Introduction
Strategies that improve classroom accommodation are critical for reinforcing positive learning outcomes. This is based on the need to increase advocacy and efforts that nurture an environment that supports the diversity of the students. The learning environment is complex, especially when considering the variation in students’ needs, which act as a barrier to improved outcomes. Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) is a common condition among children that presents a vulnerability over how the student struggles to understand as well as remember information shared verbally. The students have hearing problems, which disadvantage them, unlike other students with no complications. This is seen as an important consideration in which the educators are supposed to analyze the underlying problem while seeking evidence-based solutions that would tailor their needs with solutions. Such is an important development in which Charleston County School District students are aided in overcoming obstacles that hinder them from achieving their full potential in the education path. This notwithstanding, the situation is also challenging for the educator, who struggles to balance the needs of the students. Cultural competence is considered a critical component in which nurturing a diverse learning experience tailored through access and provision of the right resources would be required. This is an objective issue in which instructional content and the curriculum must be designed to offer a supportive learning environment that follows the dictates of inclusivity. Students with APD are associated with challenges deciphering auditory information, thus creating a complex situation in which educators tend to ignore their needs if no accurate assessment of their classroom engagement and academic outcomes is done. Bridging these gaps in the education setting would act as a cushion towards developing a diverse curriculum in which awareness among the parents, society, educators, and students is enhanced to maximize the overall support for APD students.
Project Goals and Objective
- To highlight the importance of addressing Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) in education.
- To emphasize the need for Specialized Support through the emphasis on the necessity for interventionists and services tailored to children with APD.
- To Enhance the learning experience for children with APD in Charleston County schools.
- Acknowledgment: Recognizing the role of the CCSD Department of Exceptional Children in facilitating inclusive education.
Achieving the project goals will require a survey with current SPED/teachers to get their thoughts on what APD looks like from their perspective and how we might get this recognized in a formal school setting. The analysis of the data collected will be supported by the identified literature, which will be critical in adding a scholarly voice to the suggested recommendations. The study will take three months, whereby the first month will include data collection and analysis, the second month will involve implementation, and the last month will involve the assessment of the outcomes of the plan.
Literature Review
Alanazi (2023) defines APD as a condition presented as hearing difficulties, with the individual processing hearing thresholds at the required normal limit. The issue manifests itself through the challenges of hearing background noise and poor understanding of rapid speech, while it is also challenging to follow complex instructions shared verbally (Luís et al., 2022). The condition has clinical significance in that its presence is associated with other diseases such as Alzheimer’s, dyslexia, aphasia, and ADHD, with recommendations made to ensure that misdiagnosis is not done, thus assuming the effects of the disease on the patient. The findings by Ismen & Emanuel (2023) supports this assumption given that APD, as echoed through a scholarly voice, has presented a unique representation in which the patient is seen to struggle with hearing other, and the condition is easy to ignore (Ismen & Emanuel, 2023). This element has a significant implication in the education sector, whereby students suffering from the condition may find it challenging to express their concern about the prevalence of the condition (Wilson, 2018). As a result, it becomes challenging to enforce the right instructional strategies without identifying the need to address the condition. Such students may feel disadvantaged in a normal classroom setting without the outcomes evident through the academic achievement gaps (Agrawal et al., 2021). As a result, it becomes imperative for educators to assess a student’s behavior while seeking to understand how it influences their learning patterns (Moore, 2018). Through this intervention, it becomes easy to identify a common ground upon which solutions may manifest by adopting culturally competent interventions aligned with individual needs (Ismen & Emanuel, 2023).
The prevalence of APD is supported by the diverse literature in which the condition is diagnosed among children and adults as well (Alanazi, 2023). However, there is a gap in defining the causative factor, an important point of research to help define evidence-based interventions centered around effective treatment (Wilson, 2018). Also, a shared concern is experienced in various work settings as well as among the parents, whereby identification of children with APD has become a challenge (Agrawal et al., 2021). This provides a rationale for creating awareness of the signs and symptoms, risks, and control factors that would significantly influence improved decision-making in providing quality care (Luís et al., 2022). Also, challenges in accessing support and diagnostic tools have emerged as another problem that has widened the disparity in this condition. The suggestions made in the pilot study performed by Agrawal et al. (2021) include adopting accommodative practices that help eliminate the possibility of bias. This is critical for enhancing the sense of belonging, whereas the commitment to nurturing a supportive environment is evident (Moore, 2018). Also, public awareness of APD is seen as another opportunity in which the members of the community would identify persons with such disability and feel motivated towards accommodating their behavior and supporting them despite the challenges (Samara et al., 2023). Research and development are also key recommendations, especially on diagnosis, interventions, and commodities, which would be critical in setting a foundation for problem identification and investigation of possible solutions (Wilson, 2018). This ought to be seen as an important in which APD students are supported by tailoring the instructional practices with identified evidence-based interventions (Luís et al., 2022).
