AVOCACY LETTER PARENT TO EDUCATOR

Dear Educator,

I am writing to you to introduce my son Tyler, who has been recently

diagnosed with Auditory Processing Disorder, and needs special
consideration within the classroom

Tyler is 8 year olds my ex husband and I are recently divorced as of

our own personal reasons; he has one older sister Brooke age 12.
Both children are shared between the both of us on a weekly basis.

Tyler is still able to show outstanding social skills, as he has plenty

of friends and an outgoing personality, which is one of his key
strengths. Tyler loves outdoor activities his interests are playing
outdoor sports, riding his bike and especially dismantling and
rebuilding objects. Regardless of Braydens impairment he is just like
any other individual who is capable of many things in life and with
constant positive reinforcement from our family and friends he is
capable to achieve almost anything.

His condition, Auditory Processing Disorder, leaves him with learning

difficulties.
These are as follows:

Auditory Figure Ground Problems; struggles to concentrate

where there is high volume of background noise. E.g: Loud,
unstructured classrooms.
Auditory Memory Problems; difficulty remembering specific
information. Eg: directions and instructions, especially when
there is a delay between the information and action.
Auditory Discrimination Problems: difficulty to hearing or being
able to tell the difference between similar words or sounds.
E.g Hat/Cat, SH/CH, and other phonemes. Can affect reading,
writing and spelling.
Auditory Attention Problems; trouble staying focused on
listening or paying attention long enough to complete tasks or
activites. Eg: listening to a whole story, or instructions.
Auditory Cohesion Problems; difficult with higher-level
listening tasks Eg: Drawing inferences from conversation,
comprehending verbal math problems; understanding stories.
Auditory Processing Disorder (APD), also known as Central Auditory
Processing disorder (CAPD), is a complex problem which is up to
this day affecting more the 5% of school-aged children. It basically
means that children arent able to process the information they hear
in the same way others do as their ears and brain dont entirely
coordinate with one another (Kids Health, 2013).
Individuals with APD often display poor concentration span, are
easily distracted and may have difficulty following instructions
(Heine, 2004, pg. 9).
In Braydens situation he is unable to recognize the subtle
differences between sounds in words, even when the sounds are
loud and clear enough to be heard.

Tyler was diagnosed with APD when he was in prep at age of 6

however he was not born with the disorder it was acquired over
time. Throughout kindergarten teachers started to notice small
developmental delays, this was at the age of 3, they noticed that he
was falling behind and couldnt keep up with certain set tasks. My
son will frequently struggle too engage in normal class activities
and discussion due to his impairment. It is important to me as his
mother that both my son and his classmate are aware of his special
needs, and that these needs are supported and addressed, so that
he always feels included.

I understand that as a professional. You are quite aware of the

learning difficulties and challenges that children can have. I trust
that you are more than equipped to handle my sons condition, I
look forward from hearing back from you.

Than you for taking your time in reading this, I look forward to
keeping in touch with you.

Parent.