Auditory processing disorder

jonnyghost

jonnyghost

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 12, 2012
Messages
2,510
Reaction score
58
Went to an Audiologist last week and he told me I have exceptional hearing and that my problems are probably with my processing. He told me about some specialists that could diagnose me but they are very far away and expensive.

He also told me that our processing skills peak around 35. I've been reading a book on auditory processing and it talks about some people start to loose some processing skills around that age and being 33 this really scares me because I remember what it was like when I was a kid and I really couldn't understand most of what people where talking about.

I guess I just don't know what to do. I kind of had my hopes up that the audiologist could help. I'm going to be a dad in march and I don't want to just avoid people anymore. I see some other people have posted on this forum about APD and I see a lot of similarities with hard of hearing people so I guess I'm hoping someone has some advice for me.
 
I don't know much about auditory processing disorders but I know you can't give up. You have a beautiful kiddo coming soon who needs a dad.
I just did a basic search of auditory processing disorder in adults and found this Living and Working with a Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD) | LD Topics | LD OnLine
Wow! It is amazing how similar sensorineural hearing loss can be to CAPD.
But those same problems are common with ADHD.

Find a doctor who is familiar with both conditions.
Having perfect ears doesn't mean much if your brain gets confused or distracted easily.

I am an adult with ADHD and severe to profound hearing loss. When I am tired or sick I can hear and understand nothing. There is a large amount of cognition involved in hearing and understanding.
When my brain is too tired to deal with the mental work that comes with understanding sound it just stops.

Auditory processing disorder is different but similar because while my inner ears are broken, my auditory processing centers are great. In auditory processing disorder your ears are fine but the auditory part of the brain has trouble.
 
jonnyghost said:
Went to an Audiologist last week and he told me I have exceptional hearing and that my problems are probably with my processing. He told me about some specialists that could diagnose me but they are very far away and expensive.

He also told me that our processing skills peak around 35. I've been reading a book on auditory processing and it talks about some people start to loose some processing skills around that age and being 33 this really scares me because I remember what it was like when I was a kid and I really couldn't understand most of what people where talking about.

I guess I just don't know what to do. I kind of had my hopes up that the audiologist could help. I'm going to be a dad in march and I don't want to just avoid people anymore. I see some other people have posted on this forum about APD and I see a lot of similarities with hard of hearing people so I guess I'm hoping someone has some advice for me.
Click to expand...


You really need to speak with an Aud. Audiologist who also specializes in communication disorders (which includes APD and CAPD).
There isn't really any point in going through further testing than what a specialized AuD. can do in office (typically APD is diagnosed by an interview process and hearing evaluation). The additional testing is so inaccurate it's for all intents and purposes "pointless" to bother with.

Once diagnosed, the next step is working on coping techniques for various environments (which might include using an FM system in noisy environments etc), using CC for the TV, visual signallers for home, using relay services (VCO) for phone calls etc. It really depends on how severe the APD is and how much it interferes with your comprehension in different situations.

I hope that helps a bit :)
 
ecp said:
I don't know much about auditory processing disorders but I know you can't give up. You have a beautiful kiddo coming soon who needs a dad.
I just did a basic search of auditory processing disorder in adults and found this Living and Working with a Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD) | LD Topics | LD OnLine
Wow! It is amazing how similar sensorineural hearing loss can be to CAPD.
But those same problems are common with ADHD.

Find a doctor who is familiar with both conditions.
Having perfect ears doesn't mean much if your brain gets confused or distracted easily.

I am an adult with ADHD and severe to profound hearing loss. When I am tired or sick I can hear and understand nothing. There is a large amount of cognition involved in hearing and understanding.
When my brain is too tired to deal with the mental work that comes with understanding sound it just stops.

Auditory processing disorder is different but similar because while my inner ears are broken, my auditory processing centers are great. In auditory processing disorder your ears are fine but the auditory part of the brain has trouble.
Click to expand...

Just to clarify APD and CAPD aren't interchangeable terms.
CAPD is Central Auditory Processing Disorder - which is a specific form of APD.

APD is a more general term which includes multiple different types of Auditory Processing Disorders, including CAPD.


