# data[].attributes.body
Allowing the student(s) to sit in the front of the classroom or closest to the teacher can help minimize distraction and helping them to hear as many instructions as they can

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
What Teachers Should Know

Auditory processing disorder (APD) is a hearing problem that affects about 3%-5% of school-aged children.

Kids with this condition, also known as central auditory processing disorder (CAPD), can't understand what they hear in the same way other kids do. This is because their ears and brain don't fully coordinate. Something interferes with the way the brain recognizes and interprets sounds, especially speech.

Kids with APD often have trouble recognizing differences between sounds in spoken words, even when the sounds are loud and clear enough to be heard. This usually happens when there's background noise, like in a typical classroom.

Kids with APD may need to use a remote microphone system, previously known as a frequency modulation (FM) system. This assistive listening device emphasizes a speaker's voice over background noise, making the voice clearer so a child can understand it.

These problem areas can affect students with APD:

Auditory figure-ground: This is when a child has trouble understanding speech when there is speech babble or ambient noise in the background. Noisy, loosely structured or open-air classrooms can be very frustrating for a child with APD.

Auditory closure: This is when a child can't "fill in the gaps" of speech when it is more challenging. This can happen in a quieter situation but is more common when the speaker's voice is too fast or is muffled, making it hard for the child to make sense of the sounds and words.

Dichotic listening: This is when a child has trouble understanding competing, meaningful speech that happens at the same time. For example, if a teacher is talking on one side of the child and another student is talking on the other side, the child with APD cannot understand the speech of one or both of the speakers.

Temporal processing: This is the timing of a child's processing system, which helps them recognize differences in speech sounds (such as mat versus pat). It also helps them understand pitch and intonation (for example, asking a question instead of giving a command), understand riddles and humor, and make inferences.

Binaural interaction: This is the ability to know which side speech or sounds are coming from, and to localize sound in a room. Although less common, this problem happens in children with a history of brain trauma or seizure disorders.

If the auditory deficits aren't identified and managed, many students with APD will face academic challenges.

Students with APD can benefit from working with a speech and language therapist, in addition to getting regular evaluations by audiologists.

What Teachers Can Do

APD is an auditory issue and not a cognitive, speech, or language disorder. Your student may feel embarrassed to let you know they did not understand what you said or directions you gave. Making sure that students with APD write down assignments and helping them stay organized may ease their frustration and boost their self-esteem in the classroom.

It can help to speak at a slightly slower rate with a clear voice. Louder does not always help. (Think Mr. Rogers!)

Teachers also can help students with APD by:

using strategic (or preferential) seating so the child is closest to the teacher. This reduces sound and sight distractions and improves access to speech.

pre-teaching new or unfamiliar words

using visual aids

recording lessons for later review

Date reviewed: February 2021

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Auditory Processing Disorder Factsheet (for Schools)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
What teachers should know about APD, and teaching strategies to help students who have the disorder.

# data[].attributes.body
no-tech - students can benefit from visual cues from the educator to assist in their learning and understanding.
mid-tech - students with this disorder can benefit from a sound machine. Sometimes sound machines can block out unnecessary and distracting noises in order to concentrate and pay attention better.
high-tech - students can possibly benefit from doing tests and assignments online with an auditor available. These students can listen to directions as many times as needed to fully understand the prompts and assignments.

# data[].attributes.body
Students with Auditory Processing Disorder rely on a teacher's verbal cues so when it comes to interacting with the student in the classroom and when they are testing a teacher needs to pay attention to their body language. A teacher should also make sure they are facing the student.

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How to help students with Auditory Processing Disorder

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Help auditory processing disorder with a 3 pronged approach - classroom strategies, environment modifications & online programs.

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There are many different devices that can help people with APD in everyday life, school, and work.
1.) A low tech device that can help a student with APD is a Personal listening device. This is usually a clip on microphone that a teacher or instructor will wear that takes the words they say and clearly transmits their voice to a personal earpiece or speaker.
2.) a mid tech device that helps students with APD is noise canceling headphones to help a student block out distracting noises and focus on the task they are working on.
3.) A high tech device that helps students with APD is proof reading software on computers, this helps a student make sure that they are using all the correct word in their essay, or note taking.

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Children can suffer from various forms of attention or auditory deficits. While some conditions, like auditory processing disorder, or APD, are rarer than others, they can take a significant toll on students, parents, and teachers.

Auditory processing disorders make it difficult to study at the same pace as everyone else and can lead to low self-esteem, depression, and other more severe issues. Fortunately, particular technologies deal with APD and help kids adapt, and even overcome it.

The issue is understanding what APD means and does and which technology is best for specific manifestations of the condition. Here, we're taking a closer look at how to get the auditory processing disorder help you, your student, or your child may need.

What is APD?

ADP, or auditory processing disorder, is a lesser-known condition that affects hearing in 3 to 5% of school children. Also referred to as central auditory processing disorder, or CAPD, APD causes a specific coordination problem between the brain and ears.

For someone with APD, their brain can't naturally recognize or interpret complex sounds, thereby making it difficult to understand speech. Although auditory processing disorder doesn't prevent sensing sounds or indicate hearing problems, it does interfere with the ability to distinguish the difference in sounds when put into words, regardless of volume.

The effects of ADP are most prevalent when school-aged children encounter background noise or listen to speech in classrooms, playgrounds, at parties, etc.

Causes and common symptoms of auditory processing disorder

Approximately more than half of people who have experienced a serious head injury have APD due to damage to the central auditory nervous system. However, many other factors can cause APD, including ear infections, neurological issues, Lyme disease, and even genetic factors.

Many people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as well as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) also have auditory processing disorder. However, APD is not present in all people with ASD or ADHD, and people can have APD without either ASD or ADHD.

Like many learning disorders and auditory problems, APD symptoms range from mild to severe. Fortunately, they're not very difficult to spot.

Common symptoms of APD include the following:

Mishearing sounds and words

Being overwhelmed in noisy environments

Better hearing and language processing behavior in quiet settings

Difficulty with spelling and phonics

Not following verbal directions accurately

Difficulty understanding verbal math problems

Difficulty following and engaging in conversations

Granted, the signs and symptoms of ADP are similar to those of ADHD, dyslexia, hearing loss, depression, speech-language delay, and other conditions. But since these symptoms indicate learning disabilities or language processing issues, it's best to consult an audiologist to determine if a child has APD or another similar condition.

Diagnosing auditory processing disorders

Hearing specialists like audiologists can properly diagnose or dismiss APD. Testing kids for APD involves various non-invasive normal hearing activities.

Most often than not, audiologists rely on the following:

Auditory figure-ground

Auditory closure

Dichotic listening

Temporal processing

Binaural interaction

Each listening test involves specific hearing challenges in various settings. Audiologists can test a child's ability to communicate with others, their understanding of pitch and intonation, their skill at pinpointing directional speech, etc. It's also possible to test children under the age of 7 using electrophysiology to determine the body's response to speech.

Helping with APD at home and school

Kids don't fully develop their central auditory system until approximately 14 years of age. That means that ADP doesn't prevent them from enhancing their listening skills and language skills. They can improve their auditory processing skills and auditory memory through various auditory training exercises, along with the use of assistive listening devices.

While there currently is not a cure for APD, parents, teachers, and specialists can help improve a child's ability to process auditory information and overcome the challenges of APD with special education and assistive tools.

Parents and teachers can try to change the listening environment by minimizing background noise and other distractions. Individual therapy sessions also work. Speech-language pathologists can help kids overcome language deficits through speech-language therapy. Counselors can help with depression, self-esteem, anxiety, and other triggers. Sometimes, occupational therapy can amend auditory timing problems and other sensory issues.

It's worth noting that hearing aids and listening devices can alleviate the symptoms of APD. For instance, frequency modulation systems or remote microphone systems can suppress background noises and emphasize the speaker's voice. Computer programs can process sounds and render them in a clearer voice and tone.

Naturally, other methods like using visual aids, recorded lessons, strategic seating, note-taking, and speaking slower may further help kids improve their reading comprehension and overcome their auditory deficit.

Assistive technologies that help with APD

Various assistive technologies help kids with APD overcome auditory processing, score higher on hearing tests, and escape auditory discrimination. These include:

Noise-canceling headphones

Text to speech (TTS) software (such as Speechify)

Proofreading software

FM systems

Graphic organizers

Captioning software

Audiobooks

Classroom sound field systems

Personal listening devices

Audio recorders

Note-taking apps

Speechify-The best TTS tool for auditory processing disorders

When looking for assistive technologies with an impact on audiology, Speechify is one of the top apps. The text to speech (TTS) reader uses advanced AI-generated voices to narrate written text aloud in many languages.

Unlike regular speech, Speechify narrations don't have background noises and emphasize the speakers. It can help kids with APD, dyslexia, autism, language disorders, other attention deficit disorders, and with other auditory processing difficulties learn to focus. It also enables playback control, scanning, generating narrations from illustrations or textbooks, etc.

You can try the app for free to take advantage of its many features designed to develop normal hearing and language comprehension in school-aged children and adults.

FAQ

Which technology is the most appropriate for people with an auditory processing disorder?

Many technologies can help people with an auditory processing disorder, but no single piece of tech is best because APD symptoms and severity can vary wildly. Usually, text to speech software can be beneficial because it addresses several issues. TTS readers like Speechify can offer note-taking, generate narrations without background noise, enable playback control, check grammar and spelling, etc. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, or ASHA, also recommends FM systems.

What therapy is used for APD?

