APD in First Graders. Which tests discriminate between normal and impaired children?

Abstract

In a controlled group comparison it was shown for 2nd, 3th and 4th graders that children with auditory processing disorders (APD) could be distinguished from those without (Non-APD) by three to four diagnostic tools. The hit rate was 93.6 % resp. 97.5 % 1, 2. The current study investigated whether such a separation is also possible in first graders. Performance of 77 first graders in two clinically and diagnostically confirmed groups (n = 40 with APD, mean age: 6.93, SD 0.53 yrs; n = 37 Non APD, mean age: 6.90, SD 0.52 yrs) in 8 auditory processing tests of an eclectic test battery were compared (Dichotic Words Test; Phoneme Discrimination and Phoneme Identification; Word-Understanding in Background Noise; Binaural Summation Word Test; Sound Blending; Auditory Sequential Memory of Digits; Nonword Repetition). A differentiation of each clinical group with a multivariate statistical tool (discriminant analysis) functioned successfully. Children with APD were significantly distinguished from unimpaired children with an accuracy of 94.8 % (cross-validated in 92.2 %) via four test variables: (1) Auditory Sequential Memory of digits; (2) Phoneme Discrimination; (3) Nonword Repetition; (4) Word Understanding in Background Noise. The quality of the diagnostic a-priori-grouping using a multivariate statistics (discriminant analysis) could be confirmed for first graders too.