An Australian study [PDF] has studied the impact on auditory processing on children. Expanding on a study of auditory processing initiated in 1999, the researchers gathered AP data on 10,126 Australian primary students (ages 4.7–12 years) for digit span, sentence length, behavior (attentiveness), and literacy achievement. The study found that children with low scores on the initial auditory processing screening were three times as likely to show poor literacy achievement and have inattentive behaviors. They also found that children in the age range 4.7–6 were unable to accurately process sentences longer than 9 words; in the 6–7 age group, longer than 10 words; in the 7–8 age group, longer than 11 words; in the 8–9 age group, longer than 12 words; and in the 9–10 age group, they were unable to accurately process sentences longer than 13 words. As highlighted by the researchers, such specific findings have important implications for pedagogical training and the manner in which teachers communicate with their students.

Source: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD)