Auditory Processing Disorder Help in Orange County
One-to-one listening skills training at our Irvine center.
Building the skills underneath reading, attention and learning, for families across Orange County.
Your Child Hears Fine. So Why Is Listening So Hard?
The hearing test came back normal. Yet you repeat yourself all day, directions get half done, and “Huh?” and “What?” are automatic. The teacher says your child looks right at her but doesn’t seem to be listening. Reading and spelling are harder than they should be for a child this bright.
That pattern often points to auditory processing. Auditory processing is not your hearing. It is the way the brain perceives and thinks about the information that comes in through the ears. When it is weak, a child gets spotty, incomplete information to think with, and school becomes exhausting.
At our Irvine center, we find the specific listening skills that are weak and build them directly, one to one, for families across Orange County.
Signs Parents and Teachers Notice
Auditory processing problems often look like something else first, such as an attention problem, a reading problem or a behavior problem.
Listening and Talking
- Says “Huh?” or “What?” often
- Asks for things to be repeated
- Misses details or mishears what was said
- Has trouble following spoken directions
- Struggles in noisy rooms
Attention and Energy
- Looks at you but doesn’t seem to be listening
- Tires quickly during listening tasks
- Yawns often when listening
- Seems distracted, frustrated or anxious
- Gives answers that don’t match the question
Reading and Spelling
- Has trouble with phonics
- Has trouble sounding out words
- Confuses similar-sounding words
- Struggles with spelling
- Has a history of ear infections
Diagnosis and Building the Skills Are Two Different Jobs
What an Audiologist Does
An audiologist rules out hearing loss and uses specialized listening tests to make a formal diagnosis of auditory processing disorder. Many of those tests require a child to be at least 7 years old. The report often comes with classroom accommodations, such as preferential seating or written directions.
Accommodations help a child get through the day. They don’t change how the brain processes what it hears.
What Stowell Learning Center Does
We don’t provide an official diagnosis, and you don’t need one to start. Our evaluation finds the types and extent of the auditory challenges affecting your child’s learning, along with the other skills that support it. Then we build those skills.
Already have an audiologist’s report or school testing? Bring it. It helps us see the full picture.
How We Help
Free Call
A 30-minute conversation with a Learning Specialist about what you are seeing at home and at school.
Functional Evaluation
Auditory processing is always part of our evaluation: auditory attention, ear dominance, phonemic awareness, auditory memory, discrimination and reasoning. Done at our Irvine center or remotely.
Your Written Plan
We walk you through what we found, how it affects your child, what we recommend and what it costs.
One-to-One Training
Sound-based listening training combined with lessons in listening, reading, comprehension or language, delivered one to one.
What Auditory Training Looks Like
Our founder, Jill Stowell, developed four Auditory Stimulation and Training (AST) programs. Each one pairs sound-based listening training with structured lessons, depending on what your child needs most:
- AST-Reading and Spelling
- AST-Comprehension
- AST-Comprehension and Study Skills
- AST-Language
Listening programs such as The Listening Program and inTime from Advanced Brain Technologies, and iLs (Integrated Listening Systems), are often part of a plan too. As listening gets clearer, parents tend to see changes in speech clarity, comprehension, attention and confidence.
Learn more about auditory processing disorder: signs, testing and treatment.
“My son has had trouble with anxiety since he was three years old. … Stowell Learning Center was able to identify that he actually had an auditory processing deficit of 3 years. … He has been at Stowell for 6 months and his auditory skills have improved 3 years and he is no longer behind!! His anxiety has almost gone away!”
Carrie F., Stowell parent
What It Costs
Functional Evaluation
One-time fee, required for new students
Signature Program
Per month, sessions three to five times a week
Intensive Program
An accelerated version of the Signature Program
These are starting prices. The exact price depends on the hours and length of your child’s plan. See Services and Financing.
Stowell Learning Center, Irvine
1150 Main Street, Suite B
Irvine, CA 92614
Monday to Thursday, 9 am to 7 pm
Friday, 8 am to 7 pm
Serving Families Across Orange County
Families come to our Irvine center from Irvine, Newport Beach, Tustin, Costa Mesa, Lake Forest, Mission Viejo, Laguna Niguel, Aliso Viejo, Laguna Hills, Huntington Beach, Santa Ana and Orange.
Too far to come in regularly? Ask about our online learning programs.
Auditory Processing Questions
Does my child need an auditory processing diagnosis before starting?
No. We don’t provide an official diagnosis of auditory processing disorder, and you don’t need one to begin. Our Functional Evaluation always includes auditory processing and shows which listening skills are weak and how they affect learning.
Can I use your evaluation to get accommodations at school?
Generally not. Our evaluation is designed to find the root causes of a child’s struggles and build a plan to correct them. It can help teachers understand your child, but it usually can’t be used for official diagnoses, services or accommodations at school.
Is auditory processing disorder the same as ADHD?
No, but they can look alike. Children with weak auditory processing often find listening exhausting, so their attention drifts. Because loss of attention is the most obvious sign in class, these children are often thought to have ADHD first.
Can the evaluation be done remotely?
Yes. The Functional Evaluation can be done at our Irvine center or remotely. Your Learning Specialist will talk through the options with you.
How much does it cost?
The Functional Evaluation is $695. The Signature Program starts at $1,587 per month and the Intensive Program starts at $7,380. The exact price depends on your child’s plan, and financing options are available.
Talk With a Learning Specialist
The call is free, takes about 30 minutes, and there is no obligation. Bring any reports you already have.
Or call our Irvine center at 949-477-4133