Efficacy of auditory interventions for central auditory processing disorder: a response to Fey et al. (2011).

Purpose: To provide a commentary on "Auditory Processing Disorder and Auditory/Language Interventions: An Evidence-Based Systematic Review" by Fey et al. (2011).

Method: Examination of the conclusions drawn by Fey et al. (2011) in the context of the American Academy of Audiology (2010a, 2010b) and American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (2005a, 2005b, 2005c) guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of auditory processing disorder, the evidence cited therein, and other pertinent published reports.

Results: The review provided by Fey et al. (2011) is limited due to the exclusion of pertinent efficacy studies from their analysis, inclusion of studies that did not employ strictly auditory-based therapies, and lack of well-defined experimental groups in many of the studies cited. Further, the questions posed by their literature review may not have addressed the efficacy of true auditory interventions in the remediation of auditory difficulties in children who have primary deficits in central auditory processing.

Conclusion: A more comprehensive review than that done by Fey et al. (2011) would have better addressed the fundamental question of the efficacy of direct remediation activities for children with central auditory processing disorder.