Creation of Auditory Processing Disorder Screening Tool in French

Creation of Auditory Processing Disorder Screening Tool in French

The objective of the study is to validate a screening tool for auditory processing disorder in children of 7 to 13 years old. This screening tool was created based on literature and combines a questionnaire and a mini-battery of tests composed of verbal and nonverbal assessments.

Hearing plays a vital role in the development of a child. Hearing is based on two main systems: the peripheral system and the central system. Peripheral hearing, which includes the outer, middle, and inner ear and the auditory nerve, can detect sound signals.

For its part, the central system, which is composed of auditory structures from the auditory nerve to the brain, makes it possible to process these sound signals and to analyze them. Peripheral hearing damage will result in deafness while a problem in the central auditory system will be called auditory processing disorder. Peripheral deafness can be detected from birth through neonatal screening for deafness. The symptoms of an auditory processing disorder can easily be confused with those caused by attention deficit disorder with or without hyperactivity and a specific language disorder. Auditory processing disorder is often unknown in the medical and educational worlds, and children are referred late for consultation. In addition, the lack of French screening tests for auditory processing disorder and the long waiting lists for specialized consultations help to delay diagnosis and hinder early intervention. Auditory processing disorder affects about 2 to 3% of school-aged children.

The objective of the study is to validate a screening tool for auditory processing disorder in children of 7 to 13 years old. This screening tool was created based on literature and combines a questionnaire and a mini-battery of tests composed of verbal and nonverbal assessments.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Child aged 7 to 13 on the day of enrollment.
• Child referred for assessment of central auditory skills, who did not have an auditory processing disorder -type assessment before.
• Hearing thresholds at both ears between 0 decibels Hearing Level (dB HL) and 15 dB HL at 250, 500, 1000, 2000, 4000 and 8000 Hz. Absence of auditory neuropathy.
• Child affiliated to a social security scheme.
• Holders of parental authority who do not oppose the patient's participation in research.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Known neurological disorder (epilepsy, cranial trauma, etc.).
• Non medicated attention deficit since the presence of such a deficit can affect the child's performance during the auditory processing disorder assessment.
• Intellectual disability since impairment of cognitive skills may also explain poor test performance (IQ <80).