In-Car and Out-and-About Auditory Training: Making Real Life the Therapy

This is a follow-up to the previous “In the Car” auditory training activity post.

When it comes to auditory processing disorder (APD), therapy doesn’t have to be limited to a clinic or a workbook. In fact, some of the best training happens in the car, at the grocery store, or on a walk through the neighborhood. Real-life listening is full of background noise, unpredictability, and shifting demands—exactly the kind of environment children with APD need to practice navigating, but with support.

Why the Car Works

The car is one of the most underused therapy tools we have. It’s a captive environment, there’s natural turn-taking, and the distractions are real but manageable. You can work on auditory memory, direction-following, phonological awareness, vocabulary, and auditory closure without pulling out a single worksheet.

Some examples:

• Give your child multi-step directions to “find the red sign, then tell me the next street we pass.”

• Play word games like “I Spy with my Listening Ears” or rhyming challenges.

• Have them listen for and identify sounds from outside (sirens, horns, birds) and explain what they might mean.

This type of input helps with generalization—a major issue in auditory processing. Skills learned in a therapy room often don’t transfer to noisy or busy environments. Practicing in the car gets us closer to the real-world conditions kids struggle with most.

Beyond the Car: Out-and-About Listening

Auditory training shouldn’t end when you park the car. Whether you’re at a store, walking on a trail, or ordering food at a restaurant, there are endless opportunities for auditory engagement:

• Ask your child to listen to announcements over a loudspeaker and repeat back what they heard.

• Have them find a specific item on a grocery list that was read aloud once.

• Encourage them to pay attention to environmental sounds and describe their sources.

• Use natural conversation to practice topic maintenance, comprehension, and inference.

The Goal: Naturalistic, Supported Listening Practice

Our goal isn’t to create artificial listening drills—it’s to support children in listening where it counts. Instead of saying, “They don’t listen,” we can say, “They haven’t been supported to listen in noise, with distractions, or while holding multiple pieces of information.”

You don’t need fancy tools or constant correction. You need presence, patience, and purposeful practice in the environments where your child lives and learns.

Turn Real Life Into the Therapy

Bring therapy with you. Let your child practice auditory processing skills in movement, conversation, and connection. And remember: what you’re doing counts. Every time you turn daily life into an opportunity to support listening, you’re building the real-world clarity your child needs to succeed.

Auditory training is not a one-size-fits-all program—but life gives us all the tools we need when we learn how to use them well.