Friday, June 22, 2007

Central Auditory Processing Disorder


My thoughts on my CAPD.


As I have been researching CAPD-people (I hesitate to say I'm a "capd-kid" but "capd-adult" sounds so... adult) and I have a lot of thoughts, so I'm typing them as they show up.


First, a funny story. I went to high school in Omaha and our colors were black and yellow. For Homecoming I painted my nails yellow and my mom was horrified and said it looked like I was jaundiced. (Remember that, it's important.)

Later in the week we went to her MDs office and the nurse commented on my sickly-looking nails to which I replied, "Yeah, my mom says it looks like I have gonorrhea." I'm not sure who was more embarrassed, my mom at the time or me when I found out the difference.


I don't date because I can't understand what guys are saying in places that are noisy (read: restaraunts). I'm not sure if it's because of their tone, their loudness but that's been really frustrating.


I think that if people had been paying more attention when I got into high school and went from a 4.0 my freshman year to 2.9 my senior year someone might have said ... "She's not on drugs so what, exactly, is going on here?!"


I love foreign languages but flunked Spanish and French in high school because I couldn't hear, or remember, pronunciation. Some friends of mine were learning Chinese and invited me to learn with them and I was So Excited! Right --


For weeks I struggled with lessons and finally one of the girls said, "Meghan, can't you hear the tone differences?" No. Even knowing they were there didn't help.

It irritates my dad that I prefer to have the closed caption on the tv;

it irritates me that I have to defend my preference.



Here 's some stuff I've learned and what I thought about it.

Unfortunately, most is geared to kids. I guess that once you're an adult you're solo....



Site One's List:


* Is your child easily distracted or unusually bothered by loud or sudden noises?

It's funny when something loud happens, I jump about three feet. Even if I know it's coming -- this is used against me in the Deaf community. (When you are new in the community Deaf people will come up and administer their own "hearing test" - by yelling, loudly, right behind you. My reactions are usually priceless. )

* Are noisy environments upsetting to your child?

This one not so much if I am walking around (like a fair) or controlling it (like a class). But when I have to be an active participant - like a date - it's frustrating.

* Does your child's behavior and performance improve in quieter settings?

ish

* Does your child have difficulty following directions, whether simple or complicated ones?

ha ha ha

* Does your child have reading, spelling, writing, or other speech-language difficulties?

I think that it was funny that we forgot about my speech lessons in kindergarten. But that I hid in books helped overcome many of the reading and writing problems. I still mix up words in sentences, though and I did empathize with the I mix up parts of sentenes/words when I talk (I forget what that's called) ... like I'll say "The bock is at the dote" instead of "The boat is at the dock" and I know that I learned the term for that last semester but... whatever.

* Is abstract information difficult for your child to comprehend?

Not really. :-) Universe in a Nutshell, anyone?

* Are verbal (word) math problems difficult for your child?

There is a train leaving Maine at ...

* Is your child disorganized and forgetful?

ha ha ha

* Are conversations hard for your child to follow?

What happened?!

Site Two's List (the different ones)


* Have trouble paying attention to and remembering information presented orally

ESPECIALLY if it is boring.

* Have problems carrying out multistep directions

If it's a list of disconnected things: bread, milk, shoe laces. If it's a job (like changing the oil) then I am fine.

* Have poor listening skills

Depends on who is talking, what the subject is, how loud it is around me and if I "need" to hear what is being said: i.e. am I being given directions are is someone just yammering?

* Need more time to process information

I repeat things back to people and I know it drives them crazy -- or I'll have them repeat themselves multiple times.. but - otherwise I'll forget/not hear/not understand and, consequently, not complete things correctly.

* Have low academic performance

Clearly.

* Have behavior problems

***

* Have language difficulty (e.g., they confuse syllable sequences and have problems developing vocabulary and understanding language)

Sometimes, often, when I was young I felt that others were speaking a different language and I just couldn't quite understand. (French, actually)


THIS WAS THE BEST SITE!! (I thought)


* Talks or likes T. V. louder than normal.

Check.

* Interprets words too literally.

I didn't realize I did this until a friend pointed it out to me. My family tends to say things as a joke which I do get offended by because I'm not "hearing" the intent -- just the words.

* Difficulty sounding out words.

Especially foreign words. Words that I have "seen" and worked with I am not too bad with.

* "Ignores" people, especially if engrossed.

or the tv is too loud.

* Asks many extra informational questions.

I do this ALL the time. Luckily, I am very inquisitive by nature - and I DO want to know - but othertimes it's to get the idea of what someone wants without having to make them repeat themselves. again. and again.

* Speech developed late or unclearly.

yes

* Poor "communicator" (terse, telegraphic).

This - I don't think so ---- but I know that if I am startled or I just blurt out things they sound like I am mad when I am not.

* Memorizes poorly.

This is the WORST thing ever. Have you ever had a teacher tell you you were lazy/stupid because I couldn't memorize 50 SAT words a week?

* Hears better when watching the speaker.

....and she wants to be an interpreter.

* Problems with rapid speech.

andthenImovedtoNewYorkandeveryonetalkedasfastasIdidanditwasgreatbecausenoonewastellingmetoslowdownandIfeltrightathome.

Labels:

Thursday, June 07, 2007

My mission statement for class







hahaha

Wednesday, June 06, 2007

10th & Farnam

At about 8:30 this evening I was taking a walk through the Old Market and I saw an Elephant up ahead of me, on the bridge.

an elephant.


So I kept looking and I realized there was a Line of Elephants.

I ran up the bridge on 10th & Farnam and ... sure enough! The Circus is in town and I
saw 10 -- 1,2,3...10!! Elephants and horses and mini pony's walking to the Qwest Center.

I laughed.



Elephants downtown!