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

Abstract

Objectives: 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. Method: 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). Results: When combined, two among the four behavioral subtests showed a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 80%. Conclusion: 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.