

Noisy, loosely structured classrooms could be very frustrating. Auditory figure-ground problems: This is when a child can’t pay attention if there’s noise in the background.Only audiologists can diagnose auditory processing disorder.Īudiologists look for five main problem areas in kids with APD: If you think your child is having trouble hearing or understanding when people talk, have an audiologist (hearing specialist) examine your child. How Is Auditory Processing Disorder Diagnosed? Sometimes, there can be more than one cause. E vidence suggests that head trauma, lead poisoning, and chronic ear infections could play a role. Often, the cause of a child’s APD isn’t known. What Causes Auditory Processing Disorder? Are conversations hard for my child to follow?ĪPD is often misunderstood because many of its symptoms can happen with other problems, like learning disabilities, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and even depression.Is my child disorganized and forgetful?.Are verbal (word) math problems hard for my child?.Does my child have reading, spelling, writing, or other speech-language difficulties?.Does my child have trouble following directions, whether simple or complicated?.Does my child’s behavior and performance improve in quieter settings?.Are noisy environments upsetting to my child?.Is my child easily distracted or unusually bothered by loud or sudden noises?.

If you think your child might have a problem processing sounds, ask yourself: Symptoms of APD can range from mild to severe and can take many different forms. What Are the Signs & Symptoms of Auditory Processing Disorder? So kids with APD can have trouble understanding what is being said to them when they’re in noisy places like a playground, sports events, the school cafeteria, and parties.

These kinds of problems usually happen when there is background noise, which is often the case in social situations. The problem is that they usually don’t recognize slight differences between sounds in words, even when the sounds are loud and clear enough to be heard. Kids with APD are thought to hear normally because they can usually hear sounds that are delivered one at a time in a very quiet environment (such as a sound-treated room). If the condition isn’t caught and treated early, a child can have speech and language delays or problems learning in school. With the right therapy, kids with APD can be successful in school and life. Something interferes with the way the brain recognizes and interprets sounds, especially speech. This is because their ears and brain don’t fully coordinate. Kids with this condition, also known as central auditory processing disorder (CAPD), can’t process what they hear in the same way other kids do. Content What Is Auditory Processing Disorder?Īuditory processing disorder (APD) is a hearing problem that affects about 5% of school-aged children.