Speech-language pathology is a form of speech therapy often used by kids with ADP. It focuses on fixing sound discrimination and the inability to differentiate similar sounds. The right pathologist can help kids perceive sounds clearer and better respond to a parent's or teacher's voice.

Can APD be cured?

APD has no cure, but it has many compensatory tools to manage and overcome auditory impairment, attention deficit, and speech sound decoding issues. Speech processing problems may still persist into adulthood.

How does FM system help with auditory processing disorder?

An FM or remote microphone system can focus and emphasize a speaker's voice. It makes it legible and easier to understand by minimizing background noise. These systems require the speaker to wear a microphone transmitter and listeners to have a wireless receiver. FM systems work with on-ear listening devices and speaker boxes.

Can you outgrow APD?

Kids can outgrow some of the effects of APD with proper interventions, assistive technology, and speech therapy, but they might not fully overcome all auditory processing issues unless they start working on it very early.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Best Technology To Overcome Auditory Processing Disorder | Speechify

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Learn about the best technology to overcome auditory processing disorders and how text to speech apps enhance auditory processing skills.

# data[].attributes.body
They are given longer time for testing, a quieter setting so they can hear, sit closer to a teacher if in classroom and away from distractions such as the door, and have a quiet independent area for the individual.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This Clinical Policy Bulletin addresses auditory processing disorder (APD). Aetna considers any diagnostic tests or treatments for the management of auditory processing disorder (APD) (previously known as central auditory processing disorder (CAPD)) experimental and investigational because there is insufficient scientific evidence to support the validity of any diagnostic tests and the effectiveness of any treatment for APD.

# data[].attributes.headline
If you're working with families in the home to reinforce skills, describe 3 strategies or techniques that can be practiced in a home setting 

# data[].attributes.subject
If you're working with families in the home to reinforce skills, describe 3 strategies or techniques that can be practiced in a home setting 

# data[].attributes.body
They receive tests like Staggered Spondaic Words tests which are listening tests. They also receive tests called SCAN Screening Test which identifies if someone has Auditory Processing Disorder.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This Clinical Policy Bulletin addresses auditory processing disorder (APD). Aetna considers any diagnostic tests or treatments for the management of auditory processing disorder (APD) (previously known as central auditory processing disorder (CAPD)) experimental and investigational because there is insufficient scientific evidence to support the validity of any diagnostic tests and the effectiveness of any treatment for APD.

# data[].attributes.body
As educators, we can offer preferred seating for those that are struggling with auditory processing disorders. We can also emphasize key words and phrases. Lastly, we can use visual cues to help these students understand the language used in the classroom.

# data[].attributes.headline
Strategies that can be implemented in home or community settings to focus on one or more deficit skills

# data[].attributes.subject
Strategies that can be implemented in home or community settings to focus on one or more deficit skills

# data[].attributes.headline
Ways families can support individuals with this disability

# data[].attributes.subject
Ways families can support individuals with this disability

# data[].attributes.body
It is very common for people with auditory processing disorder to have other disabilities along with it, sometime APD also is known to contribute to other disabilities. Some of the most common are speech language delays, ADHD, Autism, Depression, and Learning disabilities.
https://www.asha.org

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
What Is Auditory Processing Disorder?

Auditory processing disorder (APD) is a hearing problem that affects about 3%-5% of school-aged children.

Kids with this condition, also known as central auditory processing disorder (CAPD), can't understand what they hear in the same way other kids do. This is because their ears and brain don't fully coordinate. Something interferes with the way the brain recognizes and interprets sounds, especially speech.

With the right strategies, kids with APD can be successful in school and life. Early diagnosis is important. If the condition is not identified and managed early, a child is at risk for listening and learning problems at home and school.

Trouble Understanding Speech

Kids with APD are thought to sense sound normally because they usually can hear sounds that are delivered one at a time in a very quiet environment (such as a sound-treated room). The problem is that they usually don't easily recognize slight differences between sounds in words, even when the sounds are loud enough to be heard.

These kinds of problems usually happen in a poor listening situation - such as when there's background noise or in a reverberant room like an auditorium - which often is the case in social situations. Kids with APD can have trouble understanding what is being said to them when they're in noisier places like a classroom, playground, sports event, school cafeteria, or party.

What Are the Signs & Symptoms of Auditory Processing Disorder?

Symptoms of APD can range from mild to severe and can take many different forms. If you think your child might have a problem processing sounds, ask yourself:

Does my child often mishear sounds and words?

Are noisy environments overwhelming when my child is trying to listen?

Does my child's listening behaviors and performance improve in quieter settings?

Does my child have trouble following verbal directions, whether simple or complicated?

Does my child have trouble with spelling or phonics?

Are verbal (word) math problems hard for my child?

Are conversations hard for my child to follow?

APD is often misunderstood because many of its symptoms are similar to those found in other disorders. Also, APD symptoms can be hidden by other problems, like speech-language delays, learning disabilities, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and depression. Auditory memory deficits, auditory attention problems, and sound sensitivity are not symptoms of APD, but also may involve trouble with using sound information correctly. Seeing an audiologist, and other related specialists, can help parents understand these conditions.

What Causes Auditory Processing Disorder?

Often, the cause of a child's APD isn't known. Evidence suggests that children with head trauma, lead poisoning, seizure disorder, or chronic ear infections are more at risk. Sometimes, there can be more than one cause.

How Is Auditory Processing Disorder Diagnosed?

If you think your child is having trouble hearing or understanding when people talk, have an audiologist (hearing specialist) examine your child. Only audiologists can diagnose auditory processing disorder.

The most common way to diagnose APD is to use a specific group of listening tests. Audiologists often look for these main problem areas in kids with APD:

Auditory figure-ground: This is when a child has trouble understanding speech when there is speech babble or ambient noise in the background. Noisy, loosely structured or open-air classrooms can be very frustrating for a child with APD.

Auditory closure: This is when a child can't "fill in the gaps" of speech when it is more challenging. This can happen in a quieter situation but is more common when the speaker's voice is too fast or is muffled, making it hard for the child to make sense of the sounds and words.

Dichotic listening: This is when a child has trouble understanding competing, meaningful speech that happens at the same time. For example, if a teacher is talking on one side of the child and another student is talking on the other side, the child with APD cannot understand the speech of one or both of the speakers.

Temporal processing: This is the timing of a child's processing system, which helps them recognize differences in speech sounds (such as mat versus pat). It also helps them understand pitch and intonation (for example, asking a question instead of giving a command), understand riddles and humor, and make inferences.

Binaural interaction: This is the ability to know which side speech or sounds are coming from, and to localize sound in a room. Although less common, this problem happens in children with a history of brain trauma or seizure disorders.

Most traditional APD tests require a child to be at least 7 years old. So, many kids aren't diagnosed until first grade or later. Newer electrophysiology tests (which use noninvasive electrodes to check the body's response to speech) can give some early information about the central auditory system in kids younger than 7.

How Can Parents and Teachers Help?

The auditory system isn't fully developed until kids are about 14 years old. Many kids diagnosed with APD can develop better listening skills over time as their auditory system matures.

There's no known cure, but different strategies may help with listening and also improve the development of the auditory pathway over time, especially when started at younger ages. These include:

physical accommodations to improve the listening environment

individual therapies

help from other professionals to manage non-listening symptoms. For example, a child may benefit from:

One common physical accommodation is a remote microphone system, previously known as a frequency modulation (FM) system. This assistive listening device emphasizes a speaker's voice over background noise, making the voice clearer so a child can understand it. The person talking wears a tiny microphone transmitter, which sends a signal to a wireless receiver that the child wears on the ear or to a speaker box.

Other physical accommodations often focus on optimizing a kid's access to speech. Optimizing speech means reducing the interference of other things, like background babble, sound and sight distractions, and poor classroom acoustics. In a classroom, for example, the teacher might slow down their speech, speak clearly and deliberately (Think Mr. Rogers!), and seat the child where they can see and hear them better.

Some individualized therapies also may help kids improve the growth of their auditory pathway. These usually are recommended by the audiologist based on the results of a child's tests and concerns. Several computer-assisted programs are geared toward children with APD. They mainly help the brain do a better job of processing sounds in a noisy setting. Some schools offer these programs. If your child has APD, ask school officials about what's available.

Strategies used at home and school can ease some of the issues associated with APD.

At home, these strategies that can help your child:

Reduce background noise whenever possible.

Have your child look at you when you speak. This helps give your child visual clues to "fill in the gaps" of missing speech information.

Use strategies like "chunking," which means giving your child simple verbal directions with less words, a key word to remember, and fewer steps.

Speak at a slightly slower rate with a clear voice. Louder does not always help. (Again, think Mr. Rogers!)

Ask your child to repeat the directions back to you to ensure they understand.

For directions to be completed later, writing notes, keeping a chore chart or list, using calendars with visual symbols, and maintaining routines can help.

Many kids with APD find using close captions on TV and computer programs helpful.

Encourage kids to advocate for themselves. Telling adults when listening is hard for them can help. But shy kids might need to use agreed-upon visual cards or signals for coaches, parents, and teachers.

Most important, remind your child that there's nothing to be ashamed of. We all learn in different ways. Be patient. This is hard for your child and takes time. Your child wants to do well, and needs patience, love, and understanding while they work toward success.

Teachers and other school staff may not know a lot about APD and how it can affect learning. Sharing this information and talking about it can help build understanding about the disorder.

APD is not technically considered a learning disability, and kids with APD usually aren't put in special education programs. Depending a child's degree of difficulty in school, they may be eligible for an accommodation plan such as an individualized education program (IEP) or a 504 plan that would outline any special needs for the classroom. Accommodations for APD often fall under the disability category of "Other Health Impairment."

