Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) is an auditory deficit and is diagnosed by an Audiologist.
Signs and symptoms of an APD may include one or more of the following behavioral characteristics:
- Difficulty localizing sound
- Difficulty understanding spoken language in competing messages, in noisy backgrounds, in reverberant environments, or when presented rapidly
- Taking longer to respond in oral communication situations
- Frequent requests for repetitions, saying “what” and “huh” frequently
- Inconsistent or inappropriate responding
- Difficulty comprehending and following rapid speech
- Difficulty following complex auditory directions or commands
- Difficulty learning songs or nursery rhymes
- Misunderstanding messages, such as detecting prosody changes that help to interpret sarcasm or jokes
- Poor musical and singing skills
- Difficulty paying attention
- Being easily distracted
- Poor performance on speech and language or psychoeducational tests in the areas of auditory-related skills
- Associated reading, spelling, and learning problems
- Difficulty learning a new language
This list is illustrative, not exhaustive, and these behavioral characteristics are not exclusive to APD. They may be present with other disorders (e.g., learning disability, language impairment, ADHD, and autism spectrum disorder). The variability in specific auditory processing skill deficits may contribute to the variability in observed behaviors.