Central Auditory Processing Disorder is often either misdiagnosed or not diagnosed right away. This neurological condition has symptoms that mirror sever other conditions, such as ADHD or ADD. This disorder affects the way the brain processes what is heard.
Somewhere between the sounds the child hears and how the brain understands or remembers those sounds, the particulars are muddled or even lost.
This condition can be especially frustrating for parents and very challenging to diagnose, because children afflicted with this condition have functional hearing. In fact, their hearing is not affected in Auditory Processing Disorder, it affects the processing of the sound.
The symptoms of Auditory Processing Disorder according to American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) includes:
difficulty localizing sound
difficulty understanding spoken language in competing messages, in noisy backgrounds, in reverberant environments, or when presented rapidly
longer response time during oral communication
frequent requests for repetitions
inconsistent or inappropriate responses during oral communication
difficulty comprehending rapid speech
difficulty following complex auditory directions
difficulty learning songs or nursery rhymes
misunderstanding messages (e.g., difficulty detecting prosody changes that help to interpret sarcasm or jokes)
poor musical and singing skills
difficulty paying attention or avoiding distractions
reading, spelling, and/or learning problems
A child with Central Auditory Processing Disorder may seem like they cannot hear very well and have trouble in school. It can also appear as attention, learning, and language problems. They may have issues with remembering information, understanding language, and processing conversations.
According to ASHA, there are several disorders that share the same symptoms as Central Auditory Processing disorder. Similar disorders that are often mistaken for APD include:
Autism
Attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
Developmental disorders
To understand how to differentiate APD from other disorders, it helps to recognize that it does not stem from any other greater cognitive or language disorder. Although these other issues might exist in conjunction, many children with APD don’t experience any other disorders.
If you suspect your child has a speech, language, or hearing issue, it is important to seek out help. At First Words Speech Therapy, our therapists are trained with extensive clinical experience which they continuously improve upon by remaining current with clinically proven, evidence-based evaluation and therapy practices. Our therapists are devoted to providing your child with the highest quality of care and we are here to help.