Other helpful adjustments are:

strategic (or preferential) seating so the child is closest to the main person speaking. This reduces sound and sight distractions and improves access to speech.

pre-teaching new or unfamiliar words

visual aids

recorded lessons for later review

computer-assisted programs designed for kids with APD

Stay in touch with the school team about your child's progress. One of the most important things that parents and teachers can do is acknowledge that the APD symptoms your child has are real. APD symptoms and behaviors are not something that a child can control. What your child can do, with the help of caring adults, is recognize the problems from APD and use the strategies recommended for home and school.

A positive, realistic attitude and healthy self-esteem in a child with APD can work wonders. Kids with APD can be as successful as their classmates. With patience, love, and support, they can do anything they work toward.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
how can i help my child with academic progress

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Kids with APD can't understand what they hear in the same way other kids do. That's because their ears and brain don't fully coordinate. But early diagnosis and a variety of strategies can help them.

# data[].attributes.body
Do/Can any other disabilities exist in addition to this primary diagnosis?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
What Is Auditory Processing Disorder?

Auditory processing disorder (APD) is a hearing problem that affects about 3%-5% of school-aged children.

Kids with this condition, also known as central auditory processing disorder (CAPD), can't understand what they hear in the same way other kids do. This is because their ears and brain don't fully coordinate. Something interferes with the way the brain recognizes and interprets sounds, especially speech.

With the right strategies, kids with APD can be successful in school and life. Early diagnosis is important. If the condition is not identified and managed early, a child is at risk for listening and learning problems at home and school.

Trouble Understanding Speech

Kids with APD are thought to sense sound normally because they usually can hear sounds that are delivered one at a time in a very quiet environment (such as a sound-treated room). The problem is that they usually don't easily recognize slight differences between sounds in words, even when the sounds are loud enough to be heard.

These kinds of problems usually happen in a poor listening situation - such as when there's background noise or in a reverberant room like an auditorium - which often is the case in social situations. Kids with APD can have trouble understanding what is being said to them when they're in noisier places like a classroom, playground, sports event, school cafeteria, or party.

What Are the Signs & Symptoms of Auditory Processing Disorder?

Symptoms of APD can range from mild to severe and can take many different forms. If you think your child might have a problem processing sounds, ask yourself:

Does my child often mishear sounds and words?

Are noisy environments overwhelming when my child is trying to listen?

Does my child's listening behaviors and performance improve in quieter settings?

Does my child have trouble following verbal directions, whether simple or complicated?

Does my child have trouble with spelling or phonics?

Are verbal (word) math problems hard for my child?

Are conversations hard for my child to follow?

APD is often misunderstood because many of its symptoms are similar to those found in other disorders. Also, APD symptoms can be hidden by other problems, like speech-language delays, learning disabilities, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and depression. Auditory memory deficits, auditory attention problems, and sound sensitivity are not symptoms of APD, but also may involve trouble with using sound information correctly. Seeing an audiologist, and other related specialists, can help parents understand these conditions.

What Causes Auditory Processing Disorder?

Often, the cause of a child's APD isn't known. Evidence suggests that children with head trauma, lead poisoning, seizure disorder, or chronic ear infections are more at risk. Sometimes, there can be more than one cause.

How Is Auditory Processing Disorder Diagnosed?

If you think your child is having trouble hearing or understanding when people talk, have an audiologist (hearing specialist) examine your child. Only audiologists can diagnose auditory processing disorder.

The most common way to diagnose APD is to use a specific group of listening tests. Audiologists often look for these main problem areas in kids with APD:

Auditory figure-ground: This is when a child has trouble understanding speech when there is speech babble or ambient noise in the background. Noisy, loosely structured or open-air classrooms can be very frustrating for a child with APD.

Auditory closure: This is when a child can't "fill in the gaps" of speech when it is more challenging. This can happen in a quieter situation but is more common when the speaker's voice is too fast or is muffled, making it hard for the child to make sense of the sounds and words.

Dichotic listening: This is when a child has trouble understanding competing, meaningful speech that happens at the same time. For example, if a teacher is talking on one side of the child and another student is talking on the other side, the child with APD cannot understand the speech of one or both of the speakers.

Temporal processing: This is the timing of a child's processing system, which helps them recognize differences in speech sounds (such as mat versus pat). It also helps them understand pitch and intonation (for example, asking a question instead of giving a command), understand riddles and humor, and make inferences.

Binaural interaction: This is the ability to know which side speech or sounds are coming from, and to localize sound in a room. Although less common, this problem happens in children with a history of brain trauma or seizure disorders.

Most traditional APD tests require a child to be at least 7 years old. So, many kids aren't diagnosed until first grade or later. Newer electrophysiology tests (which use noninvasive electrodes to check the body's response to speech) can give some early information about the central auditory system in kids younger than 7.

How Can Parents and Teachers Help?

The auditory system isn't fully developed until kids are about 14 years old. Many kids diagnosed with APD can develop better listening skills over time as their auditory system matures.

There's no known cure, but different strategies may help with listening and also improve the development of the auditory pathway over time, especially when started at younger ages. These include:

physical accommodations to improve the listening environment

individual therapies

help from other professionals to manage non-listening symptoms. For example, a child may benefit from:

One common physical accommodation is a remote microphone system, previously known as a frequency modulation (FM) system. This assistive listening device emphasizes a speaker's voice over background noise, making the voice clearer so a child can understand it. The person talking wears a tiny microphone transmitter, which sends a signal to a wireless receiver that the child wears on the ear or to a speaker box.

Other physical accommodations often focus on optimizing a kid's access to speech. Optimizing speech means reducing the interference of other things, like background babble, sound and sight distractions, and poor classroom acoustics. In a classroom, for example, the teacher might slow down their speech, speak clearly and deliberately (Think Mr. Rogers!), and seat the child where they can see and hear them better.

Some individualized therapies also may help kids improve the growth of their auditory pathway. These usually are recommended by the audiologist based on the results of a child's tests and concerns. Several computer-assisted programs are geared toward children with APD. They mainly help the brain do a better job of processing sounds in a noisy setting. Some schools offer these programs. If your child has APD, ask school officials about what's available.

Strategies used at home and school can ease some of the issues associated with APD.

At home, these strategies that can help your child:

Reduce background noise whenever possible.

Have your child look at you when you speak. This helps give your child visual clues to "fill in the gaps" of missing speech information.

Use strategies like "chunking," which means giving your child simple verbal directions with less words, a key word to remember, and fewer steps.

Speak at a slightly slower rate with a clear voice. Louder does not always help. (Again, think Mr. Rogers!)

Ask your child to repeat the directions back to you to ensure they understand.

For directions to be completed later, writing notes, keeping a chore chart or list, using calendars with visual symbols, and maintaining routines can help.

Many kids with APD find using close captions on TV and computer programs helpful.

Encourage kids to advocate for themselves. Telling adults when listening is hard for them can help. But shy kids might need to use agreed-upon visual cards or signals for coaches, parents, and teachers.

Most important, remind your child that there's nothing to be ashamed of. We all learn in different ways. Be patient. This is hard for your child and takes time. Your child wants to do well, and needs patience, love, and understanding while they work toward success.

Teachers and other school staff may not know a lot about APD and how it can affect learning. Sharing this information and talking about it can help build understanding about the disorder.

APD is not technically considered a learning disability, and kids with APD usually aren't put in special education programs. Depending a child's degree of difficulty in school, they may be eligible for an accommodation plan such as an individualized education program (IEP) or a 504 plan that would outline any special needs for the classroom. Accommodations for APD often fall under the disability category of "Other Health Impairment."

Other helpful adjustments are:

strategic (or preferential) seating so the child is closest to the main person speaking. This reduces sound and sight distractions and improves access to speech.

pre-teaching new or unfamiliar words

visual aids

recorded lessons for later review

computer-assisted programs designed for kids with APD

Stay in touch with the school team about your child's progress. One of the most important things that parents and teachers can do is acknowledge that the APD symptoms your child has are real. APD symptoms and behaviors are not something that a child can control. What your child can do, with the help of caring adults, is recognize the problems from APD and use the strategies recommended for home and school.

A positive, realistic attitude and healthy self-esteem in a child with APD can work wonders. Kids with APD can be as successful as their classmates. With patience, love, and support, they can do anything they work toward.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
how can i help my child with academic progress

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Kids with APD can't understand what they hear in the same way other kids do. That's because their ears and brain don't fully coordinate. But early diagnosis and a variety of strategies can help them.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
How is it Treated?

Auditory Processing Disorder is relatively rare - with only about 3-4 percent of the population truly having APD - and is not always fully understood.

Currently, APD is recognized as a "specific learning disability" under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This qualifies a student for reasonable services and accommodations at school if they have been diagnosed with APD by an audiologist.

Following a diagnosis of APD, a customized list of recommendations to best help the child succeed is created by the audiologist and provided to the child's family and school for consideration. Each child and diagnosis is different, so careful attention is taken to ensure that the child's individual needs are met appropriately.

Some examples of recommendations include:

Specific and strategic seating arrangements in class

A device to help raise the level of the teachers voice above the classroom noise, called an FM system

Written or picture-based instructions to accompany verbally presented instructions

Specific focus on auditory processing skills in a therapy setting

Can it be Cured?

The areas of the brain responsible for auditory processing abilities continue to grow and develop throughout childhood until around age 13, when the auditory system is considered to be more mature and adult-like.

