Each child learns at his own pace, but some have more difficulty than others comprehending what they are reading. Sometimes even with tutoring and support a student doesn’t seem to be able to master the
basic skills of reading, comprehension and spelling. The issue often isn’t that the child is unwilling to learn, it is because the wrong approach is being used to try to help. This is often the case with those who have been diagnosed with auditory processing disorders. This is why Sound Reading Solutions was created and has seen monumental success in helping children learn the reading and comprehension skills for academic success.
What is APD?
According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association website, an auditory processing disorder (APD) effects the way the central nervous system processes auditory information. APD is often confused with attention, memory or higher order cognitive language disorders such as ADHD or Autism. Children who have APD may have difficulty following directions, reading, or distinguishing one voice in a crowd or oral lectures. Parents of children with APD may think that they suffer from hearing loss because the child asks people to repeat what they say. Teachers will often say that the children appear to hear, but not listen to what is being said and confuses similar words like “ten” and “then”.
Four Types of APD
The National Center for Learning Disabilities differentiates APD into four separate categories: Auditory Discrimination, Auditory Figure-Ground Discrimination, Auditory Memory Discrimination, and Auditory Sequence Discrimination.
Auditory Discrimination
The common symptoms of someone who suffers from auditory discrimination are:
- Issues telling apart words with similar sounds
- Trouble remembering details
- Struggles with reading skills
- Hears what you are say but doesn’t seem to listen
Auditory Figure-Ground Discrimination
You can identify people with auditory figure-ground discrimination because they:
- Have difficulty picking out individual sounds in a noisy background
- Doesn’t seem to be able to follow verbal directions
- Issues hearing and understanding when the teacher speaks in the classroom
Auditory Memory
Auditory memory discrimination affects both short and long-term memory, including:
- Directions that contain multiple steps
- Remembering names and phone numbers
- Can recall stories or songs
Auditory Sequencing
Auditory sequencing relates to the order of words, such as:
- Can’t remember the order of a series of instructions
- Mixes up multi-digit numbers
- Has issues with lists
Treatment for Auditory Processing Discrimination
Subjects such as reading rely on the student’s ability to listen and interpret sounds. Research in this area centers around helping children develop the skills necessary to comprehend 
speech. With training and practice, the skill can be learned and children can go on to be exceptional students and lifelong learners. Games and activities that address these issues have proven to be successful in students, especially in the area of early reading support for children in grades K-3. Sound Reading Solutions reading software uses this concept to help your child master basic reading skills within a few months.
Reading Software for Auditory Processing Disorders
The Sound Reading solutions reading software program helps individuals decode and identify important words using print-to-speech literacy. This is the same process natural readers use, but children who have APD are unable to utilize this system on their own. By teaching auditory processing first, students are able to practice the skills necessary to match sound to letters as the foundation for reading and comprehension. The reading software uses proprietary research to improve accuracy, automaticity and comprehension by:
- Increasing phonemic awareness
- The ability to hear and process sounds
- Interpret written words as spoken words
- Decoding unfamiliar words
- Match sounds of letters to words
The Sound Reading Solutions reading software has seen success with children of all ages and reading levels. Even students who have tried phonics-based programs in the past without success have shown significant progress with our program. We have done years of research and field-testing to hone our method into an easy to use and comprehensive program. Our Clear Code Method and Flash Fluency methods will be able to help your struggling reader to improve her skills in as little as 20 minutes a day. Take advantage of our free reading assessment and contact us to learn how we can help your child become the student you know they can be.