Auditory Processing Disorders

AUDITORY PROCESSING DISORDER (APD)

Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) is a condition where the sounds registered by the ear are not processed correctly by the brain. As a neurological defect, people with APD have trouble deciphering noises from background noises, hearing subtle differences in sound within spoken words, or difficulty making sense of the order in which verbal sounds are heard. As a result, sufferers have trouble listening, processing, and remembering language-related sounds.

As a neurological defect, APD tends to be identified in childhood and typically presents as some of the following symptoms:

Having trouble remembering and understanding spoken directions or explanations
Difficulty following a series of instructions
Trouble understanding rapid speech or complex sentences
Slow to understand or express ideas and comments
Misspelling or confusing similar-sounding words
Easily distracted by background noise
Trouble staying focused on and remembering spoken presentations or lectures
Prolonged difficulty learning to read and write

Many of the symptoms of APD mimic the symptoms of Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), and a thorough evaluation by our hearing professional can help clarify the source of the problem. We offer complete APD evaluations, education, and treatment.