Speech & Auditory Processing
166 A1A N, SUITE 100
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FL 32082
Signs of an Auditory Processing Disorder
- Difficulty understanding speech in noisy environments or when more than one person is speaking
- Frequently asking people to repeat
- Misunderstanding what's been said
- Needing a longer response time during conversation
- Trouble telling where sounds are coming from
- Problems distinguishing between similar sounds
- Difficulty concentrating or paying attention
- Problems following or comprehending rapid speech or complex directions
- Trouble with learning or enjoying music
Types of APD Disorders
Decoding - the ability to quickly and accurately digest speech at the phonemic level. There is poor speech-sound discrimination and problems with phonics.
Tolerance - Fading Memory - two skills necessary to work together. Tolerance refers to hearing speech in noise. Fading memory refers to short-term memory, working memory and attention.
Integration - they have difficulty with both visual and auditory information. They have severe reading and spelling problems and often labled dyslexic.
Organization - they are often disorganized and have difficulty following directions.
What does an evaluation entail?
We will ask you to complete questionnaires prior to your appointment. At the first appointment you will be scheduled with a speech-language pathologist who will evaluate written and oral language, speech, and related capabilities.
The second appointment will be scheduled with an audiologist who will administer a hearing test to make sure the child's hearing is normal. Then a series of tests in a sound-booth will be conducted. The child will be asked to attend to various sounds and words in challenging environments.
You will be contacted for a 3rd appointment to discuss the results and a treatment plan with the speech-pathologist and the audiologist in about 2 weeks once their tests have been scored and reports have been written.
Our Team
Melisa Sharpe, Au.D.
Dr. Sharpe graduated from Ohio University with a M.S. in Communication Sciences in 2002 and a Doctorate in Audiology from Salus University in 2005. She worked for Clay County Schools for 17 years and started First Coast Audiology in 2017. She works with both pediatric and adult patients.
Sarah Zak, Au.D.
Dr. Zak received her undergraduate degree in Speech Pathology from Louisiana Tech University in 2000 and M.S. in Communication Disorders from Louisiana State University in 2002. She graduated with her Doctorate of Audiology in
2009 from the Arizona School of Health Sciences. Dr. Zak has a passion for pediatric audiology and auditory processing disorders.
Angie Pardee, M.S., CCC-SLP
Angie graduated with a M.S. in Speech-Language Pathology in 2010. She is certified in AG Bell Listening and Spoken Language Auditory Verbal Education. She has expertise in reading therapy specifically with the Linda Mood Bell Seeing Stars Program.
Kim Loving, M.S. Education Specialist
Kim Loving graduated with a M.S. in Elementary Education. She is certified in reading and gifted education. She worked for the Bolles School and now provides educational instruction outside of the classroom. She is trained in the Orton-Gillingham Approach for remedial reading
Pricing
Auditory Processing is what we do with what we hear. It is not something you can measure with a simple hearing test. Rather, it is the efficiency with which individuals are able to manage the more complex auditory information that they hear.
