Auditory Processing Disorder

Last Updated: 28/10/2013

While it is not a Learning Disability, but classed as a neurological condition, an auditory-processing deficit is the inability to interpret, organize, analyze, or synthesize an auditory message in the absence of a hearing impairment. Many children who have been diagnosed with Central Auditory-Processing Disorder (CAPD) would fall under this category. Individuals with Auditory Processing Disorder often do not recognize subtle differences between sounds in words,even though the sounds themselves are loud and clear. These kinds of problems are more likely to occur when a person with APD is in a noisy environment or when he or she is listening to complex information. Individuals with Auditory Processing Disorder demonstrate a limited capacity in the areas of "speech discrimination in noise, temporal resolution via gap detection, pitch perception, binaural processing as in masking level differences" and may experience difficulties with common tasks like: "conversing at a cocktail party, localizing a siren on the street, understanding a multistep instruction in the classroom or appreciating music."1. 

According to the British Society of Audiology (2011a) there are three classifications of Auditory Processing Disorder: 

1. Developmental Auditory Processing Disorder - cases which present during childhood, in the presence of normal hearing acuity. Developmental auditory processing disorder may continue into adulthood for some individuals, while other individuals can demonstrate improvement in test scores to within the average range over time.1. LDANL wishes to be clear that this is not an indicator that the processing disorder has gone away- frequently it simply means the individual has found coping mechanisms to adjust to the disorder.

2. Acquired Auditory Processing Disorder - cases associated with a known event (e.g., acquired brain injury, stroke, tumors, infection and age-related neurological deterioration). 

3. Secondary Auditory Processing Disorder - Cases where auditory processing disorder occurs in the presence, or as a result, of peripheral hearing impairment. This includes transient hearing impairment related to otitis media, or progressive hearing loss related to presbycusis.

Auditory Processing Disorder can be referred to by many other names (largely as a result of the renaming of the disorder over time.) Some assessments may refer to it ascentral auditory processing disorder (CAPD), auditory perception problems, auditory comprehension deficit, central auditory dysfunction, or central or word deafness. The use of the term deaf with regard to Auditory Processing Disorder is a misnomer, as there is no issue with the sensory organs (ears). Auditory Processing Disorder is an imapirment to the brain's ability to process auditory stimuli. 

According to the Canadian Interorganizational Steering Group for Speech Pathology and Audiology (CISG), it has been difficult to determine rates of prevelence of Auditory Processing Disorder in children and adults. They indicate that Auditory Processing Disorder is relatively infrequent in children and young adults, but has a considerable presence amongst adults with brain injuries. 

 
Warning Signs and Symptoms
Symptoms of Auditory Processing Disorder do not show significant change as the individual ages. Young children, elementary-age children, adolescents, and adults tend to exhibit similar symptoms, including:
 
  • May have difficulty focusing in a noisy environment (often mistaken for "day-dreaming.")
  • Often have difficulty following oral directions, especially those given quickly.
  • They are likely to repeat information back out of sequence or incorrectly.
  • Frequently request repetition of instructions or information (frequent use of question words like: "huh?" or "what?")
  • May have issues retaining school materials presented orally.
  • They are unable to descriminate between similiar sounding words (ex. shut and shot, bought and brought.)
  • Experiences difficulty with short and fast quizzes or tasks requiring dictation.
  • May exhibit difficulty spelling unfamilliar words.

Auditory Processing Disorder, like Learning Disabilities, impacts upon all aspects of an individual's life. Learning Disabilities are present in all ethnic and language groups, and may disrupt a child’s home life, education, behavior, and social life. At home, children with Auditory Processing Disorder face many of the same difficulties they do in school. Frustration at loud noises, difficulties carrying out instructed tasks, as well as anxiety may be present in individuals with Auditory Processing Disorder. At school, they have trouble completing orally assigned class work, and may often miss valuable information due to noisy environments or time required to process the material. 

"Although there is a comorbidity with other disorders, auditory processing disorder is a hearing disorder. Children with auditory processing disorder will experience similar symptoms as those having a hearing loss. Chermak et al. (1998) noted that behaviours which are most indicative of auditory processing difficulties (as opposed to other comorbid conditions such as attention Canadian Guidelines on Auditory Processing Disorder in Children and Adults: Assessment and Intervention deficit hyperactivity disorder) include (in order of most often reported), difficulty hearing in background noise, difficulty following instructions, poor listening skills, academic difficulties, poor auditory association skills, distractibility and inattention. Whitelaw (2004) outlines how careful attention to reported behaviours and clinical test results can help to differentiate disorders with similar presenting symptoms, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder."1.
 
Diagnosis of Auditory Processing Disorder requires consultation with medical professionals. As with many neurological conditions, LDANL recommends you contact your family doctor or other healthcare professional for more information.
 

1. The Canadian Interorganizational Steering Group for Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology CISG, Canadian Guidelines on Auditory Processing Disorder in Children and Adults: Assessment and Intervention 

2. Canadian Academy of Audiology, "Auditory Processing Disorder in Children" 2012

3. New Brunswick Department of Education, "Resource for the Identification and Teaching of Students with Specific Learning Disability" 1999

X
Enter your Learning Disabilities Association of France username.
Enter the password that accompanies your username.
Loading