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NeuroDevelopmental Tip: Low Auditory Processing

NeuroDevelopmental Tip 2: Low Auditory Processing

A mother knows when something is not quite right.  My daughter, Mercy, was eleven, bright, in the fifth grade and making good grades in school but her behavior was a concern for us.  We have five children and Mercy was the drama queen getting lots of attention.  However, it was inappropriate.  Have you ever asked your child in frustration, “Why can’t you act your age?”  On the playground she could not get along with other children because they did not always want to play her way!  Sitting still and focusing on a task were challenging for Mercy.  She could never follow a conversation at our dinner table without constantly interrupting.  We could not get her to follow simple directions.  Phonics was impossible.  Schoolwork took FOREVER!  Because of low auditory processing, Mercy was developmentally more like a four year old.

Is there anyone at your house who acts younger than what you expect?  Behavior is greatly influenced by one’s auditory function.  For example, if you have a 12 year old child that processes information at 4-5 level, he is developmentally more like a 4-5 year old.  He will be socially immature, interacting better with younger children and interrupting conversations so he won’t forget what he wants to say.  He will be unable to follow multi-step directions such as, “Go upstairs, change your clothes, and bring your jacket down with you when you come”. You, the parent, are soon angrily stomping up the stairs to confront an otherwise compliant child who did go upstairs, did change his clothes and then promptly forgot what else he was supposed to do.  He simply couldn’t hold all the auditory instructions together long enough to accomplish the task.  Another prominent symptom of a child with auditory dysfunction is the inability to accomplish age appropriate responsibilities (i.e. having to be reminded every day for years to take out the trash, brush his teeth or feed the dog).   Having to be redirected in order to stay on task is also a common symptom of low auditory processing.

 ND (NeuroDevelopmental) Tip of the Day:  To get yourself better informed, please go to the articles section on our website at www.littlegiantsteps.com.  There you will find out more about auditory processing and many more brain enhancing activities to make life and learning easier.   Also, look on the side bar for a FREE Auditory Processing Test Kits. You can find your child’s current processing level and simple but profound activities to improve this important skill.  You can make a significant difference in your child’s life by taking some very simple steps.  

When we found out why Mercy acted like a four year old in so many situations, we took some simple steps to help her.  We learned more about auditory processing and some simple games we could play.  In four months Mercy increased her auditory processing ability by two years!  We realized and celebrated these amazing two years of global maturity the day she could finally stay home alone without freaking out.  Mercy continued to make progress and overcame these early challenges by making all “A’s” in high school, becoming assistant manager for Subway as a teen, getting married and now parenting her own little girl.

Auditory processing is only one area for brain development.  Look for more ND Tips in the near future.