Observations on the use of SCAN to identify children at risk for central auditory processing disorder

The SCAN: A screening Test for Auditory Processing Disorders was designed for administration in a quiet school test setting, although it is also administered by audiologists in the audiometric booth. In a study seeking to screen for the presence of central auditory processing disorder (CAPD) in children with a history of otitis media (OM). 14 children with a history of OM and an equal number without this risk factor for CAPD (non-OM) were tested in a school setting using the SCAN and the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised (PPVT-R). Forty-three percent of the OM group failed the SCAN, as did 29% of the non-OM group; hence, the groups were not differentiated using the SCAN. To probe the effects of environment on test results, a second experiment was conducted in which six additional children were administered the SCAN in both a school setting and an audiometric test booth. Individual data revealed that subjects performed more poorly on the SCAN administered in the school setting than in the audiometric test booth. The marked difference in SCAN scores between the two environments raises methodological concerns regarding the use of this instrument for identification of children at risk for central auditory processing disorders.