Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Twice Exceptional Updated again: no CAPD

jack'smom--no, not since she was about 3. At that age she did have conductive hearing loss as a result of repeated ear infections. I believe it was 40% in one ear at one point. However, after ear tube placement, she was retested and it was considered resolved. She was not retested after that other than this recent test at the ped's, which I really would consider a spoiled test. (How DD, who raised both hands multiple times--"raise the hand on the side where you hear the sound"--could pass is beyond me.)

OK, well that is considered the first important step. She could have hearing loss, which could be "fixed" by a hearing aid. You should get an audiology exam. She is 8 (I think you said), so she is definitely old enough to get an accurate exam. Don't be so sure the 40% loss resolved- at age 3, you really can't get a good hearing test.
I have mentioned before that my son has a 70 dB loss in his right ear (85 dB is "Helen Keller deaf), and that was completely missed 3 years in a row at the pediatrician's. And I'm a doctor.

Question--DD is functioning extremely well in school (all As last year). Does she have to have a proven impairment to get accommodations, or will a CAPD diagnosis be adequate?


Wow! I don't understand this. How are the tests so inaccurate?

We have always taken the approach that we want to get as much information as possible and then decide what to do. We chose to have an audiology exam and when the hearing loss was found, we got our son (who was 6 then) a hearing aid.
If you have a hearing loss, to me, you would want to know and would want to wear a hearing aid. With time, the "CAPD" would likely go away as your brain is retrained and you get better hearing.
Many parents are ashamed to have their kids wear hearing aids- I don't see why, frankly. My son is doing really, really well in school, and we are grateful he has and can wear a hearing aid.

Oh gosh--I would certainly have her wear the hearing aid if she needed one, at least to school! I can see that she might resist, but it seems like a no-brainer. If she has proven hearing loss, that is one thing. My question is more about the CAPD--if that turns out to be the issue (and there is no physical hearing loss), then I am not sure how the school would respond since she has no academic problems. I guess I need to read up on this stuff.

Legally, the CAPD diagnosis is absolutely enough. In practice, you may get pushback from the school, especially if you're asking for anything expensive. Wrightslaw is a good place to go for all the gory details on this.

I'm Googling...found this:


from http://www.lynchburg.edu/Documents/...20Accurate%20Diagnostic%20Procedures.pdf


from http://www.speechlanguagevoice.com/capd

also:

http://www.ldonline.org/xarbb/topic/5534

I realize I am way ahead of myself here...

Here's a nice blog post specifically on legal treatment of CAPD. Be sure to read the comments, too - there's some good BTDT advice.

Well, she passed the school's hearing test with flying colors, according to her. But "all the sounds were in one ear at a time" and "the nurse said I shoudl get a test from a real doctor." Haven't heard anything official from the school. In the meantime, she is really upset because her teacher keeps getting upset with her because she isn't "hearing" what the teacher says when she is absorbed in seatwork or reading. That is, she doesn't hear instructions to put her book away or stop working or move on to something else. She says she can physically hear her but the words just do not connect and she has to be told again or ask to have them repeated. Her teacher is not happy with her. Her work continues to be excellent, but she perceives that she is seen as a behavior problem and I fear she is right. I suspect the school is going to bark up the ADD tree again. I have an email in to the teacher but I guess it's time to go private now.

My Nephew has CAPD. My sister went through several audiologist that were not experienced enough to truely isolate his problem. I recommended that she go to a university which had a PHD program. They were wonderful. It only cost her less than the private practices for an extensive complete evaluation. Whereas, the private practice was more than double and did not provide good documentation. I referred a friend to the same university. Her son is now in a research program and his follow-ups are completely paid for by the university. The university professors have provided excellent support and advocacy for their child in relation to school issues.