTS' VOICE
Grade 12 Math and APD
APDUK Chats and ForumsAll APDUK chats are held here. http://client.sigmachat.com/sc.pl?id=46104 Participants need to register with Aly [email protected] to accessour private chat rooms. Transcripts are available but only tothose that attend the chats in order to maintain confidentiality.
2007 Chat Diary 2007 chats are yet to be arranged -please see our forums for details.
APDUK Forums All are welcome to join these forums.
APDUK forumhttp://groups.msn.com/AuditoryProcessingDisorderintheUK/For everyone with an interest in APD.
OldAPDds forum http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/OldAPDs/For adults with APD or suspected APD.
APDUK message board style forum http://apduk.org/OpenForum/
Please register for the open forum first, then you will be able toapply to join the board for parents and the adults boards withaccess to our research topics. There will soon be a messageboard moderated and run by professionals for professionals.The members’ forum is only open to registered members of thevoluntary organisation APDUK.
I have had APD since early childhood, Iam now 52.
I was called a day dreamer. I oftenmisunderstood what teachers, friendsand family said. I had a terrible timeexplaining myself.
Grade 10 EnglishI prided myself that I had a very goodmemory. I got up to give my speech inclass. If it wasn't for the kindest Englishteacher, I would still be standing there. Icould not speak, and I was frozen to thespot. As this speech was a major mark formy English, and because I wasn't able togive it, she asked that I do anotherwritten project or fail English. UltimatelyI did pass English, and as a result of doingthe extra project, I didn't have to writethe English exam.
Grade 12 MathMath came easy to me. I didn'tunderstand a math question. I asked theteacher to give me another question notfrom the text, as I didn't understand it.Well she took the question from the text,and in her own words tried to explain itto me. Like Duh, I had just told her Ididn't understand the question, to giveme another question. Me with APD, I justdrew a total blank. When I finallyrealized I was getting nowhere fast, I justblurted out "What kind of teacher are
you when you can't teach Math". Herreply was "You get to write the Mathexam". I never had to write a final mathexam before. That was the first year I did.As I had already passed my Math, Ianswered one question and left.
Grade 13 MathOh was I being punished. Here the veryteacher who couldn't teach Math wassupposedly going to try and teach megrade 13 Math. This year I learned howto teach myself, and not depend on whatI was hearing. It did not make sensewhat the teachers were saying at the bestof times. The teacher came to me at theend of the year, and advised me I wouldnot have to write Math, because I haddone so well in the course that year. Ifonly she knew how it was accomplished.
Throughout my lifeThroughout the years I learnt tocompensate for not understanding whatwas being said. I learnt to lip read, watchbody language, and used good commonsense. I was an avid reader. I felt themore I read, the better my spelling wouldbe. It has only improved because of goodspelling checkers.
The negative thing I did was to closemyself off from the outside world. Iavoided using the phone. I lost many jobsbecause I refused to use the phone, andbecause of other APD relatedcommunication problems. This past year,
because I couldn't communicate mythoughts properly, I wrote them down,and asked my GP to address them.Because I also have problems writing mythoughts down, I sometimes use thewrong words. She took this as a negativething toward her, and let me go. I wasmajorly stressed. This also made thingseven worse when I tried to tell her thatthis was not about her, but only about myneed for answers in regard to my health.Many months I was without a GP.
I have other learning disabilityproblems. I am mildly dyslexic, and havea problem with Hyperacusis. Both ofthese problems just seem to add to myproblems of APD and my understandingof what people are saying. It hinders myability to write back, or my use of thespoken word, to communicate myunderstanding of what was said.
At times it causes me much moredepression, and the need to be less social.As I am also claustrophobic, closingmyself away from the public also causesme to have other psychological problems.
APD has been a challenge. I am backon my feet after the fiasco with my ex-GP.I finally have a GP who is willing to let mewrite down what I need to be addressed,for when I visit with him. I think I amgoing to like him.