Also, the educators will have the right knowledge to address this gap. The use of specialized educators in the assessment of the problem and design of the education curriculum would be seen as a critical intervention in which inclusivity is prioritized (Luís et al., 2022). the outcome of such actions is supported through continuous content development and training among educators (Moore, 2018). This is an important intervention whose primary goal is to meet the required threshold defined through the education standards that articulate the advocacy for students with special needs (Ismen & Emanuel, 2023). Challenges to the conceptualization of the disease are a major setback that promotes delays in seeking the right resources to support an environment that accommodates the diverse needs of patients with APD. This challenge is similar in the education sector, whereby the conceptualization of APD among educators is based on the awareness of the problem. As a result, low literacy would contribute to a discrepancy in which the students feel alienated within the classroom setting, thus affecting their morale and motivation for learning. Thus, making adjustments is the most influential action plan that would aid in designing a resourceful approach that considers the need for an inclusive learning environment.
Luís et al. (2022) reinforce the need to establish programs tailored to address the needs of APD students. This includes enforcement of APD content-related foundations in which the curriculum design must consider precision in articulating the goals and objectives and the appropriate instructional strategies. The materials, verbal stimulus equipment, discussions, activities, and procedures would be crucial for developing the right protocols to ensure the maximum utility of the resources to support a supportive learning environment (Luís et al., 2022). On this note, we appreciate the need to enforce instructional practices to support a learning environment where understanding and hearing verbal instructions is problematic (Samara et al., 2023). validation of the content is the most significant intervention in which educators need to appreciate the role of collaboration in realizing improved outcomes. Screening and evaluating the problem should be a priority in which the students’ needs are supported using evidence-based interventions.
A speech-language pathologist is necessary to support this goal to ensure that the correct assessment and the recommended practices are tied to supporting positive learning outcomes (Geffner & Ross-Swain, 2018). The aim is to support the need for increased research interest in this study area, whereby the diverse needs of patients with APD are assessed (Samara et al., 2023). These interventions are appraised to have a critical impact on improving auditory modification knowledge to ensure that the children are supported to have positive social and academic interaction (Guzek & Iwanicka-Pronicka, 2022). This helps improve collaboration among the persons surrounding the children while ensuring each party has the right knowledge to address the changing needs of the children with APD.
Anticipated Outcomes
Based on the review of the available literature, awareness levels of APD among parents, society, and educators are expected to increase. This is based on providing a low-awareness program on the issue of education. The need for collaboration will also emerge as a major interest in supporting APD in the Charleston County School District. The key barriers to the success of such a program are expected to stem from Parental Struggles, lack of access to 504 Plans, low Advocacy, lack of awareness of Legal Rights, and few Personal Stories on APD struggles. These are major challenges that would be expected in the realization of an inclusive environment where the needs of the students are met optimally. Alignment of instructional practices with the desired outcome is expected to be a major concern, especially due to the lack of resources to support the identified individuals. However, a challenge in identification of persons with APD may be a problem especially due to low diagnosis rates and advocacy in the community. This might escalate into more issues, especially concerning promoting a holistic approach to address the needs of APD students.
References
Agrawal, D., Dritsakis, G., Mahon, M., Mountjoy, A., & Bamiou, D. E. (2021). Experiences of patients with auditory processing disorder getting support in health, education, and work settings: Findings from an online survey. Frontiers in neurology, p. 12, 607907. https://doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2021.607907
Alanazi, A. A. (2023). Understanding Auditory Processing Disorder: A Narrative Review. Saudi Journal of Medicine & Medical Sciences, 11(4), 275-282. https://doi.org/10.4103/sjmms.sjmms_218_23
Geffner, D., & Ross-Swain, D. (Eds.). (2018). Auditory processing disorders: assessment, management, and treatment. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=Bv1qDwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PR9&dq=Auditory+Processing+Disorders:+Assessment,+Management,+and+Treatment+edited+by+Donna+Geffner,+Deborah+Ross-Swain&ots=FMztcSeO2N&sig=ULBx8kJPCcKj6slhxMmZdJqTPCQ
Guzek, A., & Iwanicka-Pronicka, K. (2022). Analysis of the auditory processing skills in 1,012 children aged 6–9 confirms the adequacy of APD testing in 6-year-olds. Plos one, 17(8), e0272723. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0272723
Ismen, K., & Emanuel, D. C. (2023). Auditory Processing Disorder: Protocols and Controversy. American Journal of Audiology, 32(3), 614-639. https://doi.org/10.1044/2023_aja-23-00035
Liu, P., Zhu, H., Chen, M., Hong, Q., & Chi, X. (2021). Electrophysiological screening for children with suspected auditory processing disorder: a systematic review. Frontiers in Neurology, 12, 692840. https://doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2021.692840
Luís, C., Abrantes, A., Oliveira, C., Alves, M., & Martins, J. H. (2022, October). Auditory Processing Intervention Program for school-aged children–development and content validation. In CoDAS (Vol. 35). Sociedade Brasileira de Fonoaudiologia. https://doi.org/10.1590/2317-1782/20212021146pt
Moore, D. R. (2018). Auditory processing disorder (APD). Ear and Hearing, 39(4), 617. https://doi.org/10.1097/AUD.0000000000000582
Samara, M., Thai-Van, H., Ptok, M., Glarou, E., Veuillet, E., Miller, S., … & Iliadou, V. M. (2023). A systematic review and metanalysis of questionnaires used for auditory processing screening and evaluation. Frontiers in Neurology, 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2023.1243170
Wilson, W. J. (2018). Evolving the concept of APD. International journal of audiology, 57(4), 240–248. https://doi.org/10.1080/14992027.2017.1409438
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