Due to this gradual maturation, it is possible that a child who was diagnosed with APD before age 13 could essentially "grow out" of APD. Additionally, a child's auditory processing skills may also improve if he or she is receiving therapy for APD.

For these reasons, it is recommended that children diagnosed with APD before age 13 be re-tested every 1-2 years until after their 13 th birthday to monitor for any changes or improvements with their auditory processing skills.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Auditory Processing Disorder (APD), also referred to as Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD), is a disorder of the auditory (hearing) system that causes a disruption in the way that an individual's brain understands what they are hearing. It is not a form of hearing loss.

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People with auditory processing disorders struggle with long lectures, following multi-step problems or directions, and understanding speech. People with this disorder especially struggle in the presence of background noise or sudden sounds.

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This resource talks about the disorder and under dive deeper at the bottom it gives you the different signs of the disorder and talks about what someone with this disorder would be struggling with.

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At a glance

Auditory processing disorder (APD) makes it hard to know what people are saying.

It isn't related to hearing problems or intelligence.

APD can impact people of all ages, and in different ways.

Auditory processing disorder (APD) is a term that refers to problems in how the brain understands speech. The sounds may be loud and clear. But people with APD don't pick up on the subtle differences between them.

For example, they may not recognize the difference between cat, that, and bat. The words seventy and seventeen may sound the same. Words can also get scrambled, so the question "how are the chair and couch alike" might sound like "how a cow and hair are like."

There are four auditory processing skills that people may struggle with:

Auditory discrimination: noticing, comparing, and distinguishing between separate sounds

Auditory figure-ground discrimination: focusing on the important sounds in a noisy setting

Auditory memory: recalling what you've heard, either immediately or in the future

Auditory sequencing: understanding and recalling the order of sounds and words

APD can have an impact on learning and interacting with others. But it isn't related to intelligence. People with APD are as smart as anyone else. They just struggle with a specific group of skills.

About the author

About the author

Gail Belsky is executive editor at Understood. She has written and edited for major media outlets, specializing in parenting, health, and career content.

Reviewed by

Reviewed by

Kelli Johnson, MA is an educational speech-language pathologist, working with students from early childhood through 12th grade.

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What is auditory processing disorder? Auditory processing disorder (APD) refers to problems in how the brain understands speech. Learn about APD symptoms and treatment.

# data[].attributes.body
This resource talks about Auditory Processing Disorder. It summarizes the disorder while also talking about what they might struggle with.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
In September 2023, Nationwide Children's Hospital is applying for Magnet redesignation. This prestigious designation recognizes excellence in nursing services. Patients, family members, staff, and interested parties who would like to provide comments are encouraged to do so.

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At Nationwide Children's Hospital, our vision remains unchanged. We aspire to create the best outcomes for children everywhere. This means families come to Nationwide Children's from around the globe knowing they will get the highest quality care. When your child needs a hospital, everything matters.

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Someone with this disorder might struggle with hearing speech if the room is too loud and they might struggle with learning to read, write, and spell. Behavior wise they might struggle with paying attention and listening to directions.

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What are the academic, behavioral, or functional areas of struggle based on this disability?

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this describes apd in a general light^
https://www.webmd.com/brain/auditory-processing-disorder
this resource shows how it can affect certain settings

school
-missing instructions in list of tasks

home
-carrying out certain chores

community
-noisy environments can be overwhelming

employment
-interviews can be difficult, trying to answer all the questions theyre asking

relationships
-communication and listening can be difficult

social and emotional
-can make it hard to form friendships, lead to stress or loneliness

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
What Is Auditory Processing Disorder?

Auditory processing disorder (APD) is a hearing problem that affects about 3%-5% of school-aged children.

Kids with this condition, also known as central auditory processing disorder (CAPD), can't understand what they hear in the same way other kids do. This is because their ears and brain don't fully coordinate. Something interferes with the way the brain recognizes and interprets sounds, especially speech.

With the right strategies, kids with APD can be successful in school and life. Early diagnosis is important. If the condition is not identified and managed early, a child is at risk for listening and learning problems at home and school.

Trouble Understanding Speech

Kids with APD are thought to sense sound normally because they usually can hear sounds that are delivered one at a time in a very quiet environment (such as a sound-treated room). The problem is that they usually don't easily recognize slight differences between sounds in words, even when the sounds are loud enough to be heard.

These kinds of problems usually happen in a poor listening situation - such as when there's background noise or in a reverberant room like an auditorium - which often is the case in social situations. Kids with APD can have trouble understanding what is being said to them when they're in noisier places like a classroom, playground, sports event, school cafeteria, or party.

What Are the Signs & Symptoms of Auditory Processing Disorder?

Symptoms of APD can range from mild to severe and can take many different forms. If you think your child might have a problem processing sounds, ask yourself:

Does my child often mishear sounds and words?

Are noisy environments overwhelming when my child is trying to listen?

Does my child's listening behaviors and performance improve in quieter settings?

Does my child have trouble following verbal directions, whether simple or complicated?

Does my child have trouble with spelling or phonics?

Are verbal (word) math problems hard for my child?

Are conversations hard for my child to follow?

APD is often misunderstood because many of its symptoms are similar to those found in other disorders. Also, APD symptoms can be hidden by other problems, like speech-language delays, learning disabilities, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and depression. Auditory memory deficits, auditory attention problems, and sound sensitivity are not symptoms of APD, but also may involve trouble with using sound information correctly. Seeing an audiologist, and other related specialists, can help parents understand these conditions.

What Causes Auditory Processing Disorder?

Often, the cause of a child's APD isn't known. Evidence suggests that children with head trauma, lead poisoning, seizure disorder, or chronic ear infections are more at risk. Sometimes, there can be more than one cause.

How Is Auditory Processing Disorder Diagnosed?

If you think your child is having trouble hearing or understanding when people talk, have an audiologist (hearing specialist) examine your child. Only audiologists can diagnose auditory processing disorder.

The most common way to diagnose APD is to use a specific group of listening tests. Audiologists often look for these main problem areas in kids with APD:

Auditory figure-ground: This is when a child has trouble understanding speech when there is speech babble or ambient noise in the background. Noisy, loosely structured or open-air classrooms can be very frustrating for a child with APD.

Auditory closure: This is when a child can't "fill in the gaps" of speech when it is more challenging. This can happen in a quieter situation but is more common when the speaker's voice is too fast or is muffled, making it hard for the child to make sense of the sounds and words.

Dichotic listening: This is when a child has trouble understanding competing, meaningful speech that happens at the same time. For example, if a teacher is talking on one side of the child and another student is talking on the other side, the child with APD cannot understand the speech of one or both of the speakers.

Temporal processing: This is the timing of a child's processing system, which helps them recognize differences in speech sounds (such as mat versus pat). It also helps them understand pitch and intonation (for example, asking a question instead of giving a command), understand riddles and humor, and make inferences.

Binaural interaction: This is the ability to know which side speech or sounds are coming from, and to localize sound in a room. Although less common, this problem happens in children with a history of brain trauma or seizure disorders.

Most traditional APD tests require a child to be at least 7 years old. So, many kids aren't diagnosed until first grade or later. Newer electrophysiology tests (which use noninvasive electrodes to check the body's response to speech) can give some early information about the central auditory system in kids younger than 7.

How Can Parents and Teachers Help?

The auditory system isn't fully developed until kids are about 14 years old. Many kids diagnosed with APD can develop better listening skills over time as their auditory system matures.

There's no known cure, but different strategies may help with listening and also improve the development of the auditory pathway over time, especially when started at younger ages. These include:

physical accommodations to improve the listening environment

individual therapies

help from other professionals to manage non-listening symptoms. For example, a child may benefit from:

One common physical accommodation is a remote microphone system, previously known as a frequency modulation (FM) system. This assistive listening device emphasizes a speaker's voice over background noise, making the voice clearer so a child can understand it. The person talking wears a tiny microphone transmitter, which sends a signal to a wireless receiver that the child wears on the ear or to a speaker box.

Other physical accommodations often focus on optimizing a kid's access to speech. Optimizing speech means reducing the interference of other things, like background babble, sound and sight distractions, and poor classroom acoustics. In a classroom, for example, the teacher might slow down their speech, speak clearly and deliberately (Think Mr. Rogers!), and seat the child where they can see and hear them better.

Some individualized therapies also may help kids improve the growth of their auditory pathway. These usually are recommended by the audiologist based on the results of a child's tests and concerns. Several computer-assisted programs are geared toward children with APD. They mainly help the brain do a better job of processing sounds in a noisy setting. Some schools offer these programs. If your child has APD, ask school officials about what's available.

Strategies used at home and school can ease some of the issues associated with APD.

At home, these strategies that can help your child:

Reduce background noise whenever possible.

Have your child look at you when you speak. This helps give your child visual clues to "fill in the gaps" of missing speech information.

Use strategies like "chunking," which means giving your child simple verbal directions with less words, a key word to remember, and fewer steps.

Speak at a slightly slower rate with a clear voice. Louder does not always help. (Again, think Mr. Rogers!)

Ask your child to repeat the directions back to you to ensure they understand.

For directions to be completed later, writing notes, keeping a chore chart or list, using calendars with visual symbols, and maintaining routines can help.

Many kids with APD find using close captions on TV and computer programs helpful.

Encourage kids to advocate for themselves. Telling adults when listening is hard for them can help. But shy kids might need to use agreed-upon visual cards or signals for coaches, parents, and teachers.

Most important, remind your child that there's nothing to be ashamed of. We all learn in different ways. Be patient. This is hard for your child and takes time. Your child wants to do well, and needs patience, love, and understanding while they work toward success.

