Estimation of the referral rate of suspected cases of central auditory processing disorders in children aged 8-12 years old in Oshnavieh, Western Iran, based on auditory processing domain questionnaire and speech in noise and dichotic digit tests

Studies have shown that central auditory processing disorder is a sensory processing deficit which has five percent prevalence among school-aged children that results in speech, language and learning problems in children. The aim of the current study was investigating the referral rate of children suspected to central auditory processing disorder (CAPD) by using auditory processing domain questionnaire (APDQ), speech in noise test, and dichotic digit test. Three hundred and ninety six APDQ questionnaire was obtained from children’s parents among five schools in Oshnaviyeh. The children with low APDQ score underwent speech in noise and dichotic digit test (DDT). The findings revealed that 37 children were suspected to CAPD based on APDQ. 35 of these participants in DDT and 24 of them in speech in noise test also indicated low scores, respectively. Moreover, results were unrelated to gender, however, age had a positive correlation with the questionnaire scores. Based on the findings, the APDQ can be used as a screening questionnaire for detecting CAPD.