By Gerri ©
Gerri is an OldAPDs forummember in Canada
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INFORMATION
PAGE 16
The Mislabeled Child: HowUnderstanding Your Child'sUnique Learning Style CanOpen the Door to Success by Drs Brock Eide, Fernette Eide
PRODUCT DETAILS:• Hardcover: 528 pages • Publisher: Hyperion; 1st
edition (August 1, 2006) • Language: English • ISBN: 1401302254
SYNOPSIS Focusing on how a child learnsto help them unlock theirpotential and how learningdifficulties can lead tobehavioural issues, this bookemphasises the importance ofobtaining an accuratediagnosis for each child. It waswritten by husband and wifeDrs Brock and Fernette Eide,physicians who specialize intreating children with learningchallenges. It includesinformation on a range oflearning disabilities fromADHD to dyslexia anddysgraphia. Suitable forparents, teachers andprofessionals. There is also an associatedforum, set up by the authors.http://mislabeledchild.com/phpBB/
An Introduction to AuditoryProcessing Disorders inChildren (Paperback) by Teralandur K. Parthasarathy(Editor)
PRODUCT DETAILS:• Paperback: 312 pages • Publisher: Lawrence Erlbaum
Associates, Inc. (October 5,2005)
• Language: English • ISBN: 0805853936
SYNOPSIS This one is more forprofessionals….
Auditory processing in children(APD) comprises an increasinglyimportant clinical area withinthe broad field ofcommunication disorders. Thisnew textbook presents themajor advances in theassessment and managementof APD. The chapter authors,highly regarded clinicians andresearchers from diverseprofessional groups, contributean impressive breadth ofknowledge to explain anddemystify APD. This text will beuseful to students of speechlanguage pathology andaudiology, as well asprofessionals in those fields.
How Well Does Your Child'sIEP Measure Up?: QualityIndicators for EffectiveService Delivery (Paperback) by Diane Twachtman-Cullen,Jennifer Twachtman-Reilly,Jennifer Twachtman-Cullen
PRODUCT DETAILS:• Paperback: 250 pages • Publisher: Jessica Kingsley
Publishers (19 Mar 2003) • Language English • ISBN: 0966652924
SYNOPSIS A step-by-step guide to helpparents and professionalsworking with children on theASD spectrum obtain or writean individualized educationplan (IEP). The individualchapters set out the "blueprint"detailing the crucial buildingblocks for IEP development.Part I arms the reader with thespecific information needed togenerate the types ofmeaningful goals and objectivesthat lead to effective servicedelivery. Part II presents severalmodels so that parents andprofessionals can see how thevarious elements can deliver anappropriate individualizededucation programme. Teach Your Own: The John
Holt Book of HomeSchooling (Paperback) by John Holt, Pat Farenga
PRODUCT DETAILS:• Paperback: 352 pages • Publisher: Perseus Books
(April 2003) • Language English • ISBN: 0738206946
SYNOPSIS Today more than one and a halfmillion children are being taughtat home by their own parents. Inthis expanded edition of thebook that helped launch thewhole movement, Pat Farengahas distilled John Holt's timelessunderstanding of the wayschildren come to understand theworld and added up-to-the-moment practical advice. Ratherthan proposing that parents turntheir homes into miniatureschools, Holt and Farengademonstrate how ordinaryparents can help children grow associal, active learners. Chapterson living with children, "seriousplay", children and work, andlearning difficulties should be ofinterest to all parents, whetherhome schooling or not, as well asto teachers. This new edition issupplemented with financial andlegal advice as well as a guide toco-operating with schools andfacing the common objections tohome schooling.
This is a collection of books recommended by APDUK and OldAPDs members and a selectionfrom the APDUK website books section.
Order your Christmas books, CDs DVDs etc. via Amazon (UK or US) through the APDUK websiteand APDUK will receive a small donation towards our funds and it will cost you no more.
http://www.books.apduk.org/
Log onto www.books.apduk.org for more books on APD issuesand related invisible disabilities
Recommended books
PAGE 17
INFORMATION
Mapping the Mind (Paperback) by Rita Carter
PRODUCT DETAILS:• Paperback: 384 pages • Publisher: Phoenix Press (1 Jun 2000)
• Language English • ISBN: 0753810190
SYNOPSIS Rita Carter is an award-winningmedical writer. In Mapping theMind she explores the landscape ofthe brain and its connections withthe mind. Carter introduces thesubject with the historicalbackground of anatomicaldiscoveries and emerging theoriesof brain/mind connections. In thisfascinating and well-illustratedbook, Rita Carter shows just howfar we have travelled in ourunderstanding since the mid-19thcentury world of Dr Harlow andgives a sense of how far we stillhave to travel.
Learning Disabilities Sourcebook(Health Reference) (Hardcover) by Ross, Linda M. Shin (Editor),Linda M. Ross (Editor)
PRODUCT DETAILS:• Hardcover: 600 pages • Publisher: Omnigraphics (May 1998)
• Language English • ISBN: 0780802101
SYNOPSIS Basic Information About DisordersSuch As Dyslexia, Visual andAuditory Processing Deficits,Attention Deficit/HyperactivityDisorder, and Autism. Includes aspecial section for adults withlearning disabilities.
