Presenter: David DeBonis, PhD

CEUs: .15

Who Should Attend: Professionals Interested in CAPD and Listening Difficulties in Children

Instructional Level: Intermediate

Program Focus: Knowledge

Leaner Outcomes: Upon completion, each participant in the eAudiology Web seminar will be able to:

1. List the major concerns in the literature regarding the influence of non-auditory factors on performance on tests of auditory processing.
2. Identify the barriers that exist when attempting to obtain comprehensive language and cognitive assessments for school age children with listening difficulties and how these barriers could result in misdiagnosis.
3. Discuss the lack of literature support for the role of auditory processing (as measured by current behavioral tests) in the development of language, reading and listening.
4. Explain a new assessment protocol for school age children focusing on overall listening and an understanding of how this protocol differs from the traditional CAPD assessment approach.

Description: The purpose of this eAudiology Web seminar is to review the literature that pertains to ongoing concerns regarding behavioral testing of central auditory processing among school-aged children and to propose that the degree of uncertainty surrounding CAPD warrants a change in current test protocols. The presentation describes the literature support that a) current testing of CAPD is highly influenced by non-auditory factors (e.g., memory, attention, language, executive function; b) the lack of agreement regarding the performance criteria for diagnosis and lack of normative and validity data threaten the validity of the construct,c) the contribution of auditory processing abilities to language, reading, academic and listening abilities, as assessed by current measures, has not been demonstrated; and d) the effectiveness of auditory interventions for improving communication abilities has not been established. The presentation will make recommendations for a new protocol that redirects focus to assessing overall listening abilities and intervention that is contextualized and functional.