Children with Central Auditory Processing Disorder are being invited to take part in research at The University of Western Australia to find out if exercise on its own or with music can help the condition.

Dr Robyn Choi, a lecturer in Audiology at UWA’s School of Human Sciences, said children with auditory processing difficulties had normal hearing but had trouble recognising and interpreting what they heard, which often made schoolwork difficult and stressful.

“We want to determine if exercise with or without music could improve the auditory processing ability of children with these difficulties,” Dr Choi said.

“Understanding the effect of rhythmic exercise on auditory processing ability will hopefully help us develop new treatments that are engaging and accessible.”

Children, aged seven to 12, recruited to the study will initially attend a three-hour assessment, including hearing and auditory processing tests.  This will be followed by physical literacy assessments looking at motor skills, strength and fitness.

“The children in the study will then be randomly allocated to two groups to either take part in exercise sessions on their own or with music,” Dr Choi said.

The exercise sessions run for 45 minutes, twice a week for eight weeks during the last school term of 2022 or the first term of 2023. 

Dr Choi said information from a child’s assessment would be made available to their parent or guardian to help them determine their child’s auditory processing ability, physical literacy and fitness.

“We hope to improve the treatment of Auditory Processing Disorder through this research,” she said. 

Anyone interested in enrolling their child can contact UWA Audiology Project Officer, Ms Nicola Linton, on 6488 6734.