Link to Bio-map: Using technology for evaluating learning disabilities

Northwestern University's Auditory Neuroscience Laboratory has developed a method of identifying learning disabilities through the use of technology. The following is a quote from the website:

"The BioMAP (Biological Marker of Auditory Processing) is a neurophysiological test used to quickly and objectively identify disordered processing of sound that has been associated with learning impairments in many children.

Unlike traditional brainstem evoked response recordings using clicks or tone bursts, the BioMAP uses a complex speech syllable that reflects the acoustic and phonetic characteristics of sounds that present difficulties for disordered populations. Over the past decade Dr. Nina Kraus and her colleagues at the Auditory Neuroscience Lab at Northwestern University have evaluated the evoked brainstem responses of more than 1000 children, and have found that the BioMAP acts as a unique biological marker for those learning disabled children with central auditory processing disorders that have a high likelihood of benefiting from an auditory training program."

It will be interesting to see if this technology has validity for use in the schools, and if this technology can play a role in planning for interventions within the RTI/problem solving model.