Teachers and other school staff may not know a lot about APD and how it can affect learning. Sharing this information and talking about it can help build understanding about the disorder.

APD is not technically considered a learning disability, and kids with APD usually aren't put in special education programs. Depending a child's degree of difficulty in school, they may be eligible for an accommodation plan such as an individualized education program (IEP) or a 504 plan that would outline any special needs for the classroom. Accommodations for APD often fall under the disability category of "Other Health Impairment."

Other helpful adjustments are:

strategic (or preferential) seating so the child is closest to the main person speaking. This reduces sound and sight distractions and improves access to speech.

pre-teaching new or unfamiliar words

visual aids

recorded lessons for later review

computer-assisted programs designed for kids with APD

Stay in touch with the school team about your child's progress. One of the most important things that parents and teachers can do is acknowledge that the APD symptoms your child has are real. APD symptoms and behaviors are not something that a child can control. What your child can do, with the help of caring adults, is recognize the problems from APD and use the strategies recommended for home and school.

A positive, realistic attitude and healthy self-esteem in a child with APD can work wonders. Kids with APD can be as successful as their classmates. With patience, love, and support, they can do anything they work toward.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
how can i help my child with academic progress

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Kids with APD can't understand what they hear in the same way other kids do. That's because their ears and brain don't fully coordinate. But early diagnosis and a variety of strategies can help them.

# data[].attributes.body
Identify challenges in the following areas:
- School
- Home
- Community
- Employment (for adults)
- Relationships
- Social and Emotional

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
What Is Auditory Processing Disorder?

Auditory processing disorder (APD) is a hearing problem that affects about 3%-5% of school-aged children.

Kids with this condition, also known as central auditory processing disorder (CAPD), can't understand what they hear in the same way other kids do. This is because their ears and brain don't fully coordinate. Something interferes with the way the brain recognizes and interprets sounds, especially speech.

With the right strategies, kids with APD can be successful in school and life. Early diagnosis is important. If the condition is not identified and managed early, a child is at risk for listening and learning problems at home and school.

Trouble Understanding Speech

Kids with APD are thought to sense sound normally because they usually can hear sounds that are delivered one at a time in a very quiet environment (such as a sound-treated room). The problem is that they usually don't easily recognize slight differences between sounds in words, even when the sounds are loud enough to be heard.

These kinds of problems usually happen in a poor listening situation - such as when there's background noise or in a reverberant room like an auditorium - which often is the case in social situations. Kids with APD can have trouble understanding what is being said to them when they're in noisier places like a classroom, playground, sports event, school cafeteria, or party.

What Are the Signs & Symptoms of Auditory Processing Disorder?

Symptoms of APD can range from mild to severe and can take many different forms. If you think your child might have a problem processing sounds, ask yourself:

Does my child often mishear sounds and words?

Are noisy environments overwhelming when my child is trying to listen?

Does my child's listening behaviors and performance improve in quieter settings?

Does my child have trouble following verbal directions, whether simple or complicated?

Does my child have trouble with spelling or phonics?

Are verbal (word) math problems hard for my child?

Are conversations hard for my child to follow?

APD is often misunderstood because many of its symptoms are similar to those found in other disorders. Also, APD symptoms can be hidden by other problems, like speech-language delays, learning disabilities, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and depression. Auditory memory deficits, auditory attention problems, and sound sensitivity are not symptoms of APD, but also may involve trouble with using sound information correctly. Seeing an audiologist, and other related specialists, can help parents understand these conditions.

What Causes Auditory Processing Disorder?

Often, the cause of a child's APD isn't known. Evidence suggests that children with head trauma, lead poisoning, seizure disorder, or chronic ear infections are more at risk. Sometimes, there can be more than one cause.

How Is Auditory Processing Disorder Diagnosed?

If you think your child is having trouble hearing or understanding when people talk, have an audiologist (hearing specialist) examine your child. Only audiologists can diagnose auditory processing disorder.

The most common way to diagnose APD is to use a specific group of listening tests. Audiologists often look for these main problem areas in kids with APD:

Auditory figure-ground: This is when a child has trouble understanding speech when there is speech babble or ambient noise in the background. Noisy, loosely structured or open-air classrooms can be very frustrating for a child with APD.

Auditory closure: This is when a child can't "fill in the gaps" of speech when it is more challenging. This can happen in a quieter situation but is more common when the speaker's voice is too fast or is muffled, making it hard for the child to make sense of the sounds and words.

Dichotic listening: This is when a child has trouble understanding competing, meaningful speech that happens at the same time. For example, if a teacher is talking on one side of the child and another student is talking on the other side, the child with APD cannot understand the speech of one or both of the speakers.

Temporal processing: This is the timing of a child's processing system, which helps them recognize differences in speech sounds (such as mat versus pat). It also helps them understand pitch and intonation (for example, asking a question instead of giving a command), understand riddles and humor, and make inferences.

Binaural interaction: This is the ability to know which side speech or sounds are coming from, and to localize sound in a room. Although less common, this problem happens in children with a history of brain trauma or seizure disorders.

Most traditional APD tests require a child to be at least 7 years old. So, many kids aren't diagnosed until first grade or later. Newer electrophysiology tests (which use noninvasive electrodes to check the body's response to speech) can give some early information about the central auditory system in kids younger than 7.

How Can Parents and Teachers Help?

The auditory system isn't fully developed until kids are about 14 years old. Many kids diagnosed with APD can develop better listening skills over time as their auditory system matures.

There's no known cure, but different strategies may help with listening and also improve the development of the auditory pathway over time, especially when started at younger ages. These include:

physical accommodations to improve the listening environment

individual therapies

help from other professionals to manage non-listening symptoms. For example, a child may benefit from:

One common physical accommodation is a remote microphone system, previously known as a frequency modulation (FM) system. This assistive listening device emphasizes a speaker's voice over background noise, making the voice clearer so a child can understand it. The person talking wears a tiny microphone transmitter, which sends a signal to a wireless receiver that the child wears on the ear or to a speaker box.

Other physical accommodations often focus on optimizing a kid's access to speech. Optimizing speech means reducing the interference of other things, like background babble, sound and sight distractions, and poor classroom acoustics. In a classroom, for example, the teacher might slow down their speech, speak clearly and deliberately (Think Mr. Rogers!), and seat the child where they can see and hear them better.

Some individualized therapies also may help kids improve the growth of their auditory pathway. These usually are recommended by the audiologist based on the results of a child's tests and concerns. Several computer-assisted programs are geared toward children with APD. They mainly help the brain do a better job of processing sounds in a noisy setting. Some schools offer these programs. If your child has APD, ask school officials about what's available.

Strategies used at home and school can ease some of the issues associated with APD.

At home, these strategies that can help your child:

Reduce background noise whenever possible.

Have your child look at you when you speak. This helps give your child visual clues to "fill in the gaps" of missing speech information.

Use strategies like "chunking," which means giving your child simple verbal directions with less words, a key word to remember, and fewer steps.

Speak at a slightly slower rate with a clear voice. Louder does not always help. (Again, think Mr. Rogers!)

Ask your child to repeat the directions back to you to ensure they understand.

For directions to be completed later, writing notes, keeping a chore chart or list, using calendars with visual symbols, and maintaining routines can help.

Many kids with APD find using close captions on TV and computer programs helpful.

Encourage kids to advocate for themselves. Telling adults when listening is hard for them can help. But shy kids might need to use agreed-upon visual cards or signals for coaches, parents, and teachers.

Most important, remind your child that there's nothing to be ashamed of. We all learn in different ways. Be patient. This is hard for your child and takes time. Your child wants to do well, and needs patience, love, and understanding while they work toward success.

Teachers and other school staff may not know a lot about APD and how it can affect learning. Sharing this information and talking about it can help build understanding about the disorder.

APD is not technically considered a learning disability, and kids with APD usually aren't put in special education programs. Depending a child's degree of difficulty in school, they may be eligible for an accommodation plan such as an individualized education program (IEP) or a 504 plan that would outline any special needs for the classroom. Accommodations for APD often fall under the disability category of "Other Health Impairment."

Other helpful adjustments are:

strategic (or preferential) seating so the child is closest to the main person speaking. This reduces sound and sight distractions and improves access to speech.

pre-teaching new or unfamiliar words

visual aids

recorded lessons for later review

computer-assisted programs designed for kids with APD

Stay in touch with the school team about your child's progress. One of the most important things that parents and teachers can do is acknowledge that the APD symptoms your child has are real. APD symptoms and behaviors are not something that a child can control. What your child can do, with the help of caring adults, is recognize the problems from APD and use the strategies recommended for home and school.

A positive, realistic attitude and healthy self-esteem in a child with APD can work wonders. Kids with APD can be as successful as their classmates. With patience, love, and support, they can do anything they work toward.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
how can i help my child with academic progress

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Kids with APD can't understand what they hear in the same way other kids do. That's because their ears and brain don't fully coordinate. But early diagnosis and a variety of strategies can help them.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Prevalence of APD - Auditory Processing Center

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In children with learning difficulties the prevalence of auditory processing disorder has been found to be 43%. Up to 70% of individuals with dyslexia have coexisting Auditory Processing Disorder.

# data[].attributes.body
Auditory processing disorder affects around 3-5 percent of school-aged kids. The prevalence of this disorder have been found to be 43%.

# data[].attributes.body
This article gives a good understanding of APD and what can cause it, but it also has helpful tabs for parents or caretaker of the person with a disability. It also has tabs explains the disorder for children.

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What Is Auditory Processing Disorder?

Auditory processing disorder (APD) is a hearing problem that affects about 3%-5% of school-aged children.