A new twist on an old favourite - by Tracey
Here we have the 12 Days of Christmas as heardwhilst listening to Rebecca play a computergame full of neighing and galloping horses, theT.V. showing Planet of the Apes, the dishwasherand the air conditioner, the frogs (I swear wehave a colony or ten in the front yard alone)and 2 boys yelling at each other over the small-est thing!!!
On the dealt cray of Swiftness, Fry mule dove went to me Twelve plumbers humming, Eleven snipers swiping, Ten swords are sleeping, Nine crazy flayings, Eight spades a tilting, Seven gongs gone dinging, Six police a swaying, Five old green tins, Four falling nerds Three hench men, Two curdled gloves, And a harped plane hid a daintree!
Christmas Greetingsto all our readers!
May you have a
Safe and PeacefulFestive Seasonand a Happy
New Year
From: All at APDUK
On the dealt cray ofSwiftness
Have an APD ChristmasGrab yourself the ideal last minute Christmas gift at ouronline shop: www.spreadshirt.net/shop.php?sid=121954 A fantastic collection of APDUK merchandise is availableand with each purchase APDUK receive a smallcommission for our funds.
Christmas gifts of books, CDs DVDs, games etc. can alsobe purchased via Amazon (|UK and US) through ourwebsite, at no extra cost to you but also provides APDUKwith a modest commission www.books.apduk.org
Thank you for your support!
PAGE 18
Membership Application Form
I AM/WE ARE APPLYING FOR (please tick) Individual Membership £5.00
Family Membership £7.50
Concessionary Membership £2.00
Professional Membership £10.00
Auditory Processing Disorder in the United Kingdom
Name ....................................................................................
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TYPES OF APDUK MEMBERSHIP
Individual Membership Annual Membership for anyone with aninterest in Auditory Processing Disorder.Parents, relatives, friends, of sufferers oreven the individual sufferers themselves.
Family MembershipAnnual membership for families who have aninterest in Auditory Processing Disorder. Thisis a Single Annual payment for all the namedmembers of a family unit.
Concessionary MembershipAnnual Concessionary Membership is forsomeone interested in Auditory ProcessingDisorder and is in full time education,unwaged / low waged or over 60.
Professional MembershipAnnual Membership for the manyprofessionals groups whose work will involvethem with those who suffer from APD andthe related disabilities.
I am interested in APD for one or more of thefollowing reasons(Please tick the relevant box(es) which apply to you)
I think I may have APD
A young member(s) of my family may have APD
An adult member(s) of my family may have APD
I have a professional interest regarding APD
I am interested in issues relating to APD and the
Education System
I am interested in issues relating to APD and Employment
I am interested in Support for Families coping with APD
Please tick the nature of your interest
Audiologist Speech & Language
Paediatrician SENCo
Educational Psychologist Parent Partnership
Special Educational Needs Occupational Therapist
Other
Please send the completed formtogether with a cheque made
payable to APDUK to:Mr. Mark Mitchell,
Membership Secretary APDUKc/o Dacorum CVS, 48, High Street,
Hemel Hempstead, Herts HP1 3AF
For those who need more than words...www.apduk.org
• Do you have problems understanding what you hear, even if youhave been told that your hearing is good?
• Do background noise and/or crowds make this worse?
• Do people think you don’t listen to them?
• Do you have reading/spelling problems?
• Do you have problems following spoken instructions?
(These difficulties might not all be present.)
Mark Mitchell - Hon Secretary
APDUK, c/o Dacorum CVS, 48, High Street, Hemel Hempstead, Herts HP1 3AF
Please pick up a leaflet, if available, or contact us for more information
Websites: www.apduk.org and www.lacewingmultimedia.com/APD.htm
Alyson Mountjoy - Chair07815 995491 [email protected]
Graeme Wadlow - Vice Chair01442 214555 [email protected]
APDUK www.apduk.org © 2006
If so, you might have Auditory Processing Disorder/APD
Have you heard aboutAUDITORY PROCESSING DISORDER/APD?
Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) is not a problem with hearing, butwith the way sound is processed by the brain. This can be diagnosedby trained specialists but will not show up on normal hearing tests.
Those with APD can appear unable to hear but may have perfecthearing, although it can also co-exist with hearing loss. APD can existalone or with any other learning difficulties or disabilities. It is a majorcause of dyslexia. APD is for life but coping strategies can help, as can
support at school, at home and at work.
