|
Just a thought on the recent query about APD or CAPD. Despite a great deal of attention to this topic in the clinical community, it remains rather poorly defined. Assertions that 2 or 5 or 8 per cent of children have "it" are common, but the "it" remains very obscure. Like some other catch-all diagnostic labels, it is said that a child has this problem if some subset of a large set of criteria are met. Poor performance on parts of the SCAN battery are most often included, although that battery has reliability problems. So two cases of "it" may have very little in common. There remains considerable controversy regarding whether it is auditory at all, with data marshalled on either side of that question. Many of the recommended treatments ought to have a positive impact on any under-achieving child, but improved performance as a result of them is sometimes claimed to validate not only the treatment, but the diagnosis and the status of the disorder. Testamonials from from parents and clinicians provide continuing support for this diagnosis and for a variety of such treatments.
A lot of these issues are reviewed in Cacace, A.T., and McFarland, D.J. (Editors), Controversies in Central Auditory Processing Disorder. San Diego: Plural Publishing (2009). I do recommend it, and not merely because we wrote a chapter for it.
Best to all,
Chuck Watson
|