Auditory processing disorder (APD) is a disruption in the way a person’s brain understands what they’re hearing. The disruption occurs from a disorder of the brain’s auditory system and most frequently manifests as a misinterpretation of speech sounds. APD is generally identified at a young age. Based on audiometric findings, an estimated 0.5-1% of the general population have APD.
Let’s take a look at the symptoms and misconceptions of APD and how it might be treated.
Symptoms of Auditory Processing Disorder
Because individuals with APD often misinterpret speech sounds, family members frequently assume APD to be a difficulty hearing. However, a hearing test will likely reveal normal hearing because the problem tends to lie in processing rather than hearing. To help you identify potential APD, keep an eye out for the following symptoms:
• Misunderstanding words or phrases.
• Trouble concentrating.
• Lengthened response time during a conversation.
• Difficulty understanding speech in noisy environments.
• Difficulty understanding speech from multiple sources.
• Difficulty understanding rapid speech.
You will likely notice symptoms at home or when you or a loved one is in a challenging auditory environment, such as hearing the specials at Yard House or trying to understand the teacher during school. If you notice one or more of these symptoms in yourself or a loved one, the first step is to make an appointment with an audiologist.
Identification of Auditory Processing Disorder
APD shares many symptoms with other disorders, such as ADD/ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorder, and can therefore be challenging to diagnose. To achieve an accurate diagnosis, your audiologist may recommend consulting a psychologist and speech-language therapist to evaluate your cognitive and oral functioning. Some tests used to diagnose APD may include facets such as:
• A hearing test to establish if the issue lies in hearing loss.
• An assessment of the patient’s ability to understand speech at different speeds and in different environments.
• An assessment of the patient’s ability to understand subtle changes or patterns in sounds
Your audiologist will make a diagnosis based on the results of these and potentially other tests.
Treatment of Auditory Processing Disorder
Treatment of APD can vary based on the needs of the patient but may include:
• Auditory training. Auditory training includes exercises to help the patient manage their APD. Exercises can consist of identifying differences in and direction of sounds and picking out specific sounds with background noise.
• Changing your environment. Changing your environment by removing background noise, such as fans, using visual aids, wearing a hearing aid and more can help manage APD.
• Compensating for APD. Teaching skills to compensate for APD, like enhancing memory, conversation prediction and using visual aids, can help manage APD.
Seeing a specialist to test yourself or a loved one for APD can be a great first step in learning how to manage and cope with the disorder. Call Valley Audiology today to schedule an appointment with an audiologist.