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Hearing = Ears + Central Auditory Processing (Brain)
We evaluate & treat the WHOLE system!
Many people who have essentially normal peripheral hearing (i.e., EARS) still have difficulty processing auditory information in ways required for adequate communication,
especially in less-than-ideal listening environments (e.g. background noise). In many cases, they may have a Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD). Dr. Jack Katz, a pioneer in CAPD describes auditory processing as "What we do with what we hear." That means the central auditory nervous system's (CANS) contribution to hearing must be taken into account when a standard hearing test alone fails to explain auditory difficulties experienced by patients--including educational difficulties experienced by school children or patients with history of traumatic brain injury (TBI). CAPD can also run in families.
SPECIALIZING IN NEURO-AUDIOLOGY & AUDITORY PROCESSING DISORDERS
MICHAEL O. WEBB, M.S., CCC-A, FAAA 
(cc) From Dr. T. Balasubramanian M.S. D.L.O. (www.drtbalu.com)
My wife, Shelley, and I enjoyed a therapy training visit with CAPD legend Dr. Jack Katz at Auditory Processing Service (APS) in Kansas City last January. Over the past few years, Jack has become a dear friend as well as a collaborator and mentor. In his 80's now, he still sees patients for CAPD diagnosis and treatment from all over the country!
I am so honored that Jack has taken us under his wing, and sees in our practice
an expansion of his 60+ year dream of a younger generation carrying on his vision of passionate CAPD experts providing excellent and effective services for the large number of unserved patients with this disorder. Shelley and I received hands-on training in auditory training methods for various forms of CAP disorder profiles.
Shelley has her master's degree in Education with a Reading Emphasis. She will be working along side me with CAPD patients. We love working together and have both looked forward to this chapter for a long time!
Jack developed the Buffalo Model (named after his long tenure as Audiology Professor at University of Buffalo, New York) diagnostic and therapy methods for CAPD management. The Buffalo Model is used by CAPD profession
als around the world. During our visit he taught us methods for treating phonemic decoding and synthesis problems, speech-in-noise difficulty, dichotic offset abnormalities, and short-term auditory memory. These are common deficits for persons with CAPD
We look forward to expanding more into the therapy aspects of CAPD practice now that the practice can be more focused and limited to CAP assessment and management. For more information please email me at mowebb.earc@gmail.com or call 1-877-508-1130.
>Upcoming Events:
April 27-28, 2017: Mike Webb has been invited back to present at the International Guild of Auditory Processing Specialists (IGAPS) annual meeting in Kansas City, MO. His topic this year with be Use of Auditory Evoked Potentials (AEPs) in CAPD Diagnosis and Treatment. This presentation will also address using AEPs in differential diagnosis for CAPD and Auditory Neuropathy Spectrum Disorder (ANSD).
May, 2017: Mike submitted a requested article to the Pathways online journal for neuro-audiology (Edited by Dr. Frank Musiek). The article, entitled "Requiem for the Golden Goose," deals with the changing role of hearing aid dispensing in the field of audiology. Mike wrote optimistically of how the disruptive environment surrounding hearing aid fitting, driven by technology changes, regulatory and market forces, may well be a godsend which leads to more robust trends in audiology education and practice. As a veteran hearing aid specialist of over 40 years, Mike's perspective may be surprising, but it's grounded in experience. To read "Requiem for the Golden Goose," click here.
June 21-23, 2017: Educational Audiology Association (EAA) 2017 Conference, ("Rising to the Challenge" Scottsdale, AZ). Mike will be speaking to EAA attendees, a group critical to educational interventions related to both hearing loss and CAPD in school settings around the nation. He will again be sharing the emerging trend of including personal hearing devices in the management options for CAPD, a signature issue for him. Sharing the EAA platform with other presenters will be profoundly hearing-impaired Justin Osmond (from the entertainment Osmond family), this years inspirational keynote speaker.
