Auditory Processing… On-the-Go

I recently read an awesome blog post on the very important topic auditory processing or sequential processing. This is something we have been working on since we began our neurodevelopmental approach to therapy. The organization that we work with is ICAN, and we love our therapist! Auditory processing is quite possibly the single most important skill that we work on. As such, it is on our program multiple times per day. The goal is high frequency, short duration. I keep a bag of Little People toy animals from her Farm and Zoo like these and these on Lily’s dresser so that we think about it (and hopefully do it) when she is getting dressed in the morning and getting ready for bed.

While this has helped us get more of our program done than before, there are days when I literally don’t have one extra minute in the morning. And, to do auditory processing this way requires a flat surface where I can set out the animals, so it’s not something I could do on the go. One day I was handing Lily a book in the car and I realized I could use it for auditory processing! For some reason it is easier for me to grab a minute to do this in the car than it is to do before we leave the house. Perhaps because once we are in the car everyone is contained 😉 I simply hold the page in place with my finger, say (for example) “pig, train, socks” then open the book to show her. We primarily do hand-over-hand for this because it’s one of those tasks that Lily struggles to get. We just can’t seem to get her to a sequence of 3, despite the fact that she is verbalizing several 3-word phrases. Sigh.

Rather than buying these books, you could easily make your own. These are the two that I have: Numbers Colors Shapes (pictured below), First 100 Animals, and First 100 Words. I really like that they are sturdy board books, and they are small enough to fit into my purse. I also prefer them to regular storybooks because I don’t want her to have to hunt for the items. These are more like several simple flashcards on one page.

I know that for most families on an ND program, they struggle to fit it all in, so I thought I’d share another idea for making it work even with a busy on-the-go schedule.

Note: As I’ve said before, I have an affiliate account with Amazon, and would love it if you’d order Amazon products by visiting the links I share here and in other posts. The cost is the same for you. Supplements and therapies for our girls are very expensive, so every little bit helps! Though in honesty, I’ve only gotten one tiny check from them once in many years of blogging. I am a wife and mother before a blogger, and I just don’t have the time to turn this into a profitable endeavor. But, like I said, every little bit helps. Thanks!