Many people look at their brand new infant as a miniature adult, but nothing could be farther from the truth. We are learning more and more about the development of the brain and the organization that must be “finished” after the child is born.  In a recent report by Leibold and Werner (2012), intensity processing does not reach maturity intil  the child is about 10 years old. Younger children cannot tell the location of sound as well as adults who can usually determine the location of a sound within 5-10 degrees. Some of the testing that is used for Auditory Processing Assessments include a gap detection test. This ability becomes adult-like around age six. Leibold and Werner suggest that “It is clear that what infants and children hear when they listen to complex sounds is different than what adults hear.”

(Liebold LJ, Werner, LA. (2012) Maturation of the Auditory System. In Translational Perspectives in Auditory Neuroscience. Hearing Across the Life Span-Assessment and Disorders. Published by Plural Publishing. )