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Auditory Digit Spans
· Testing · Children · Adults · Society
"When an individual cannot follow instructions, gets confused when there are multistep assignments or gets lost during compound sentences, I look at the auditory processing of that individual. A simple way to test auditory processing is to do a test of auditory digit spans. To do this, simply say a sequence of numbers, slowly, at the rate of about one digit every 2 seconds. Say them in a monotone and don't group them. For instance, I'd say "3 8 7 4 3". When finished, I have the individual repeat the sequence to me in the same order. The above was a sequence of 5 digits. I would say that the individual could repeat 5 digits has an auditory digit span of 5."
"Up until the age of 6, the auditory digit span usually correlates with the age of the child: a one year old can do 1 digit, 2 year old 2 digits, 3 year old 3..... up until the 6 year old."
"Once you have tested a
child's auditory digit span, you can know how to teach that child better. A
child must have an auditory digit span of 6 or better to really take off with
phonics. A child with low auditory processing, trying to learn to read using
phonics, will sound out the first part of the word, sound out the last part
of the word and guess at the middle. This could be a child that knows all the
rules, works really hard at reading, but when it comes to those longer words,
just can't hold the auditory pieces in his mind to figure out the longer
words. To help this child, simply have him exercise that auditory function.
Have him practice doing the auditory digit spans a couple of minutes at a
time, a few times a day. Have him listen to books on tape and higher-level
language into his dominant ear via headphones. Read to him. Expand his
auditory vocabulary. As the processing improves, the problems disappear and
the child takes off.
"Today, the average adult has an auditory digit span of 6 to 7. This is down about a digit from when I started in this work 12 years ago. Actually, the average adult digit span should be 10 or better to understand and process normally complex language."
"If the individual has a low digit span, then he cannot process normal, everyday language. This is the individual that will pick up parts of sentences and scramble the rest. This is the 'spacey' individual. This is also the child who is not having success learning to read longer words with phonics."
"If you meet someone who is
totally 'dingy', doesn't get what you are saying at all, ask them to repeat a
sequence of numbers....you will probably find that they have a digit span of
5 or less. Also, most of us are familiar with asking a store clerk for
something with 4 or 5 steps or parts to it, and having them get little bits
or pieces of the instructions and having to repeatedly go back before the
order is correct. This is a symptom of the low auditory processing prevalent
around us."
"There is also a strong
correlation between auditory digit span and maturity level. If a 10 year old
child has a digit span of 3, that child will act more like a 3 year old than
a 10 year old. When we get the digit spans up to the
"The child increases his auditory processing ability one digit a year until he...starts school. We must look at the effect of school on the learning abilities of children. As a society, we tend to stagnate at an auditory digit span of 6 to 7. Actually, an auditory digit span of 7 is not high enough to engage intelligently in a semi-complex conversation. An auditory digit span of 10 to 12 is necessary to discuss and manipulate complex ideas."
"If we could go back and test the people of this country in the 1700's, I would guess that the auditory digit spans would be in the 10 to 15 range." "So ideally, the higher the digit span the better off the child will be. That of course is assuming that their right/left dominance is in place. I see a lot of kids and adults, where the dominance is not in place and they have high digit spans and they go crazy because they can't process." Crossroads Institute: FAQ on Memory
"The frontal lobes are important for attention, executive function, motivation, and behavior. Tests for frontal lobe function include working memory (digit span, spelling backward), judgment, fund of knowledge, task organization and set generation such as naming lists of things in a certain category." Neurologic Exam: Mental Status > Anatomy · CAN-DO · Katherine's Pages: Memory Tapes · National Association for Child Development · NACD: The Learning Problems and Attention Deficits
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