Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD)

In laymans terms Central Auditory Processing (CAP) refers to how well our brains understand what our ears pick up.
Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD) can affect a person’s language, listening and learning, and it has similar symptoms to someone with peripheral hearing loss. CAP assessments are site of lesion tests that can help identify if there is a particular auditory deficit or disorder occuring somewhere in the central auditory system from the cochlear nuclei in the brainstem through to the brain cortex. Different people can have different CAPD profiles or deficits, and will require different interventions.

The test battery examines the array of auditory skills and integrity of the system from brainstem through the cortex. The test battery tasks in general examine how efficiently the auditory system operates by “overloading” or “overworking” it. They go beyond standards tests of hearing to examine how well the auditory system uses or interprets the information that the ear sends it. After passing a hearing test the Audiologist will then administer controlled tests sensitive to dysfunction in the central auditory pathways under headphones. Diagnosis also involves input from a variety of disciplines including audiology , speech-language pathology, neuropsychology, occupational therapy, physical therapy, education and other related professions. The results are analysed against age normative data tables and they are used to develop effective deficit-specific intervention plans designed to reduce/resolve the deficit and minimised the disorder’s affect on the person’s life.

There remains on-going debate regarding the youngest age for which CAP testing is appropriate.
Neurodevelopmentally, the central auditory abilities of binaural interaction, auditory discrimination, auditory pattern recognition, dichotic listening and interhemispheric integration are present and measurable by 6 years of age (occasionally even younger). Reliable diagnostic testing can be accomplished beginning at age 6 as there are versions of most central auditory tests with vocabulary and normative data available for children 6yrs and older. For children aged 4-6yrs, an assessment including formal tests and informal screening indices examine the precursors of auditory processing.

It is our firm desire to offer Central Auditory Processing Disorder assessments in the Bundaberg and Wide Bay region. Currently the nearest clinic for CAPD testing is in Rockhampton or the Sunshine Coast.
Early indications are the first half of 2024.

• Living well with hearing loss
• Hearing Aids
• Tinnitus and Sound
• Intolerance
• Independent Audiologist
• Bone & Cochlear Implants
• Noise in the Workplace
• Funding and support