Kids with this condition, also known as central auditory processing disorder (CAPD), can't understand what they hear in the same way other kids do. This is because their ears and brain don't fully coordinate. Something interferes with the way the brain recognizes and interprets sounds, especially speech.

With the right strategies, kids with APD can be successful in school and life. Early diagnosis is important. If the condition is not identified and managed early, a child is at risk for listening and learning problems at home and school.

Trouble Understanding Speech

Kids with APD are thought to sense sound normally because they usually can hear sounds that are delivered one at a time in a very quiet environment (such as a sound-treated room). The problem is that they usually don't easily recognize slight differences between sounds in words, even when the sounds are loud enough to be heard.

These kinds of problems usually happen in a poor listening situation - such as when there's background noise or in a reverberant room like an auditorium - which often is the case in social situations. Kids with APD can have trouble understanding what is being said to them when they're in noisier places like a classroom, playground, sports event, school cafeteria, or party.

What Are the Signs & Symptoms of Auditory Processing Disorder?

Symptoms of APD can range from mild to severe and can take many different forms. If you think your child might have a problem processing sounds, ask yourself:

Does my child often mishear sounds and words?

Are noisy environments overwhelming when my child is trying to listen?

Does my child's listening behaviors and performance improve in quieter settings?

Does my child have trouble following verbal directions, whether simple or complicated?

Does my child have trouble with spelling or phonics?

Are verbal (word) math problems hard for my child?

Are conversations hard for my child to follow?

APD is often misunderstood because many of its symptoms are similar to those found in other disorders. Also, APD symptoms can be hidden by other problems, like speech-language delays, learning disabilities, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and depression. Auditory memory deficits, auditory attention problems, and sound sensitivity are not symptoms of APD, but also may involve trouble with using sound information correctly. Seeing an audiologist, and other related specialists, can help parents understand these conditions.

What Causes Auditory Processing Disorder?

Often, the cause of a child's APD isn't known. Evidence suggests that children with head trauma, lead poisoning, seizure disorder, or chronic ear infections are more at risk. Sometimes, there can be more than one cause.

How Is Auditory Processing Disorder Diagnosed?

If you think your child is having trouble hearing or understanding when people talk, have an audiologist (hearing specialist) examine your child. Only audiologists can diagnose auditory processing disorder.

The most common way to diagnose APD is to use a specific group of listening tests. Audiologists often look for these main problem areas in kids with APD:

Auditory figure-ground: This is when a child has trouble understanding speech when there is speech babble or ambient noise in the background. Noisy, loosely structured or open-air classrooms can be very frustrating for a child with APD.

Auditory closure: This is when a child can't "fill in the gaps" of speech when it is more challenging. This can happen in a quieter situation but is more common when the speaker's voice is too fast or is muffled, making it hard for the child to make sense of the sounds and words.

Dichotic listening: This is when a child has trouble understanding competing, meaningful speech that happens at the same time. For example, if a teacher is talking on one side of the child and another student is talking on the other side, the child with APD cannot understand the speech of one or both of the speakers.

Temporal processing: This is the timing of a child's processing system, which helps them recognize differences in speech sounds (such as mat versus pat). It also helps them understand pitch and intonation (for example, asking a question instead of giving a command), understand riddles and humor, and make inferences.

Binaural interaction: This is the ability to know which side speech or sounds are coming from, and to localize sound in a room. Although less common, this problem happens in children with a history of brain trauma or seizure disorders.

Most traditional APD tests require a child to be at least 7 years old. So, many kids aren't diagnosed until first grade or later. Newer electrophysiology tests (which use noninvasive electrodes to check the body's response to speech) can give some early information about the central auditory system in kids younger than 7.

How Can Parents and Teachers Help?

The auditory system isn't fully developed until kids are about 14 years old. Many kids diagnosed with APD can develop better listening skills over time as their auditory system matures.

There's no known cure, but different strategies may help with listening and also improve the development of the auditory pathway over time, especially when started at younger ages. These include:

physical accommodations to improve the listening environment

individual therapies

help from other professionals to manage non-listening symptoms. For example, a child may benefit from:

One common physical accommodation is a remote microphone system, previously known as a frequency modulation (FM) system. This assistive listening device emphasizes a speaker's voice over background noise, making the voice clearer so a child can understand it. The person talking wears a tiny microphone transmitter, which sends a signal to a wireless receiver that the child wears on the ear or to a speaker box.

Other physical accommodations often focus on optimizing a kid's access to speech. Optimizing speech means reducing the interference of other things, like background babble, sound and sight distractions, and poor classroom acoustics. In a classroom, for example, the teacher might slow down their speech, speak clearly and deliberately (Think Mr. Rogers!), and seat the child where they can see and hear them better.

Some individualized therapies also may help kids improve the growth of their auditory pathway. These usually are recommended by the audiologist based on the results of a child's tests and concerns. Several computer-assisted programs are geared toward children with APD. They mainly help the brain do a better job of processing sounds in a noisy setting. Some schools offer these programs. If your child has APD, ask school officials about what's available.

Strategies used at home and school can ease some of the issues associated with APD.

At home, these strategies that can help your child:

Reduce background noise whenever possible.

Have your child look at you when you speak. This helps give your child visual clues to "fill in the gaps" of missing speech information.

Use strategies like "chunking," which means giving your child simple verbal directions with less words, a key word to remember, and fewer steps.

Speak at a slightly slower rate with a clear voice. Louder does not always help. (Again, think Mr. Rogers!)

Ask your child to repeat the directions back to you to ensure they understand.

For directions to be completed later, writing notes, keeping a chore chart or list, using calendars with visual symbols, and maintaining routines can help.

Many kids with APD find using close captions on TV and computer programs helpful.

Encourage kids to advocate for themselves. Telling adults when listening is hard for them can help. But shy kids might need to use agreed-upon visual cards or signals for coaches, parents, and teachers.

Most important, remind your child that there's nothing to be ashamed of. We all learn in different ways. Be patient. This is hard for your child and takes time. Your child wants to do well, and needs patience, love, and understanding while they work toward success.

Teachers and other school staff may not know a lot about APD and how it can affect learning. Sharing this information and talking about it can help build understanding about the disorder.

APD is not technically considered a learning disability, and kids with APD usually aren't put in special education programs. Depending a child's degree of difficulty in school, they may be eligible for an accommodation plan such as an individualized education program (IEP) or a 504 plan that would outline any special needs for the classroom. Accommodations for APD often fall under the disability category of "Other Health Impairment."

Other helpful adjustments are:

strategic (or preferential) seating so the child is closest to the main person speaking. This reduces sound and sight distractions and improves access to speech.

pre-teaching new or unfamiliar words

visual aids

recorded lessons for later review

computer-assisted programs designed for kids with APD

Stay in touch with the school team about your child's progress. One of the most important things that parents and teachers can do is acknowledge that the APD symptoms your child has are real. APD symptoms and behaviors are not something that a child can control. What your child can do, with the help of caring adults, is recognize the problems from APD and use the strategies recommended for home and school.

A positive, realistic attitude and healthy self-esteem in a child with APD can work wonders. Kids with APD can be as successful as their classmates. With patience, love, and support, they can do anything they work toward.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
how can i help my child with academic progress

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Kids with APD can't understand what they hear in the same way other kids do. That's because their ears and brain don't fully coordinate. But early diagnosis and a variety of strategies can help them.

# data[].attributes.body
some of the potential causes of auditory processing disorder are regular ear infections, complications during birth. Sustaining a serious head injury can also cause this. Auditory processing disorder can also just come from your genetics.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Find out about auditory processing disorder, a condition where you have difficulty understanding sounds including spoken words.

# data[].attributes.body
This journal describes the evaluation, treatment, diagnosis/prognosis and characteristics of APD. It reviews studies that have been done on the disorder and how it presented.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Continuing Education Activity

Central auditory processing disorder is a rare, poorly understood condition that affects the central auditory nervous system. Patients are classically young children presenting with hearing difficulties but may have other learning disorders, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The condition requires a multidisciplinary team to diagnose and manage the disorder, with further research in these areas. This article reviews the basic principles of the condition as well as identification and management and explains the role of the interprofessional team in the delivery of patient care.

Objectives:

Understand how the central auditory nervous system works and how its dysfunction relates to central auditory processing disorder.

Describe the common signs and symptoms of central auditory processing disorder.

Summarize the types of tests used to diagnose central auditory processing disorder.

Outline the management strategies for central auditory processing disorder.

