
In children and adults, it can be misdiagnosed as ADHD because it is easily confused with lack of attention. Auditory cohesion difficulty – This means problems processing when undertaking higher-level listening tasks (e.g., difficulty making inferences from conversation or picking up on tone and inflection)Ī standard hearing test won’t typically pick up APD since it is not a condition of hearing loss.Auditory figure ground – Discerning and processing a single audio input amid competing stimuli like background noise.Auditory sequencing – Recalling words and directions in the correct order.Auditory memory – Remembering what was heard.
Auditory discrimination – This refers to noticing and differentiating similar but unique sounds.APD interferes with that process so messages may be garbled or not processed in a normal time frame.īelow are some of the issues it can cause with the whole hearing process:
The ear separates a meaningful message from non-essential background sound and deliver that information with good clarity to the brain where it is processed at an acceptable speed. However, it affects the hearing system beyond the ear. Though it is typically first discovered in childhood, it can continue throughout a person’s life.ĪPD is often confused with hearing loss. These findings suggest that MPH treatment can help improve auditory processing difficulties in children with ADHD.Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) is caused by an abnormality in the central auditory nervous system that affects an individual’s ability to understand and remember information presented verbally. However, after a 6-month treatment period with methylphenidate (MPH), the children significantly improved their performance.
Temporal ordering: The brain’s ability to accurately perceive and process the sequential order and timing of auditory stimuli. Binaural integration: The brain’s ability to integrate or combine auditory information received from both ears. Auditory closure: The brain’s ability to make sense of incomplete auditory stimuli and recognize patterns or complete words or sentences. The findings show that children with ADHD scored lower than children without ADHD on the following tests: One 2017 study looked at auditory processing difficulties in children with and without ADHD and before and after the children with ADHD were treated with methylphenidate. Still, the difficulties in attention, memory, planning, and navigating tasks associated with ADHD may contribute to challenges in processing auditory information. The relationship between ADHD and APD isn’t fully understood. However, though the two disorders commonly occur together and have similar symptoms, they’re different conditions. experiencing reading, spelling, and learning difficulties. inappropriate or inconsistent responding. having difficulty in understanding language in noisy backgrounds or when words are presented rapidly. having poor attention span and is easily distracted. an inability to follow complex commands or directions. having longer response times when communicating. People with APD can have difficulty with memory, hearing in noisy environments, understanding instructions, reading, spelling, and concentrating. Instead, APD occurs in the central auditory nervous system, where parts of the brain process auditory information and connect with other regions of the brain to help us perceive and understand sounds. Though APD can occur at any age, the condition primarily affects children and is common among those with ADHD, dyslexia, and autism spectrum disorder (ASD), according to a 2023 report.Ĭognitive or language issues do not cause APD.