If you have, I'd be interested to know whether the issue of CAPD is addressed differently in this new edition.) This likely points to something of a 'discipline bias' at play here. Barkley's 2005 revision of ADHD: A handbook for diagnosis and treatment. Russell Barkley dedicates a scant two paragraphs to the issue of CAPD. In his influential 600-page text on the topic of ADHD, Dr. The overlap between these symptoms and ADHD is apparent, and some neuropsychologists have wondered whether in fact CAPD might be a descriptive (rather than diagnostic) term for a subset of the challenges experienced by students with ADHD. Difficulty listening when there is background noise.

difficulty understanding abstract information.

reading, spelling, writing difficulties.

behavior and performance are improved in quieter settings.

easily distracted by loud or sudden noises.

In light of what we already know about ADHD, let's look at some of the symptoms associated with CAPD: There is a lively controversy among clinicians and academics about whether CAPD, as currently conceptualized, can be reliably distinguished from other disorders such as learning disorders and/or ADHD.

The words 'auditory processing' in CAPD suggest that the disorder is specific to this domain of cognitive functioning, and not part of a broader limitation such as a general intellectual limitation.Īnd herein lies the rub, for the purposes of a column about ADHD. Student can 'hear' just fine, but is not able to derive meaning from auditory language at a level which would be predicted based on age or education or intellectual ability. The 'central' in CAPD refers to a cognitive processing disorder which is not related to 'peripheral' auditory problems. Processing that which their ears are hearing? Is CAPD just a descriptive label?įirst let's take a look at the term itself: Central Auditory Processing Disorder.įortunately, this is term in plain English. Now in the case of CAPD, are we dealing with a brain-based problem? If so, is it distinguishable from other, related disorders? And if not, then what do we make of our students and children who present with what certainly appear to be frank limitations If he or she primarily spoke another language at home, for example, or if other problems (ADHD or mental health issues or chaotic school or home environment) prevented age-appropriate reading mastery, we would not likely think of the student as 'dyslexic.' A student with reading problems for other, not brain-based, reasons would not be considered dyslexic in this strict sense. These include difficulty with understanding grapheme-phoneme relationships for example, or challenges with relating that which the eyes see to the sounds that make up the spoken language. In the strictest use of the term dyslexia we would be referring to a student who has a brain-based difficulty with reading. So, we have a sophisticated word for what we may already have known - we have a student who has trouble with words. While there are many descriptive terms used by parents and teachers and clinicians, and while these may be useful, the neuropsychologist is most interested in the ways in which these descriptors 'map onto' known brain-behavior relationships.įor example, the word dyslexia comes from the Greek dys (trouble with, or limitations with) and lex (word). Teaching and parenting considerations for the student with CAPD features will be reviewed.Ī neuropsychologist is interested in brain-based problems with memory, academic achievement, attention, and other cognitive functions. In this article we will consider Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD) and its overlap with ADHD.

Auditory processing disorder or adhd