I don't know with certainty that one has a dominant ear - but I know we have a dominant eye - so it stands to reason our ears would work in a similar fashion. Taking the behaviors you describe, the dysgraphia and other speech and language issues together, it seems that CAPD is a possibility.
Here are a couple of resources you may find helpful:
"When the Brain Can't Hear"
http://www.amazon.com/When-Brain-Cant-Hear-Unraveling/dp/0743428641http://ocslha.com/Ferre.htmhttp://www.fldoe.org/ese/pdf/y2001-9.pdfHope this helps!
My son has CAPD. I don't know if this is symptomatic of CAPD per se, but my son DOES have a dominant ear. And a dominant eye, together with a dominant side of body for movement except for handwriting. It's his left. The therapist, and I might add that she's not trained in audiology, is confounded.
With headphones on, his response time for his right ear is nearly 2x that of his left ear. The left ear response time is slower than the norm. The other thing is, no matter which side sound is introduced through the headphones, he thinks its from the left.
Judging from what your son says about words not making sense unless its through his dominant ear, I'd also say that CAPD is possible. My son often used to say - "I can hear you, but the words just don't register in my brain." Sounds a tad similar.
The links mich posted are very helpful, thanks. Do be aware that the presentation of symptoms can differ quite substantially from what is listed on the web. In our experience, I researched CAPD once when the school teachers mentioned DS' inability to pay attention to instructions in class. But my son's presentation of the listed symptoms was not a strong enough match for me to be fully convinced. I did bring him to the local hospital for a CAPD check, and even then, we were turned away by the staff because he didn't fit the bill. So when I think back, I would have focused solely on his ability to make sense of speech. And for that, the answer was a straight no at least 40% of the time.
I would start with your pediatrician. You want to be sure that you choose an audiologist that specializes in CAPD - most do not. In my area, the major children's hospital offers full CAPD evaluations (not screens).
You might also want to check out his language processing. CAPD, dysgraphia and poor spelling are usually related to language processing skills. And again, you want to be sure you get a very experienced speech and language pathologist that specializes in children and understands how receptive and expressive language relate to our educational system, attention issues, CAPD and LD.
Organizations such as the International Dyslexia Association may maintain lists of evaluators.
MON, your son's symptoms are mirror my son's. Seemingly no language issues. In my son's case, good pronunciation even. Yes, sometimes twisted pronunciation because he too picks up a lot from reading so much, but he does correct with the exception of 2 words (you're right in that it's been years on the wrong pronunciation for these 2!). Also, the oversensitivity to sound. He hates sounds that come on loudly, like the flushing of the toilet. School assembly was a torture that left him, in the words of the teacher, dazed. He's picked up the violin and yup, rhythm is non existent. When told to accompany the teacher playing on the piano, he gets completely confused about when to start amd how to continue.
Reading through mich's post, Im now wondering about language processing. School spelling tests were always great because he has a good memory. These days at home, he loves to write up his observations on math and science. His spelling is a disaster! His handwriting has improved tremendously but is still glued together. I'm thinking of putting him on a keyboard sooner rather than later. I'm not correcting because it's so great to see him get used to the idea of putting his thoughts down on paper.
Absolutely, you have to look for CAPD specialized audiologists. Our local hospital was supposed to have one, but even then, they turned him away on the basis of an interview and a *hearing* screen. Well, he has perfect hearing. CAPD had nothing to do with hearing as you would have found out.