Access free multiple choice questions on this topic.
Introduction

Central auditory processing (CAP) is the ability to perceptually receive stimuli within the central auditory nervous system (CANS) and conduct the subsequent neurobiological activities that give rise to the electrophysiological auditory action potentials.[1] Disruption of this process will result in deficits in speech perception, sound localization, auditory discrimination, and temporal characterization of sounds.[2]

Central auditory processing disorder (CAPD) is a condition that primarily affects the CANS. Patients with CAPD tend to have normal outer, middle, and inner ear anatomy with preserved function; however, they have deficits in the neural processing of auditory stimuli that are not due to cognitive or higher-order language pathology.[3]

The CANS extends from the cochlear nucleus in the brainstem to the auditory cortex. Auditory information reaches the cochlear nucleus from the peripheral auditory system via the auditory nerve. A series of nuclei transmit the information to the cortex for the perception of sound to occur: the cochlear nucleus, the superior olivary nuclei, the lateral meniscus, the inferior colliculus, and the medial geniculate nuclei.[4]

There are several levels of crossing fibers throughout the brainstem, allowing both ipsilateral and contralateral signals to contribute to the many aspects of auditory processing.[5] There is also a series of descending neuronal circuits within the auditory system, which allows for the modulation of auditory processing at multiple levels.[6]

The auditory system is highly interconnected with ascending, descending, and crossing fibers that enable higher-order functions from the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, limbic circuits, etc., to connect directly or indirectly with the auditory system, giving rise to our perception and understanding of auditory information.[7]

CAPD is primarily a condition that affects children and is highly prevalent in patients with diagnoses of learning difficulties such as dyslexia, attention deficit disorder (ADHD), and autism spectrum disorder (ASD).[8] However, CAPD can affect adults of all ages, as there are multiple etiologies, including cerebrovascular disease, malignancy, and neurotoxicity. Clinically, CAPD presents in young children as behavioral characteristics.[9] These include:

Difficulty in localizing sound

Difficulty in understanding language in noisy backgrounds or when words are presented rapidly

Longer response times in oral communication

Inappropriate or inconsistent responding

Poor attention span and easy distraction

Reading, spelling, and learning difficulties

Inability to follow complex commands or directions

This list is not exhaustive, and there is significant symptomatic overlap with the aforementioned learning disorders, e.g., ADHD.

To diagnose CAPD, a battery of auditory diagnostic tests examines the integrity of the CANS. Problems with the CANS may be isolated or associated with conditions that interact with other sensorimotor modalities and/or higher-level cognitive functions. Therefore, to diagnose CAPD effectively, a multidisciplinary team approach that considers other parameters such as cognition, memory, and linguistics should be employed.[9]

The information must be collected from a thorough review of the patient's medical, educational, and developmental background, as behavioral and electrophysiological tests in conjunction with relevant imaging and assessment of speech, language, and cognition.[9]

Intervention should be undertaken immediately once evidence from behavioral and/or electrophysiological tests demonstrate deficits in the CANS sufficient to diagnose CAPD. When CAPD is identified early, there is an opportunity to utilize the brain's plasticity to induce cortical and brainstem reorganization.[10] Intensive interventions and auditory training that exploits this plasticity are most likely to produce successful outcomes.[11]

Etiology

CAPD can be a difficult condition to diagnose, given that its etiology is so broad. Generally, CAPD is linked to a specific lesion or disorder, or the cause may be unknown.

There are several leading causes and risk factors for CAPD.[12] They are as listed below.

Neurological disease or damage

Cerebrovascular disorder - e.g., stroke

Brain injury or damage - e.g., meningitis or head trauma

Neurodegenerative disorders - e.g., multiple sclerosis

Lesions or tumors of the central nervous system (CNS)

Neurotoxins - e.g., heavy metals

Otological disease - e.g., auditory deprivation as a result of chronic otitis media

Prenatal/neonatal risk factors

Epidemiology

Unfortunately, it is difficult to calculate the incidence and prevalence of CAPD due to the lack of standardized diagnostic criteria and guidance from different academic organizations varies. However, some studies have given estimates on prevalence.

In patients over the age of 55 years, the prevalence of CAPD has been estimated to be between 27% and 75%; however, it is as high as 95% in the population over 80.[13][14]

This extreme range of estimates in prevalence is also reflected in the pediatric population. Using different diagnostic criteria causes significant variability in the estimated prevalence of CAPD within the same population group. A 2013 study demonstrated that using nine different sets of diagnostic criteria on a population of children that completed CAPD assessment ranged from a prevalence of 7.3% with the strictest criteria to 96.0% with the most lenient.[15]

CAPD tends to affect males more than females, with a male: female ratio of 2 to 1.[16] Further studies on the epidemiology of CAPD are clearly needed, and standardized criteria that can give a more accurate representation of the actual prevalence of the condition should be developed and universally adopted.

Pathophysiology

The pathophysiology of CAPD is classified into two categories based on coexisting conditions:

1) Neurological conditions

Very few cases of CAPD in children will have an underlying neurological pathology; nonetheless, CAPD may be the only presenting manifestation of a space-occupying lesion. For this reason, when patients present with CAPD, there must be a high level of clinical suspicion for underlying CNS pathology, and performing a thorough neurological and developmental examination is critical.

2) Delayed central nervous system maturation or other developmental disorders

Despite the fact that the human auditory system is already fully developed at birth, myelination in the higher auditory pathways is still occurring up until the ages of 10 to 12 years.[12] Therefore any form of auditory deprivation, even in diseases such as chronic glue ear, can have disastrous effects on the organization and maturation of the central auditory pathway, a fact that may explain the correlation of CAPD with other developmental and behavioral disorders, such as ADHD.[17]

History and Physical

A thorough history must be taken to determine the nature and type of disorder, along with its impact and functional ramifications. This will also help to delineate the diagnosis and the subsequent treatment plan.

Information gathering should focus on the patient's family and genetic history; the pre-, peri-, and post-natal course; current health, including medications; developmental history, especially communication and listening behavior; psychosocial factors; education; social behavior; and any other hearing concerns.

The history can be obtained directly from the patient, although this may be difficult in a younger patient; therefore, collateral history from the parent or family members is extremely beneficial.

A thorough neurological examination should also be conducted, as other signs may be elicited that could reveal the cause of the presenting symptoms; focal neuropathy, for example, may present if there is a space-occupying lesion.

Patients presenting with CAPD will frequently present with one or several of a set of specific behavioral characteristics. They will be uncertain about what they hear or misunderstand what has been said and have difficulty understanding or listening in loud or noisy environments with frequent requests for repetition.[9] Patients may also have difficulty paying attention, are easily distracted, have difficulty localizing sounds, and have associated learning difficulties.

CAPD symptoms will become apparent in the early school years or later during the more academic stage of patients' lives as their environments change and there is increased demand for focus and concentration. In rare cases, this presentation can manifest a neurological disorder rather than isolated CAPD.[12]

Because individuals with CAPD have primary auditory difficulties, young patients are liable to develop associated language, reading, writing, and spelling disorders. Therefore, it is crucial to recognize that the behavioral characteristics associated with CAPD are not exclusive to this condition and that other diagnoses present similarly, such as ASD, ADHD, learning disorder, and language impairment; these characteristics are not pathognomonic of CAPD.[12]

Evaluation

There are two primary diagnostic modalities: behavioral and electrophysiological. To diagnose CAPD, tests have to evaluate the integrity of the CANS. Combining these modalities allows clinicians to assess the CANS via a bottom-up sensory approach and top-down cognitive evaluation.[9] A sizeable battery of tests can be utilized by an interprofessional team that includes physicians, audiologists, speech and language therapists, and psychologists. An accurate diagnosis requires careful consideration of the following parameters:[9]

Cognitive, memory, and linguistic assessments

Medical, education, and developmental histories

Electrophysiological tests

Speech and language assessment

Some electrophysiological tests will require specialist audiometry equipment and must be carried out in an acoustically controlled environment under the guidance of trained audiologists. These test results will be interpreted by audiologists, who are responsible for accurately assessing hearing and balance.

Although there is no universally accepted screening program for CAPD, there is still a need to identify patients likely to benefit from further central auditory testing. Screening is performed in children who have shown delays in speech and language development, following which abbreviated test protocols can then be followed. Questionnaires and checklists are available for clinicians to determine a patient's auditory and social behaviors and then ascertain whether a more systematic approach to evaluation needs to be taken.

Initially, a peripheral cause for any hearing loss or behavioral characteristics should be sought, as peripheral auditory disorders, e.g., conductive or sensorineural hearing loss, can similarly affect an individual. However, if there is an identified cause of peripheral hearing loss, it does not preclude further assessment for CAPD. It may, nevertheless, alter the results of further testing - in patients with profound hearing loss, testing cannot be completed. Therefore, tests that utilize stimuli minimally affected by peripheral hearing loss should ideally be used.[18]

To effectively evaluate the CANS, an audiologist must select an appropriate CAPD test battery. Findings from the patient's history, language assessments, cognitive assessments, and peripheral hearing tests will inform the decision of which tests to administer to diagnose or exclude dysfunction of the CANS.[19]

Appropriate test selection may pinpoint impairments in the neurophysiological processes that occur within the CANS, which will lead to more precisely targeted treatment plans. Tests of auditory discrimination are used to determine the ability to differentiate between similar acoustic stimuli that have different frequencies, intensities, and temporal characteristics. Tests that assess the auditory temporal processing ability monitor how the CANS analyzes acoustic events over time. Additional tests should assess the CANS' ability to separate or integrate (binaural separation or binaural integration) different sounds presented at each ear simultaneously.

The ability to recognize speech in noise, speech in competition, low pass filtered speech, and rapid speech are assessed using monaural low redundancy speech tests. Binaural interaction tests are used to evaluate the CANS' ability to combine inputs that complement each other when simultaneous and otherwise identical stimuli are distributed between the ears with different intensities, timing, or spectral differences.[20]

Essentially, behavioral tests fall into three main categories.

1) Monaural low redundancy

This type of test presents speech stimuli to one ear, which will either be accompanied by competing signals, e.g., background noise, or degraded in terms of their frequency context. The patient is then asked to identify the correct speech stimulus.[12]

2) Dichotic or binaural interaction tests

The stimuli are presented to one or both ears, and the patient is asked to identify the side of the stimulus.[12]

3) Temporal tasks

The patient is asked to identify auditory stimuli in sequencing tasks.