Due to a significant shortage of CAPD-qualified audiologists, and after requests from audiologists (and related specialists like SLPs) for help in this area of practice, EAR-Central, PLLC now offers various forms and levels of CAPD practice and procedures training for those wishing to expand their expertise into this promising, yet und
erserved sub-specialty.
One of Mike Webb's specialty areas is the fitting of Personal Hearing Devices (Hearing Aids) for Management of CAPD. (More info here.) His forty-plus years of hearing aid experience (with ten-plus in fitting CAPD patients) makes him a great resource for training in this specialty field. See the report about his recent presentation about this emerging CAPD treatment in Kansas City. (Next column over, at the bottom.)
Services range from email or phone consults, to online training, to onsite training. We also offer 1-3 day training courses for groups who desire that in a particular locality. Click here for a closer look. We welcome any questions you may have about availability, costs, or other specifics.
In this turbulent and disruptive season of audiology practice, the return to our habilitative and diagnostic roots--separate from, but including the use amplification devices--will mark the future and expand the value of the audiological specialist who assesses and treats the WHOLE system, not just the peripheral. And as more CAPD diagnoses impact the caseloads of related specialists, we can help de-mystify how to move forward cooperatively to help our mutual patients. We welcome your interest and inquiries.
Email: mowebb.earc@gmail.com. Call: 1-877-508-1130.
We just received an very kind letter of recommendation from Dr. Jack Katz!
February 7, 2016
I am pleased to recommend my friend and colleague Michael O. Webb, M.S. CCC-A and his wife Mrs. Shelley Webb in their Neuro-Audiology and Auditory Processing Services. Michael Webb has extensive background in these two areas of Audiology and Shelley Webb’s training and experience are in reading. In addition, I have worked closely with the Webbs in the effective use of my tests and therapy materials.
For me what makes the Webbs so wonderful to work with is their intelligence, integrity and concern for those with whom they work. For these reasons I recommend them to you without qualification.
Sincerely,
Jack Katz
P.S. Mr. Webb did not request this letter of recommendation. Rather I asked if he would like me to write a letter of recommendation for his website.
Book Coming in 2017!
A Challenging Look at CAPD by our CAPD Specialist, Michael Webb!
Cognition: The Elephant in Our Head (Some Assembly Required)
Where does Central Auditory Processing Fit?
Interactive Metronome® (IM) has been widely used as a treatment tool among speech/language professionals and occupational and physical therapists for a number of years. It is frequently sought out by athletes to improve certain performance skills. Peripherally, it has been recommended in the treatment of clinical manifestations of auditory processing disorders (CAPD), but not utilized very often.
What is IM? It is a training system which assesses and treats the neurological functions related to TIMING and RHYTHM and COORDINATION. What does that have to do with CAPD? Speech and language usage operates in multiple dimensions: frequency (pitch), intensity (loudness), and TIMING (duration). The timing aspect is called TEMPORAL PROCESSING. Though this is grossly over-simplified, it is not overstated to say that TIMING, and it's correlate, RHYTHM are critical in our communication skills and processing speed. There are also links to attention and self-regulation.
Recent research at Northwestern has shown that persons with deficient ability to maintain good timing/rhythm frequently have corresponding delays in speech, language, and reading abilities. IM assesses a patient's efficiency in timing and rhythm. Based on these baseline measurements, a treatment plan which trains these modalities is undertaken, frequently resulting in significant improvements in disorder areas affecting speech, language, motor skills, attention, self-regulation, auditory and cognitive processing. IM is also known to be a helpful adjunct to other traditional therapies, often accelerating and improving their outcomes. While no therapy guarantees can be made, the outcomes are typically very beneficial.
IM assessments and therapies are generally done in the clinic. In cases where prolonged therapy plans or more severe dysfunction is present, a home version, IM-Home, is available. IM Home permits less travel, office time, and more frequent, intensive therapy opportunities. Frequent and intense neurological stimulation is a critical component to successful therapy outcomes via neuroplasticity--the brain's ability to "rewire" itself through targeted activities.