Audiology

Central Auditory Processing (CAP) Tests & CAP Therapy: Specialised testing for children (seven years and above) and adults

What is CAP?

Central Auditory Processing is best described as our brain’s ability to identify what a sound was, where it came from, and when it happened. It forms an important part of our ability to listen and understand. It is closely linked to our language skills, and attention, memory, and cognition. All parts of listening and understanding need to be addressed when diagnosing and managing CAP, so you might also need to see a speech pathologist and a psychologist.

Who might need a test for CAP?

If you are worried about you or your child’s listening abilities, especially in the classroom, at work or home, a CAP test might be needed. Things you might notice include:

• Generally poor academic skills
• Difficulties with literacy based tasks; that is, reading, writing, and spelling
• Difficulty following complex instructions
• Poor attention or concentration
• Difficulty hearing and understanding conversation in noisy situations
• Difficulty remembering spoken information.

In day-to-day life, this might look like troubles processing verbal information despite having normal hearing in both ears. It is important to remember that listening is a very complicated task, and the ability to listen depends on many different skills.

What to expect from your CAP test? 

• You will be interviewed about any difficulties or concerns you or the teacher/speech pathologist/doctor may have
• A hearing test of tones and speech will be conducted on you or your child to determine hearing sensitivity
• A screening test will be completed to look at short-term auditory memory skills
• A series of specific CAP tests will also be completed to determine overall CAP skills.

If you or your child have an appointment for CAP testing, you can expect to spend up to three hours at the Audiology Clinic. The testing can take some time, so you or your child will be given a break if needed.

Results of the testing are not available on the day. Your audiologist will analyse the test results and a detailed report outlining the results and recommendations will be emailed to you within approximately seven days of your appointment.

Treatment options

The audiologists at the UQ Audiology Clinic are offering an exciting therapy program for children with Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD) as well as other specific listening difficulties. This program targets the specific difficulties your child is having with auditory processing, based on what was found on CAP test results conducted at UQ only. Currently, this program is largely home-based using your computer or iPad. If this is an option for your child, we will talk about it in the CAP assessment report.

A hearing impairment can have an impact on your child’s ability to learn and participate both in the classroom and at home. Kids with a hearing loss might have delayed talking, trouble learning at school, play-up in the classroom, or need extra support at school.

The UQ Audiology team offer a hearing screening program that can be delivered to all school-aged kids. Through this program our goal is to increase awareness of both normal hearing and hearing impairments throughout the school community. This program identifies a child’s basic hearing and middle ear status, and helps us pick-up those children who might have trouble hearing in the classroom.

Find out more about school programs

Get advice about the latest hearing aid technologies and styles including group hearing training options.

Hearing aids aren’t the only solution to your hearing loss. At the UQ Audiology Clinic we offer a range of flexible options to best manage your hearing, all of which will be discussed at your first appointment. Some solutions (found below) can be tailored and combined to suit your needs.

Hearing Aids and Hearing Training

• We pride ourselves on our independent and personalised advice about the latest hearing aid technologies and styles, including near invisible hearing aid devices
• There is a wide range of hearing aids available, with options to suit all budgets
• Most people will get the most benefit from the more modern hearing aids, but only if they are worn regularly
• At UQ, you get to trial the hearing aid(s) for 30 days. You will also get free hearing checks and hearing aid adjustments for three years after purchase
• To get you fully set up with your perfect hearing aid will take three to four appointments
• Hearing Communication Training also happens in these appointments.

Assistive Listening Devices

• Assisted Listening Devices (ALDs) are for specific listening situations (for example: a device to help you hear the TV better, or a special microphone to hear better at meetings)
• ALDs can be used with or without hearing aids

Hearing Communication Program (I-ACE)

The UQ Audiology Clinic offers both take home individual and group hearing communication programmes (I-ACE and ACE). These programs involve reading information and completing activities at home. They are designed to help you learn ways to cope with your hearing difficulties. They involve several hours of reading and activities per week, and you can complete the programme with the help of a friend or family member. The programs can be done either with or without a hearing aid.

Includes ear moulds, fast hearing aid diagnosis, hearing aid repairs and adjustments.

A comprehensive hearing conservation program for any facility that involves excessive noise.

To protect ears from loud noise and music

Did you know concerts, loud music in clubs, playing an instrument and even listening to loud music on your phone can damage your hearing? At the UQ Audiology Clinic, we understand that the key to looking after your hearing is education and prevention.

Education: Our goal is to help you understand the risks of excessive noise exposure and why hearing protection is so important.

Prevention: We can fit you with custom-made musician and noise protection plugs at very competitive prices.

All plugs are shaped to fit your individual ears to achieve the right fit. All musician plugs are designed to preserve the original music signal as much as possible, while bringing the sound down to a safer exposure level. Not only can these earplugs can be used for hearing protection in loud environments, they can also be used for sound reduction while sleeping.

We have two types of plugs available:

• Standard: 25dB, 15dB and 10dB attenuators (attenuators provide different levels of sound reduction). Available in a range of colours.
• Professional: 25dB, 15dB and 9dB attenuators using ER Musician filters (better attenuators for sound quality)

To protect ears when swimming or bathing

Swimming earplugs stop water from entering your ear canals. They are perfect for children or adults with grommets or swimmer’s ear, and help to reduce outer ear infections.

Education: Our goal is to help you understand why swimming earplugs are important to protect the ears.

Prevention: We fit custom-made swimming plugs at very competitive prices.

All plugs are shaped to fit your individual ears to achieve the right fit for you.

The Active Communication Education (ACE) program helps adults with hearing loss become more effective communicators and provides them with strategies to cope better in everyday life.  Learn more about ACE.