Electrophysiological tests asses the neural processing and functioning of the auditory structures of the CANS from the vestibulocochlear nerve to the auditory cortex.[21] These tests include:

Electrophysiological tests tend to be preferable in the following circumstances:

When behavioral tests are not feasible, e.g., in infants and young children or non-English speakers

Suspicion of a neurological disorder

To confirm behavioral test findings

If behavioral tests are inconclusive

Treatment / Management

Each patient will have specific needs and, therefore, a unique treatment plan devised by a multidisciplinary team. The overall aim of any treatment plan is to allow the patient to communicate effectively in everyday situations, such as school and work environments.

There are currently three main treatment approaches for patients with CAPD that are recognized by the American Speech Language Hearing Association:

These three methods complement one another to provide auditory training in a bottom-up fashion along with the recruitment of higher-order brain functions, i.e., the top-down approach that helps patients compensate for the disorder. Changing the patients' environment further maximizes their opportunities to process auditory stimuli effectively.

Direct skills remediation targets the individual tasks of auditory processing. These skills may help with difficulties in the following:[22]

Auditory pattern recognition

Sound localization and lateralization

Inability to recognize auditory stimuli in the presence of background noise

Recognition of different auditory information when it is presented into each ear simultaneously

Computer-based training methods are used for direct skills remediation and can address both auditory system and language deficits. These programs are designed to utilize the brain's plasticity within the auditory system.[23] Another category of direct skills remediation is exercises that train interhemispheric transfer, the process responsible for binaural hearing and processing.[24]

Compensatory strategies are referred to as the top-down approach, and they effectively reduce the impact of CAPD on patients' language, cognition, and learning. These strategies target higher-order abilities such as memory and attention and strengthen them to develop communication, improve social and listening skills, and optimize learning outcomes. Compensatory strategies can be split into two different categories: metalinguistic and metacognitive.

Metalinguistic strategies focus on predicting elements in a message (schema induction) and using grammar to identify links and relationships between sentences. Patients can use a better understanding of context and active listening to create a broader vocabulary. Metacognitive strategies, in contrast, are more internally focused, looking at self-instruction, metamemory skills, organization skills, problem-solving, and assertiveness training.[25]

Environmental modifications allow the patient to improve access to any auditory information with which they are presented. This approach can be split into two categories:

Enhancement of the listening environment and the auditory signal (bottom-up)

Management approaches (top-down)

These two methods aim to improve the overall clarity and the audibility of the signal that is received and to improve access to the signal's information. Enhancement of the listening environment involves making physical modifications to the patient's physical surroundings to improve the acoustics, such as covering reflective surfaces, removing any objects that generate background noise, placing absorption materials in open spaces, and using acoustic dividers.

Management approaches try to develop the compensatory ability of the higher-order neural processing centers and support the areas of the CANS that are deficient. Examples of management approaches include: advising speakers to slow their speech, emphasizing keywords, checking to understand, and using visual aids and written support.

Differential Diagnosis

Other clinically distinct disorders present similar to CAPD and can cause similar behavioral auditory function test results, producing comparable functional listening difficulties. For example, patients diagnosed with ADHD often present with deficits in tasks designed to challenge the CANS.[26]

Patients with any learning disability, developmental delay, or psychological disorders, e.g., ADHD or ASD, should be screened for CAPD. Therefore, a multidisciplinary assessment is required to distinguish diagnoses from one another. Children, in particular, with any of these conditions not only present similarly but also tend to have similar scores on cognitive, communication, and auditory evaluations.[27]

Prognosis

The management of CAPD does have a certain degree of controversy surrounding it, as many of the proposed interventions are based on assumptions. One such assumption is that the brain's ability to process incoming auditory signals follows a bottom-up pathway, i.e., sensory-to-cognitive, and therefore deficits in the auditory process result in language impairments. It would then follow that attempting to rectify auditory deficits would lead to an improvement in language abilities.[28]

While this may not necessarily be true, there is sufficient evidence to indicate that current management strategies for CAPD benefit patients; future research is required to determine how and why these methods work.[12]

Prognostically, children diagnosed with CAPD before their teenage years can "grow out" of the disorder because auditory information is processed in areas of the brain that can still develop until around the age of 13. Auditory processing can still improve in other patients receiving therapy for CAPD; however, in older patients, the treatment should be orientated towards developing new coping mechanisms instead of relying on neural plasticity. It is recommended that patients diagnosed with CAPD be retested every 1 to 2 years to ascertain whether or not there have been any improvements.

Complications

CAPD predominantly affects children's speech and language development, resulting in difficulty in communication. These difficulties may also affect the ability to read and write, resulting in dyslexia or other conditions associated with talking and understanding, e.g., ASD. In adults, CAPD may cause similar complications, but difficulties may manifest in a more limited fashion, such as in processing sound localization.

Deterrence and Patient Education

Studies indicate that patients and their families lack awareness of CAPD, not just in the work and education sectors but also in healthcare, and this leads to difficulty accessing support for CAPD.[29] CAPD's social media presence is growing. However, providing a resource that audiologists can use to promote awareness of CAPD and provide reliable information about the condition.

There are screening tests to identify CAPD; however, there is currently no standardized methodology. Questionnaires and checklists are used to measure and record auditory behaviors and deficits, but they are not yet universally accepted. More widespread use of standardized screening would likely identify more patients with CAPD and do so earlier, thereby potentially improving access to care and functional outcomes.

Enhancing Healthcare Team Outcomes

CAPD is a disorder that still requires a lot of research; it is a very complex and under-recognized condition. The lack of an effective screening program further compounds the challenge of diagnosing the condition promptly. Furthermore, there is increasing evidence to suggest that CAPD overlaps symptomatically with many other more prevalent and better-recognized disorders, such as ADHD, dyslexia, and ASD. For this reason, it is important to have a high index of suspicion for CAPD when evaluating children with learning disorders if they are to be managed effectively.

Effective screening programs still need to be developed so that implementation as part of routine health maintenance could help to identify children with CAPD at a younger age, thereby allowing clinicians to capitalize on available neural plasticity to remedy the condition.

CAPD has features of not just neurological disorders but also developmental disorders. CAPD has been linked definitively to certain conditions and syndromes, but with other disorders, the relationship to CAPD is poorly understood. Through additional research, a clearer insight into exactly how CAPD alters auditory processing may lead to the development of more effective management strategies for use by the interprofessional healthcare team. [Level 5]

References

Disclosure: Isaac Aristidou declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

Disclosure: Marc Hohman declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

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Central auditory processing (CAP) is the ability to perceptually receive stimuli within the central auditory nervous system (CANS) and conduct the subsequent neurobiological activities that give rise to the electrophysiological auditory action potentials.[1] Disruption of this process will result in deficits in speech perception, sound localization, auditory discrimination, and temporal characterization of sounds.[2]

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This resource talks about what the disorder is, the different kinds, symptoms and causes, complications, tests, management and treatment, etc.

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Auditory Processing Disorder (APD): Symptoms & Treatment

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Auditory processing disorder (APD) is a condition where your brain can’t understand and interpret certain sounds the way it should.

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This resource talks about what an auditory processing disorder means. It tells the reader the symptoms, causes, testing, and and treatment.

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People with auditory processing disorder (APD) have a hard time hearing small sound differences in words. Someone says, "Please raise your hand," and you hear something like "Please haze your plan." You tell your child, "Look at the cows over there," and they may hear, "Look at the clown on the chair."

APD, also known as central auditory processing disorder, isn't hearing loss or a learning disorder. It means your brain doesn't "hear" sounds in the usual way. It's not a problem with understanding meaning.

People of all ages can have APD. It often starts in childhood, but some people develop it later. Between 2% and 7% of kids have it, and boys are more likely to have it than girls. The disorder can lead to learning delays, so kids who have it may need a little extra help in school.

APD may be linked to other things that cause similar symptoms. In fact, it may be part of the reason some people have dyslexia. And some experts think children are sometimes diagnosed with ADHD when they actually have APD.

APD can affect the way your child speaks as well as their ability to read, write, and spell. They may drop the ends of words or mix up similar sounds.

It also can be hard for them to talk with other people. They may not be able to process what others are saying and come up with a response quickly.

Your child also may find it hard to:

Follow conversations

Know where a sound came from

Listen to music

Remember spoken instructions, particularly if there are multiple steps

Understand what people say, especially in a loud place or if more than one person is talking

Doctors don't know exactly what causes APD, but it may be linked to:

Illness. APD can happen after chronic ear infections, meningitis, or lead poisoning. Some people who have nervous system diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, also develop APD.

Premature birth or low weight.

Head injury.

Genes (APD may run in families).

Your doctor can use a hearing test to see if your child's issues are caused by hearing loss, but only a hearing specialist, called an audiologist, can diagnose APD.

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Could you or your child have an auditory processing disorder? WebMD explains the basics, including what to do.

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Auditory Processing Disorder affects someone's hearing system. It affects how people hear small sound differences in words, how they understand things, etc.

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This week, you will be working in groups based upon your chosen disability. During each class, you will be given a set of criterion to follow to construct your own research and find resources to create a disability padlet. On Friday of this week, you will be teaching another group about your disability using the padlet you have created, which will lead into our second edition of the Who Am I? Demystification poster regarding Specific Learning Disabilities.

Tasks: Conduct your own research (I have given you a head start with the resource hub) on each of the subtopics for each day. As always, based on course policy, do not copy and paste. Quote, summarize, and paraphrase. For each subtopic, you will also be required to find two resources (videos, links, websites, pdfs, etc.) to assist and teach others. Provide a brief description for each of your resources as well.

Subtopics: In each subtopic, you will need the following:
- Defining, summarizing, quoting, or paraphrasing to give an understanding of each one.
- Two resources + an explanation of each one.