How our hearing system affects learning – underlying causes of autism and processing disorders

How our hearing system affects learning – underlying causes of autism and processing disorders

Today we are faced with many labels or conditions that influence learning. Many have a partial underlying cause in our hearing system, including autism spectrum disorders, ADD/ADHD, developmental delay, dyslexia, central auditory processing disorder, and auditory processing disorder.

Hypersensitivity to sounds can cause a person to exclude sounds as a defense mechanism and act as if they are deaf. On the other hand, the same sensitivity can cause another to scream and cover their ears. Learning is hindered until these sensitivities are normalized.

Another difficulty arises when there is fluid in the ear. Because the Eustachian tubes are more horizontal in young children, fluid can build up and bacteria can form in this warm, moist environment. The pressure of the fluid can cause pressure and pain – earache. Repeated ear infections in the first two years of life can severely affect hearing development. During an infection, the person hears as if they were underwater and the sounds are inconsistent. This, in turn, can cause receptive hearing problems as well as speech problems. Treating these ear infections without antibiotics or tubes will greatly improve learning.

Difficulty following oral instructions and learning to read with phonics are just two problems reflected in poor auditory sequential processing. When a person has low auditory sequential processing, they cannot remember a set of information long enough to use that information. For example, a person should be able to look up a phone number or be given a phone number long enough to dial the phone. When parents ask their children to complete a short list of tasks and within minutes they forget what they were supposed to do and move on to another activity - often playing - parents often assume this is disobedience. It could be disobedience, but it could also be low auditory sequential processing. When a child says a relatively short word out loud but ends up unable to say the word, it is often due to poor auditory sequential processing. Optimally, the solution to these difficulties is not to compensate for a deficit but to increase auditory sequential processing.

Another important underlying cause for many of these children (and adults) is metabolism - diet/nutrition. Often these children suffer from what is known as “leaky gut syndrome,” which means nutrients are not easily absorbed by the body. There are many options that need to be considered. Elimination diets often remove the offending foods. Other diets solve the problem; some by repairing leaky gut and others by restoring balance between nutrients. Families should look for alternatives and find the one that suits their family.

Neurodevelopers look for the underlying causes of the missing pieces in development and recommend activities and resources for families to guide them toward solutions.

Inspired by Maggie Dail