Individuals with APD have difficulty processing the information they hear in the same way as other people because their ears and brain don’t fully coordinate. APD negatively affects the way the brain recognizes and interprets sounds, most notably the sounds in speech.

It is a form of hearing loss that is not located in the hearing mechanism, but in the part of the brain that processes and interprets what we hear.

This can contribute to significant speech, language and learning problems.  Alfred Tomatis put it simply: “The voice can only produce what the ear can hear.”

Although they can hear the sounds, individuals with APD are unable to recognize teh subtle differences between sounds in words. It is particularly noticeable in places where there is a lot of background noise or the speaker is speaking very quickly.

Auditory Processing Disorder Treatment

With Auditory Processing Disorders treatment and therapy it is possible to prevent speech/language delays, learning delays and academic problems later on.

Successful treatment should be at the neurosensory as well as deficit specific levels.  Given the 4 major types of APD, it is helpful, though not necessary, to identify the specific type of APD before beginning therapy.

This is why, at TLC, we give a complementary SCREENER in order to determine whether further investigation by a trained audiologist and treatment is necessary. Not all audiologists specialize in pediatric APD so be sure to ask before testing.