Auditory perceptual problems in children: considerations for the otolaryngologist and audiologist

Five cases of children with auditory processing problems are presented. These children had essentially normal peripheral hearing and ENT exam, but were referred with a question of hearing loss. An auditory perceptual test battery including rapidly alternating speech (RASP), binaural fusion, low pass filtered speech (LPFS), competing sentences, staggered spondiac words (SSW), dichotic digits and frequency patterns was employed. Though some of these tests did not show a perceptual deficit, the majority did depict specific types of auditory processing problems. Based on the information provided by this test battery, appropriate diagnosis and therapy can be provided for the patient.