In Part One, I described what Central Auditory Processing “Disorder” or CAPD can look like in gifted kids. Today I will share about our experiences with the Able Kids Ear Filter.
Testing at Able Kids
At the in 2021 when we were considering testing, I had several close friends who had already received CAPD diagnoses and filters from Able Kids who were able to share their experiences. We were also lucky that Able Kids is local for us and wouldn’t require travel to look into the possibility.
I decided to start by having my then 8-year-old tested at Able Kids. The cost for testing was $800 and if they needed a filter it would be an additional $225 (the cost may have changed since then).
This child did experience frequent anxiety, which was compounded by the pandemic. I was nervous about the requirement that my child enter the building alone and complete testing without me. I spoke at length with the audiologists, who reassured me that anxiety is very common in the population of kids who visit Able Kids and that they would work hard to help her feel at ease.
It turned out that I needn’t have worried. Dr. Wisdom did a great job of establishing a connection with my child, who received a CAPD diagnosis that day. A few months later we returned for testing for my other two children and myself. Eventually, all four of us were diagnosed with CAPD.
I’m a skeptic by nature, so I’m glad to be able to report my own “Aha!” moment in the testing booth. There were many tricky listening exercises, but one made my brain immediately tired, my eyes shut tight with exertion – repeating back words with white noise coming in from a different speaker. I shared with Dr. Hardy that this felt like torture. When she placed the filter in my ear and repeated the exercise, I was sure she had turned down the white noise. But no, that was the filter doing its job of helping to synch up the sounds in my brain. They tested the tiny device in both ears, and I knew before they shared the test results that it worked best in my left ear.
I’ve had several conversations with my favorite audiologist, Dr. Hardy, about why the filter works. It turns out that the audiologists aren’t entirely sure either. The best theory they have is that it helps synch up the sounds from the left and right ear inside the brain, so that the brain doesn’t have to work so hard.
We ordered ear filters for all of us.
Getting the Right Fit
The filters are all custom made. If you choose to order one, they squirt foam into your ear to make a mold. This mold is used to make the plastic part of the device, which holds the tiny filter in the correct place.
Sometimes it takes some adjustment to get the filter to fit and be comfortable, especially in people that are generally sensitive to things like seams and tags. The good thing is that Able Kids is awesome about working with their clients to get the right fit, with few extra charges (generally just the cost of shipping the filter back and forth, or $25 if it gets wet or otherwise clogged). The frustration is that it can take quite a bit of effort to get it to be comfortable. You won’t know until you try.
My 8-year-old, our first test case, was able to wear her filter with just a few initial adjustments. This was also the case for my 12-year-old. My five-year-old wore his filter for the twenty minutes when the audiologists tested it with him on arrival. He has refused to wear it ever since. I know other five-year-olds who have worn one with success, but this isn’t a surprise to me in knowing this child.
I myself required substantial alterations to be able to tolerate wearing the filter. I’m very sensitive and the filter made my ear ache after I wore it for a few hours. To date, Able Kids has made me four different filters (at no additional charge, as they are working to get the fit just right). I have one that works, more or less. I still do not like the feel of it in quiet environments like at home. But in a loud restaurant, an airport, or a busy robotics competition, I do wear it, and it helps. Since I’m still not able to wear it for long periods of time without discomfort, the audiologists are Able are ordering a smaller “half size” design for me to try.
Here is a photo of the regular “full ear” Able Kids filter, which nestles inside the curve of the ear. For kids, it comes in fun colors like red, orange, and purple too!
Able Kids Filters One Year In
So, have the Able Kids Filters been truly “life changing,” as they are for some kids? For us, not really. This is partly because we homeschool and are able to control our environment to a large degree. The filters are a useful tool and I’m happy to have them. Contrary to the recommendations from Able Kids, we do not tend to wear our filters every day. We did, for the first few weeks, but it felt like a huge burden to remember to put them in, take them out, not get them wet, and make sure they didn’t get lost.
We’re pretty good about remembering and wearing them when we have a known big noise day coming, like a field trip or a class.
The knowledge of CAPD itself is very valuable, however. We have a shared language and understanding for talking about why we don’t like noisy places. We talk about the different tools that we have available for loud spaces – including the Able Kids filter, ear plugs, loops, ear defenders. The Able Kids filter is the only one that aims to synch up the sounds from both ears in the brain, and not just muffle loud noises. For a classroom situation, it is definitely worth trying for anyone who gets overwhelmed by noise. It helps not just with making things quieter, but also reducing general overwhelm.
In my family, it is now very clear to me how the experience of trying to understand speech in noisy environments is difficult and requires extra support.
Things I Wish I Had Known When Considering Testing
Here are some factors that I wish I had known about when considering testing.
- The filters are tiny and easy for kids to lose. We’ve replaced lost filters twice so far, at a cost of $225 each time.
- Tiny ears may have less of a “hook” for the filter to fit into, so the filter can fall out more easily. They do offer a kind of lanyard and clip option to help prevent loss, but it calls a lot more attention to the filter itself.
- If you order a filter, it might not fit perfectly the first time. It might require a fair amount of trial and error to get a good fit if you are very sensitive (this seems uncommon, but happens).
- Filters are life changing for some people with CAPD and just helpful for others.
- Filters cannot be immersed in water, worn in the shower, etc.
- Kids outgrow their ear filters. This happens at different rates, but the AbleKids folks said to expect to replace them around every two years or so.
- Once you have completed testing, you can re-order a new filter if it’s within three years of your last testing date. If it is past three years you have to go back in to redo the test.
- The filters can get clogged with earwax. This has been an issue for one of my kids, not so much for the other one or for me.
I’m glad that we have our Able Kids filters to help us get through big noise days, or just for those times when I’m trying to have a conversation with someone at a cafe. I keep the filter in my purse and slip it in as needed, and put it away when I leave.
I do wish it was more accessible for people in other places to undergo testing and try a filter, rather than having to travel to Fort Collins, CO. For us, it has been worth it to have ear filters as a tool to help with noise overwhelm.