Central auditory processing disorders (CAPD) are characterised by deficits in the neural processing of auditory information within the central nervous system. CAPD involves difficulties in the perceptual processing of sounds, which manifest as poor performance in one or more auditory skills. Statistics suggest these disorders affect approximately 2–7% of school-aged children, with diagnoses being most common during the early years of primary school (Chermak & Musiek, 1990; ASHA, 2005). The impact of CAPD on a child’s development is profound, often resulting in significant difficulties in learning, speech, language, and social functioning. Due to difficulties in receiving and reproducing speech sounds, children frequently struggle with listening comprehension, correct pronunciation, and overall communication. If left undetected or untreated, CAPD adversely affects a child’s overall quality of life. Conversely, early diagnosis and targeted therapy are crucial, as they positively influence auditory training and the acquisition of reading, writing, and foreign language skills. Students with central auditory processing disorder are (or rather should be) classified as belonging to the group of students with neurodiversity and thus as having special educational needs (SEN).

In the Polish educational context, the focus on special educational needs intensified following the Minister of National Education Regulation (2008; Journal of Laws of 2009, No 4, item 17). Subsequent legislation, such as the 2016 Education Law (Journal of Laws of 2017, item 59), guarantees equal access to schools for students with disabilities and those at risk of social maladjustment. Current regulations from 2017, with 2023 adjustments, define special education categories for conditions such as deafness, blindness, autism, and aphasia (Journal of Laws of 2017, item 356; Journal of Laws of 2023, item 312). However, CAPD is not yet listed in the ICD-10 (the current classification used in Poland), meaning it is not officially recognised as a special educational need. The transition to the ICD-11, expected in Poland by 2027, may change this status. Currently, to receive extra classes or school-based assistance, such as corrective-compensatory or therapeutic classes, a certificate of special educational needs issued by psychological and pedagogical counselling centres is required (Zelazowska-Sobczyk et al., 2022, 2024).

This presentation aims to identify specific difficulties in listening comprehension in foreign languages among children and, secondly, to explore perspectives on supporting listening comprehension in foreign languages for children with CAPD. Furthermore, it provides recommendations for inclusive educational practices that address the current systemic “niche”.

Foreign languages are introduced to pupils from the first grade of primary school, often from kindergarten or even nursery. The target language proficiency level after primary school (8 grades) is A2 CEFR for the first language and A1 for the second language. Statistics on foreign language choices in the eighth-grade exam show that English clearly dominates, both among pupils without special educational needs and among those with special educational needs. These trends are also visible in the Matura certificate exam (after high school). For this reason, it is important to support children with CAPD in foreign language learning, especially in listening comprehension from an early age.

Difficulties in learning foreign languages, especially English, are clearly evident in children with CAPD. First, the current Polish and international literature contains few studies, mainly individual case studies, that discuss these difficulties (Veselovska, 2015; Bieńkowska & Polok, 2019; and the newest Zelazowska-Sobczyk et al., 2022, 2024). Therefore, it has been proposed to establish a subfield of glottodidactics (foreign language teaching in (learning) – “audioglottodidactics” – which focuses on students with central auditory processing disorders, their teachers and the context, i.e. foreign language learning (Zelazowska-Sobczyk, 2025a, 2025b). To identify foreign language learning difficulties among CAPD students, a questionnaire study was conducted among parents of children with CAPD before auditory training began. Responses were received from 121 parents of children with CAPD aged 6 to 15 who were learning English, either alone or in combination with German, Spanish, Russian, French, Italian and Swedish. Slightly more than 50% of the children had good or very good English grades (B or A), though this was mainly among children in the first stage of primary school (7-10 years old). More than 60% of parents reported difficulties learning foreign languages, while fewer than 44% of children reported such difficulties, especially with English. Children mainly have difficulty with correct spelling; they mix up letters in words and are unable to write what they hear. In addition, fear of speaking and a lack of effective communication skills, even with knowledge of the theoretical rules, i.e. an inability to respond in authentic situations, are often highlighted. Parents and children also reported difficulties with listening comprehension. They also have difficulty concentrating and focusing their auditory attention, and are easily distracted during classes and at home. Students are often unable to apply the grammatical rules they know in practice. They have difficulty comprehending instructions, especially longer ones. They pay attention to irrelevant sound stimuli at the expense of understanding important ones. All this translates into a lack of motivation to learn, often even an aversion, low self-esteem, and isolation in the classroom or peer group. Based on the questionnaire study, recommendations for supporting listening comprehension in foreign languages, particularly English, in children with central auditory processing disorders are proposed. These recommendations are grounded in the perspective of inclusive education.

The questionnaire survey showed that children with CAPD have difficulties learning a foreign language, especially in listening comprehension. Moreover, students who have difficulty learning English, often their first foreign language, often achieve good grades in other languages (e.g., German, French, Spanish). This may be related to the significant difference in the frequency characteristics of Polish and English. The frequencies for Polish, German, Spanish, Russian and even Chinese are very similar, while those for British English and Italian are not convergent. English is sensitive to high frequencies and very subtle modulations at this level. It contains a large number of sibilant sounds, diphthongisation of vowels and discrepancies between spelling and pronunciation. French has a double-peak profile with peaks around 250 Hz and 1500 Hz, with high sensitivity in the 1000-2000 Hz range. It contains nasal sounds. In comparison, Spanish has high sensitivity to the lowest frequencies, extending to 500 Hz, and lower sensitivity in the 1500-2500 Hz range. There is also a sibilant ‘f’ sound characteristic of high frequencies, which in this language tends to transition into an aspirated ‘h’. In conclusion, difficulties in learning foreign languages, particularly English, have often been reported in children with central auditory processing disorders, particularly in listening comprehension. It is crucial to support children in developing listening comprehension and attention. CAPD is not only a challenge but also a call to action: to create clear guidelines, collaborate across disciplines, and support students through inclusive practices.

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