title: Psychosocial status of children with auditory processing disorder.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Children with hearing loss often exhibit reduced psychosocial status compared to children with normal hearing. It is reasonable to assume that psychosocial function may also be affected in children diagnosed with auditory processing disorder (APD). However, there are no published studies specifically addressing the psychosocial health of children with APD.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This investigation examined relationships between APD and psychosocial status, with an aim to examine nonauditory factors that may influence quality of life of children diagnosed with APD.
  
  
  METHODS
  A two-matched group design was employed. Participants and their mothers completed appropriate versions of the Dartmouth Primary Care Cooperative Information Project Charts for Adolescents (COOP-A), the Behavioral Assessment System for Children, Second Edition (BASC-2), and the Social Skills Rating System (SSRS).
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants consisted of 19 children (aged 9.5-17.8 yr; mean = 11.9) diagnosed with APD and 20 gender- and age-matched (mean = 12.8 yr) children with no evidence of APD by history or audiological assessment. Primary caretakers (mothers) of the participants also completed psychosocial questionnaires according to their perception of their participating child's function.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were collected at a single visit, following APD diagnosis. Data from each questionnaire were analyzed using appropriate statistical methods for two-group comparisons.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Analysis of child reports revealed significantly greater psychosocial difficulty in the APD group on subscales of the COOP-A and BASC-2. Increased problems in the APD group were also reported by parents on subscales of the COOP-A, BASC-2, and SSRS. Eta-squared values for all significant findings indicated moderate to large effect sizes, suggesting findings may be generalized to other children in this age group. No between-group differences were found on any subscale for APD children with or without a confirmed or suspected language disorder.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We found that children with APD exhibit increased psychosocial difficulty in several areas compared to children without APD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Audiology, Towson University, Towson, MD, USA. bkreisman@towson.edu
authors.forename: Nicole V
authors.initials: NV
authors.lastname: Kreisman
authors.forename: Andrew B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: John
authors.forename: Brian M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Kreisman
authors.forename: James W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Hall
authors.forename: Carl C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Crandell
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D001308:Auditory Perceptual Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007805:Language Development Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology; D011584:Psychology; D000297:Psychology, Adolescent; D002666:Psychology, Child; D057566:Self Report; D012919:Social Behavior