Auditory Processing Disorder
APD is a difficulty in the way auditory information is processed. It is not a sensory (inner ear) hearing
impairment. Individuals with APD usually have normal peripheral hearing ability. APD is a term that
describes a variety of listening problems that can interfere with the processing of auditory information.
APD can share common characteristics with specific difficulties such asdyslexia, ADHD, language
difficulties and autistic spectrum disorder.
APD tends to manifest as poor listening skills or an inability to process auditory information and is often
accompanied by motor problems.
Auditory processing is an internal cognitive function that impacts all aspects of learning.
Because there is generally no hearing loss or evidence of neurological disorders associated with auditory
processing disorder, it often goes undetected.
Another complication in recognizing appropriate auditory development is that symptoms of APD often
overlap with specific language impairment, ADD/ADHD, developmental dyslexia or delayed learning.
The Three Types Of Signs of APD To Look For
Auditory processing disorder has been likened to listening to sound through water. As a result, there are
three areas of APD-related difficulty:
Sound discrimination. If a child cannot pick sounds out, “frill” instead of “thrill” speaking, reading
and spelling are at risk
Auditory memory. If the language sounds muddy, it does not always make sense and so it is hard to
organize and commit to memory. This impacts math facts, following directions, etc.
Language processing. This is where auditory processing disorder causes the most havoc. It impacts
the ability to understand and think about language, spoken and written. This has academic and social
consequences.
It is important that parents do not disregard the indicators of APD – the earlier the condition is
identified, the more likely that intervention will have a positive effect.
Signs may include sound sensitivity, tuning out behaviour and auditory processing
difficulties. They may exhibit the following behaviours:
Puts hands over ears or runs from sounds
Cries in response to loud sounds
Tunes out auditory input – acts as though deaf, daydreams, attention drifts, or inability to stay
focused
Avoids noisy, crowded group situations
Has auditory comprehension problems, is better at visual learning, fails to follow spoken
directions
Has a history of ear infections
Does not pay attention to verbal instructions
Is easily distracted by background noises or drifts from paying attention
Has difficulty with phonics
Learns poorly through the auditory channel
Has a diagnosed language or speech difficulties
Displays slow response time to verbal stimuli
Covers ears to avoid sounds
Frequently gives odd or inappropriate responses in conversation
Needs physical prompts to follow verbal commands.
Responds to only part of a verbal command,
Is easily distracted by random noises,
Has slow response time,
Has speech and language delay or disorder
Inconsistent educational performance
Tantrums easily
Hears sounds such as aeroplanes, etc. before anyone else, and often runs away from them
Avoids eye contact
Hums or makes noises
Has difficulty organising the day
Is fatigued by end of the day
Needs constant activity or visual stimuli
Has difficulty finding the exact words to express themselves
Is non verbal
Does your child frequently demonstrate any of the following problems with
expressive language?
Doesn’t speak fluently or articulate clearly
Has poor vocabulary, sentence structure and grammar usage
Displays illogical flow of stories or ideas
Uses vague words such as ‘thing’, ‘stuff’, ‘whatever’
Problems with receptive language?
Needs to hear instructions/directions more than once
Appears overwhelmed when there is a lot of auditory activity
Misinterprets verbal messages
Confuses similar words or sounds
Seems distracted or unable to sustain attention when receiving verbal messages
Problems with other language tasks?
Cannot associate sounds with their written symbols
Tends to spell words phonetically (eg. spelling ‘fire’ as ‘fier’)
Reads slowly and has poor reading comprehension
Problems with auditory sensitivity?
Finds neutral sounds unpleasant or painful
Puts volume of music or television unusually high or unusually low
Things to look for
What are the signs that a child might have auditory processing challenges? Here are some behaviors
you or your child’s teacher might have noticed:
Doesn’t pick up nursery rhymes or song lyrics
Has trouble following directions
Doesn’t remember details of what she’s heard
Appears to be listening but not hearing
Often mistakes two similar-sounding words
Has difficulty understanding speech in noisy environments
Has trouble learning to read and spell
Finds it hard to follow conversations
Finds it hard to express himself clearly
Frequently asks people to repeat what they’ve said
These are all behaviors that can indicate auditory processing problems, but they are also behaviors
that can have other causes. Some of them appear in children with ADHD or other language or
learning disorders, so determining the cause of the behavior is crucial to diagnosing the child’s
challenges correctly.
Because these symptoms overlap with other disorders, auditory processing disorder cannot be
diagnosed just from a checklist of symptoms. While a teacher, educational therapist or speech-
language pathologist can evaluate how a child is functioning in terms of language and listening tasks,
the condition is only diagnosed by audiologists, who use tests that measure specific auditory
processing functions. Children can be weak in one or more of them.
General Strategies
Gain attention
Make sure the child is looking at you as you speak and use their name at the start of a
sentence.
Check comprehension
Do not assume that they have understood fully what has been said: it may be good to
ask them to repeat back to you what they think they have heard.
Rephrase and restating instructions and information will help.
Use brief instructions
They will find it hard to process large amounts of information and they will respond
better to short ‘chunked’ sentences.
Slow down your speech if necessary
Don’t interrupt
They will take longer to convey their message if their flow of conversation is interrupted.
Allow for longer processing time
They will need sufficient time to process what they hear: it may take them a little longer
to respond to questions, or indeed to prepare their own questions.
Strategies in School
Visual timetable
Visual aids such as visual timetables, charts and pictures can be used to promote
understanding, organisation skills and offer reassurance as to ‘what is happening next?’
Classroom placement
Make sure they have a clear view of any board or adult during carpet time and at the
table. An adult standing in front of the light makes it harder for them to see.
Promoting understanding
Listing key vocabulary can reduce tendencies to ‘mishear’ or misunderstand what has
been said. Using mind maps, written instructions and visual timetables also promotes
understanding by reducing the reliance on auditory processing.
Explain lesson objectives
Pupils with APD symptoms often like to see the ‘whole picture’ and work better if they
know what they are trying to achieve or the purpose of the task.
