The Sound of Hope: Recognizing, Coping with, and Treating Your Child's Auditory Processing Disorder

by Lois Kam Heymann, Rosie O'Donnell

There is more to listening than just hearing.
 
A miraculous process that begins in the womb, learning to communicate is a vital part of expressing oneself and of understanding and interacting with the world. A child’s ability to listen well affects every aspect of his or her life. But for some 1.5 million children in the United States who have normal hearing and intelligence, communication and language are blocked. Words are jumbled and distorted. These children have a hard time following directions and become frustrated in trying to make themselves understood, which often leads to unruly behavior, poor school performance, social isolation, and low self-esteem.

Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) affects the brain’s ability to accurately process the sounds of speech, which in turn impedes the ability to communicate. Experts are just beginning to unlock the mystery of this confounding condition. As a result, APD is often undiagnosed or misdiagnosed. But hope is here. Now veteran speech-language pathologist Lois Kam Heymann offers the first practical guide to help parents dramatically improve the listening and language skills of their children, whether they have a diagnosed auditory processing disorder, slow language development—or simply need practice listening. Inside this reassuring, action-oriented book you’ll find
 
• easy-to-identify milestones to help parents pinpoint challenges that may arise during each stage of their child’s development from birth to age eight
• the tools and checklists needed to assist parents in recognizing APD early
• tips to distinguish APD from other listening/learning disorders, including ADD, ADHD, LPD, and PDD
• methods to encourage a child’s natural listening abilities through books, stories, nursery rhymes, songs, lullabies, toys, and games
• home techniques to hone a child’s auditory processing—whether he or she has severe APD limitations or just needs to build listening “muscles”
• specific suggestions on how to improve a child’s listening skills outside the home—at school, during after-school activities, even when at a restaurant
• an analysis of traditional classroom settings and effective ways parents can advocate for better sound quality
• guidelines for finding the right professionals to work with your child
 
With hands-on ways for improving a child’s ability to listen to instructions, process information, and follow directions, parents can turn simple activities into powerful listening lessons in only minutes a day. The bottom Learning how to listen in our noisy, complicated world is the key to a happy and engaged child.

Genres: Nonfiction, Disability

256 pages, Hardcover

First published April 17, 2010

Reviews

[K.M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is geared toward children from birth through about age 8 with APD. It's still worth reading if your child is older, but there aren't many interventions that will work with your tween or teenager. Also, I thought it was very naive of the author to lead parents to believe that their school district will be ready, willing, and/or able to work with them to make sure that their child with APD receives a fair and appropriate education and is successful in school. The odds are that the school personnel will not even have HEARD of APD. The burden will be on the parents to advocate for their child.

[Xin Ru Toh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I do not know anyone with Auditory Processing Disorder, I briefly learned about it in university and was curious about how a speech therapist would address it. Unfortunately, I was not very impressed by the suggested therapy ideas as they seemed rather general and obvious, with little research findings provided to suggest why the therapy ideas may be helpful to child with APD in particular. In all honesty, my mother conducted many of the activities with me when I was a child, such as the activities related to shared book reading, although she was never trained in any related field. Nonetheless, this may be a handy one-stop guide for parents and early childhood educators looking to support their children's development. I actually enjoyed the foreword by Rosie O'Donnell more than I enjoyed the book; it would have been interesting to read a book from the perspective of a parent, addressing the challenges of getting a correct diagnosis, implementing the therapy ideas, and working with other stakeholders such as school teachers and peers.

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good information, yet not as useful for the older child.

[Adrian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good info, but only covers parenting for children up to age 7 or 8. Strategies to work with older children would be much appreciated!

[Daniel Demarle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very practical book and guide

[Ida · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author does a decent job describing Auditory Processing Disorder, and the little vignettes added by Rosie O'Donnell are touching. But Heymann fails to deliver on the promise of telling parents what to do about it.

Early on she informs us that APD can't be diagnosed before the age of seven or so. Then the last half of the book covers child development and activities to do with your infant to five-year-old. This is information that can be found in hundreds of child development books already, and is of no added value to a parent who has a child with a diagnosis of APD.

She touches only briefly on what to do in school settings. She mentions the importance of meeting with teachers, but doesn't discuss the Americans with Disabilities Act or the importance of having a 504 plan in place.

Disappointing.

[Tanya · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the information about recognizing auditory processing disorder useful, but the suggestions for treatment were geared towards children under right and not so useful for older kids. I found the tips for adjusting the home environment helpful and I liked the vignettes provided by Rosie O'Donnell as it personalized the application of the principles and reinforced that simple parent adjustments can create a supportive environment for the child that can lead to more positive interactions. Wish there were more specifics about how to work with tr school to implement a 504. Would love to see future editions of this book updated with info on helping older kids who have gone undiagnosed and other unique situations, such as post concussive syndrome and mild traumatic brain injury.

[Adrienne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot praise Lois Heymann’s expertise highly enough. Her approach to learning differences has changed my child’s life. Very few parents learn from their children’s professional resources that THERE ARE SUBTYPES OF AUDITORY PROCESSING DISORDER that can be targeted with specific exercises and therapy. When your child has learning challenges, you are in a passionate search for the lowest point of breakdown. You explore any type of therapy or modality, within your means, to leave no stone unturned in your effort to make his or her journey smoother. For us, this was it. Find someone trained in Lois Heymann’s approach. My family’s experience is that it changed everything — from reading comprehension to social skills.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book with excellent ideas. But for some reason it bothered me that Rosie O'Donnell wrote about her kid in it. I always feel worried about parents publicizing somewhat private info about their kids, what does the kid think of it? But Rosie seems together enough that she may have asked her son for permission. She probably even says that she did somewhere and I glazed over it, I speed read the book looking for information to feed my curiousity about APDs and for my WMEA presentation.

[Diena Riding · Rating 3 out of 5]

The information given in this book is directed towards parents of younger children than my daughter. I still found a few interesting facts and a few ideas. Some of the information was repeated a few times and became a little redundant.

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nonfiction: A good book with facts, sound advice and anecdotes about auditory processing disorder.

[Hannah Crossett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative and thorough about an often misunderstood disability,
I recommend it!