APD Definitions

Air-conducted sound

Sound that is received via the ear canal through sound pressure waves

Audio-vocal feedback mechanism

The way in which we listen to our own voice to modify or self-correct our volume, pace, pitch or tone

Auditory discrimination

The ability to perceive subtle differences in sound, essential to language

Auditory hypersensitivity

The inability to inhibit sound so that all sound is received in the ear with equal weighting

Auditory memory

The ability to maintain auditory information in short-term memory for later use

Auditory overload

The feeling of being overwhelmed by auditory information

Auditory processing

The brain’s ability to attach meaning to what is heard

Auditory sequencing

The ability to perceive sounds or groups of sounds in the order in which they were given

Bone-conducted sound

Sound that is received via muscle movements and sound pressure waves hitting the body

Central nervous system

The part of the nervous system controlled by the brain and spinal cord

Cerebellum

The part of the brain concerned with sensorimotor coordination, balance, and familiar sequences of movement [71]

Cochlea

The spiral shaped tube in the inner ear responsible for hearing [70]

Coordination

The ability of the muscles to move smoothly and harmoniously

Electronic Ear

The piece of equipment used in the Tomatis Method that filters and gates sound, accentuating certain sound frequencies

Expressive communication

The ability to communicate oneself effectively

Filtered sound

Sound that has had certain frequencies removed

Frequency

The pitch of a sound, which may be high or low – this is measured in hertz (cycles per second)

Gating

Manipulating sound so that the muscles in the middle ear are exercised via contraction and relaxation

Hearing

The ability of the ear to perceive sound

Listening

The active intention to attend to specific information, a function controlled by the brain

Motor coordination (fine)

The ability to coordinate precise movements of the body, especially to manipulate small objects (eg. scissors)

Motor coordination (gross)

The ability to coordinate large movements of the body, especially to perform physical skills like running, jumping and riding a bike

Neurological

Relating to the brain

Neurological pathways

The routes by which information is transmitted through the brain

Neuro Developmental Therapy (NDT)

A type of therapy designed to inhibit primitive reflexes and encourage the maturation of postural reflexes

Periodicity

Music waveforms that repeat regularly at appropriate intervals, between 10 and 60 seconds

Phoneme

The smallest unit of sound

Phonemic discrimination

The ability to perceive differences in phonemes

Phonological awareness

The ability to recognise and understand the multitude of phonemic sequences that combine to produce the words used in spoken language

Pinna

The outer part of the ear, which simultaneously amplifies and reduces the volume of received sound

Plasticity

The ability of the brain to be re-shaped

Receptive communication

The ability to comprehend others’ communication effectively

Screening

The ability to selectively listen to certain auditory information while inhibiting background noise

Sensory integration

The way in which the brain combines multiple pieces of sensory information to form understandings of and responses to the environment

Sound localisation

The ability to detect the origin of a sound

Spatial awareness

The appreciation of how much space one occupies and how to move appropriately within that space

Spatial-temporal reasoning

The ability to integrate information about time and space to respond appropriately (eg. knowing when to clasp your hands to catch a ball based on how far away the thrower is)

Tomatis Effect

The theory that the voice reproduces what the ear hears

Tomatis Method

The auditory training program developed by Dr Alfred Tomatis to improve listening, communication and language development

Vestibule

The part of the inner ear responsible for integrating sensory information and maintaining balance and coordination

Visual tracking

The smooth movement of the eye that enables people to read, look back and forth between two sources, and continuously watch a moving object