Auditory processing disorder (APD), also referred to as central auditory processing disorder (CAPD), is a confusing topic that affects 7-10% of children.
Symptoms of APD in children include
- Finding it hard to concentrate or follow conversations
- Asking you to repeat what was said in noisy places
- Being distracted, inattentive, faraway
- Having trouble planning the steps for a project, organizing their time, or following routines
But these qualities do not confirm that a child has APD — they are only suspicions. An accurate diagnosis of APD requires a series of clinical tests. We’ll come back to this later.
In Part 1 of this 2-part series, we tackle the basics of this complex disorder.
The 2-part auditory system
The auditory system has two parts: the peripheral and central auditory systems.
- A child will have trouble hearing if the problem is in the peripheral auditory system (outer, middle, and inner ear).
- A child will have trouble understanding what they hear if the problem is in the central auditory system (auditory pathway to the brain)
Hearing and understanding what you hear are two different functions.
Auditory processing is what your brain does (central auditory system) with the information it receives from your ears (peripheral auditory system). The brain’s job is to make sense of this information — or process it. Processing involves recognizing, interpreting, and storing auditory data for future use.
For example, auditory processing lets us distinguish one type of sound from another and makes it possible to pick out speech when there is lots of noise in the background.
What is APD?
When a child is diagnosed with APD, their brain (central auditory system) struggles with receiving, remembering, understanding, or using auditory information. In other words, their brain has a problem making sense of what they hear.
You’re right if you think diagnosing APD is tough. For example, most kids with APD have normal hearing and are bright, with intelligence unrelated to their APD. Let’s take a closer look.
Why is APD difficult to diagnose?
The problem is all the other disorders that mimic the signs and symptoms of APD. For example, other issues can reduce children’s ability to focus, comprehend, and recall, not just APD.
APD is an auditory deficit unrelated to higher-level thinking and language disorders. For instance, children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) can be poor listeners and have problems understanding and recalling verbal instructions. But ADHD kids process auditory information normally.
Similarly, children with autism may also struggle with understanding spoken language. Still, autism is a higher-order dysfunction, not an auditory problem.
To add complexity, APD can coexist and interact with ADHD and other disorders. But there is a way to diagnose APD accurately.
Who can diagnose APD accurately?
The short answer is pediatric audiologists.
Like many communication disorders, a multidisciplinary approach contributes to understanding APD. While the observations of teachers (learning issues), psychologists (cognitive abilities), and speech-language pathologists (language, speech, and related skills) are helpful, they are not diagnostic.
Some professionals may use screening tools to assess auditory-processing capability, but these tools and field observations cannot diagnose APD.
What determines a diagnosis of APD?
Physiology.
Audiologists can accurately measure the physiological responses of the auditory system to sound with a series of tests in a sound-treated room. The responses their instruments quantify determine if a child has APD. Without these clinical measurements, you only have hunches.
In Part 2, Christy reviews the different types of APD, common symptoms, and treatments.
If you suspect a problem
If you suspect your child has a communication problem, contact us immediately. A wait-and-see approach is unhelpful.
The symptoms and behaviors of APD are not within your child's control. However, within their control is recognizing the challenges of APD and applying a personalized treatment plan at home and school.
Although some children become adults with APD, using proven strategies designed by audiologists, they can be successful adults.
Audiologists can treat APD successfully, but only if you seek help.
Crest Hill: 630-633-5060 | Palos Hills: 708-599-9500
► Companion ebook
► APD infographic
About Christy Brand, M.S., CCC-A
Christy decided to become an audiologist in the 8th grade when an audiologist visited her science class. After working for five years, she gave birth to her second child, a son born with profound hearing loss in both ears. Today, Christy has five children, two with profound hearing loss. As you can imagine, she has developed a love and devotion to pediatric audiology.
