When hanging out at a busy Grapevine bar, you expect to have trouble hearing the people around you. Auditory processing disorder (APD) causes a similar sensation.
How Does Auditory Processing Disorder Affect Hearing?
Your brain’s central auditory processing center transforms the sound signals it gets into language. With APD, your brain struggles to understand these signals. Many people confuse APD with hearing loss.
How Is Auditory Processing Disorder Different From Hearing Loss?
Hearing loss results from damage to the middle or inner ear. Common causes include aging, noise exposure, earwax blockages, ototoxic medication and physical trauma. APD, on the other hand, stems from issues in the brain. Common causes of APD include ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, low birth weight or premature birth, head trauma, central nervous system disorders, ear infections and genetics.
What Are the Symptoms of Auditory Processing Disorder?
Many people with APD struggle with:
- Speech differentiation
- Understanding fast speech
- Understanding speech amid background noise
- Responding quickly
- Following directions
How is Auditory Processing Disorder Diagnosed?
Your hearing specialist will diagnose auditory processing disorder using specialized tests that evaluate how the brain processes sound. These may include auditory processing tests (differentiating speech, repeating words, etc.), hearing evaluations, language assessments and psychological screenings to rule out other conditions like ADHD or hearing loss.
How Can I Manage Auditory Processing Disorder?
Managing APD focuses on improving the brain’s ability to understand speech. Common exercises include:
- Speech-in-noise training. This helps you better understand conversations in noisy environments, like a packed restaurant. You’ll practice listening to speech over background noise to strengthen your focus and comprehension.
- Auditory attention and memory. These exercises involve listening to and repeating sequences of sounds or sentences, sometimes answering questions to test your understanding.
- Phoneme discrimination. You’ll learn to distinguish between similar-sounding words by listening closely and identifying what was said, helping improve word recognition.
- Text following. You’ll follow along with the written text while listening to it being read aloud. Try pairing an audiobook with the printed version for an easy way to practice. Text following helps improve active listening.
If you’ve struggled to understand those around you, contact Heard It Through The Grapevine Audiology, PC today to schedule an evaluation with one of our specialists.