Ever since I worked with Dr. Cheri Florance, I knew that Meredith's auditory skills were weak, but I mostly thought of it in terms of an overall language processing issue...that pictures were Meredith's first language and words were her second language and as a result, "listening" to people talking would always be difficult for her.
This summer, however, Meredith was officially diagnosed with Auditory Processing Disorder (APD), scoring in the Lower Extreme range of the test. This wasn't a surprise to me given my perspective on Meredith's weak language skills. However, it did cause me to shift my focus slightly and start exploring things from an APD viewpoint. One great resource I have come to find is specialty groups on Facebook, including a few APD groups. These groups are so helpful because you can hear individual stories and get advice from many people dealing with the same issue. It is great to be able to communicate so quickly with people as well.
Through one of these APD Facebook groups, I stumbled across a blog from a teen with APD that was so helpful in understanding things from the point of view of an adolescent with APD. In one post, she presents an insightful "Guide" for parents on how to help their child with APD. She explains that it is very difficult if she is talking to one person and another person (like a pesky brother!) talks over them or if the person she is talking with stops the conversation for a moment to talk to someone else. She said that if her conversation is interrupted, she loses all the auditory information that she was processing.
Immediately, I could relate to what she wrote and understood why Meredith would always get so mad at her younger brother for interrupting a conversation. If she is interrupted, she is more than irritated. She is downright mad at him and will snap at him very quickly. I always thought she overreacts and was selfish that way. But now I understand. I understand that she loses the conversation that she was trying to hold on to so desperately.
Asking Meredith about whether or not this was how she experiences things, she wholeheartedly agreed and explained that a conversation for her is like a "house of cards." It is very delicate and interruptions can cause it to come crashing down. What a great explanation. As a result, we now talk specifically about this in our family and her younger brother is understanding better that his big sister is not just a big ol' meanie or a selfish person. And once again, I have a new layer of understanding that is enhancing our relationship and our family dynamic.
