Screening for Auditory Processing Disorder in French-Speaking School-Age Children: A Pilot Study

Abstract

A few clinical screening tools for auditory processing disorder (APD) are currently available. However, most of these tools are in English and cannot be used to screen individuals with a first language other than English. This study aimed to develop an APD screening test battery in French and to assess its psychometric properties in detecting school-age children at risk of APD. Prior to their complete audiological APD assessment, 53 children (7-12 years old) were recruited from an audiology clinic. The APD assessment lasted between 2 and 3 hr, including 15-20 min for the screening test battery. The screening test battery was composed of four behavioral subtests and two questionnaires (parent and teacher). When combined, two among the four behavioral subtests showed a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 80%. The newly developed screening tool could help reduce the number of unnecessary APD assessments, therefore allowing early diagnosis in children with APD and increasing their chances of receiving adequate intervention.