The reason that APDs are similar (functionally) to SNHL is because they both have a neurological component - in SNHL it's localized in the ear itself, with APD it's localized in the brain.
 
Thanks for the replies! I was pretty down the other day but I'm much better now :D

The audiologist I went to only knew of out of state people for the diagnosis but I can't believe there isn't someone instate. Maybe I'll talk to my regular doctor and see if he has any ideas.
 
Welcome.

sorry I do not know much about APD but i see that there are growing that kids have apd or capd. My Deaf friend's daughter who is 9 yrs old that she found out that she has APD. Its all new to her and for me too. please stick it around.. I wonder if APD people would feel the benefit of learning ASL for some certain reasons? :hmm:
 
Anij said:
Just to clarify APD and CAPD aren't interchangeable terms.
CAPD is Central Auditory Processing Disorder - which is a specific form of APD.

APD is a more general term which includes multiple different types of Auditory Processing Disorders, including CAPD.


The reason that APDs are similar (functionally) to SNHL is because they both have a neurological component - in SNHL it's localized in the ear itself, with APD it's localized in the brain.
Click to expand...

Noted. Thanks for educating me.

I wonder, though this isn't the OP's situation, if some people with SNHL who do poorly with amplification despite decent thresholds have an auditory processing disorder in addition to mild or moderate hearing loss.
It would seem likely.
 
ecp said:
Noted. Thanks for educating me.

I wonder, though this isn't the OP's situation, if some people with SNHL who do poorly with amplification despite decent thresholds have an auditory processing disorder in addition to mild or moderate hearing loss.
It would seem likely.
Click to expand...

Hope you don't think I was being nit-picky about the APD/CAPD thing ... I just wanted to make sure that anyone reading this was aware that they aren't interchangeable terms.

Regarding SHNL and APD - yes, it's not uncommon for someone to have both (I do). Typically what this means is that (except in absolute quiet) we respond and "function" about one or two categories more severe than our audiograms show.

For example, according to pure tone audiograms, I have mild/moderate fluctuating SHNL on my left side (+120db deaf right) - however in noise, even with the fanciest HA around and even "over amplified" I "function" like someone with profound bilateral SN deafness. In noise, I'm unable to understand any auditory information at all ... not only does it become an auditory blur (like having vaseline coating your eyes in a dark room and trying to see), in some cases my brain literally "shuts off" auditory input, which is really weird because all of a sudden things can switch from chaos noise to nothing ... no tinnitus, nothing (it's weird!!).
 
jonnyghost said:
Went to an Audiologist last week and he told me I have exceptional hearing and that my problems are probably with my processing. He told me about some specialists that could diagnose me but they are very far away and expensive.

He also told me that our processing skills peak around 35. I've been reading a book on auditory processing and it talks about some people start to loose some processing skills around that age and being 33 this really scares me because I remember what it was like when I was a kid and I really couldn't understand most of what people where talking about.

I guess I just don't know what to do. I kind of had my hopes up that the audiologist could help. I'm going to be a dad in march and I don't want to just avoid people anymore. I see some other people have posted on this forum about APD and I see a lot of similarities with hard of hearing people so I guess I'm hoping someone has some advice for me.
Click to expand...

I was diagnosed with this myself. Here's the definition with all the points I hit:

Symptoms of APD can range from mild to severe and can take many different forms. If you think your child might have a problem processing sounds, consider these questions:

Is your child easily distracted or unusually bothered by loud or sudden noises?
Are noisy environments upsetting to your child?
Does your child's behavior and performance improve in quieter settings?
Does your child have difficulty following directions, whether simple or complicated?
Does your child have reading, spelling, writing, or other speech-language difficulties?
Is abstract information difficult for your child to comprehend?
Are verbal (word) math problems difficult for your child?
Is your child disorganized and forgetful?
Are conversations hard for your child to follow?

Have you thought to contact a learning disability specialist or someone that works in special education? They may be able to offer insight into dealing with it. I admit, it's not easily to live with but what choice to do you have?

Laura
 
Anij said:
Hope you don't think I was being nit-picky about the APD/CAPD thing ... I just wanted to make sure that anyone reading this was aware that they aren't interchangeable terms.

Regarding SHNL and APD - yes, it's not uncommon for someone to have both (I do). Typically what this means is that (except in absolute quiet) we respond and "function" about one or two categories more severe than our audiograms show.

For example, according to pure tone audiograms, I have mild/moderate fluctuating SHNL on my left side (+120db deaf right) - however in noise, even with the fanciest HA around and even "over amplified" I "function" like someone with profound bilateral SN deafness. In noise, I'm unable to understand any auditory information at all ... not only does it become an auditory blur (like having vaseline coating your eyes in a dark room and trying to see), in some cases my brain literally "shuts off" auditory input, which is really weird because all of a sudden things can switch from chaos noise to nothing ... no tinnitus, nothing (it's weird!!).
Click to expand...

That's interesting, I experience almost the opposite. If for some reason the ambient noise in a room picks up a little it's like it's all drilling into by brain and I can't get away from it. It's all jumbled together and it sounds like you're inside a waterfall. It's made me consider wearing ear plugs when I go out. Although, the term auditory blur sounds like my inside a waterfall analogy. Just that your sound gets turned off and mine gets amped up.
 
Last edited:
Just out of curiosity what is mild and what is severe? For instance In a quiet room I have no problems, in a busy grocery store I'd say I loose about half my understanding, in a busy restaurant I loose about 90% and in a bar forget about it I can't understand anything. I'm not bad at reading lips, I've kind of learned it without realizing it over the years but when it's too noisy it doesn't work that well and my wife always forgets to look at me when she's talking.
 
Last edited:
jonnyghost said:
That's interesting, I experience almost the opposite. If for some reason the ambient noise in a room picks up a little it's like it's all drilling into by brain and I can't get away from it. It's all jumbled together and it sounds like you're inside a waterfall. It's made me consider wearing ear plugs when I go out. Although, the term auditory blur sounds like my inside a waterfall analogy. Just that your sound gets turned off and mine gets amped up.
Click to expand...

The "auditory shut down" only happens if I'm exhausted etc ... basically it's how my brain protects me from an onslaught of unusable sound/noise if it becomes too overwhelming. I also get the same thing when I'm falling asleep - it's almost as if my brain thinks hearing is a switch that can be turned on or off depending on if the input is "valuable" or "destructive".
 
I have an APD as well. Have had as long as I can remember, in relation to some other neuro issues. Because I have always had it I have learned how to adjust. But I have some symptoms you speak about.
Some sounds almost send me into panic. I have to wear ear plugs some days because I am overly sensitive, I cover my ears a lot. But also sometimes can be staring right at a person and not catch what they are saying because my brain can only focus on some other stupid sound (car driving by, someones foot tapping, clock ticking). So people dont understand because often I hear too much then sometimes I hear too little.
It is frustrating. BUT, you learn to find ways to adapt. You will be fine and your child will never know you any different!
 
Yea, I've had people yelling at me trying to get my attention and i had no idea yet the smallest sound will bother me. It's not how my child will see me that gets me worried. It's all the social stuff that you have to do when you have kids. Like school and scouts and friends parents.
 
I'm glad you guys all took the time to respond. It's nice to know that there are other people that understand. I'm the kind of guy that likes to solve his own problems but after thinking it over I've decided to try and find an audiologist that specializes in such things Like some of you suggested.
 
Track down the local special education service provider through calling your school district office. They might be able to refer you to people who can do an evaluation for APD, even though they serve only children and adolescents.
 
I'm a bit annoyed that so much attention is being given to cases of children with APD, but for adults, there seems to be few resources.

Does this mean that one cannot develop APD as an adult?

Ah well... best of luck OP. Hope you find the help you need!
 
Well, I've been this way my entire life but I do believe you can develop it as you get older and auditory processing declines or you have some kind of trauma.
 
shimo said:
I'm a bit annoyed that so much attention is being given to cases of children with APD, but for adults, there seems to be few resources.

Does this mean that one cannot develop APD as an adult?

Ah well... best of luck OP. Hope you find the help you need!
Click to expand...

It's neurological, so unless you have some disease affecting or have some known recent brain damage, it isn't likely you will develop it as an adult.
 
I've been reading up on APD and there seemed to be some kind of hint at APD being related to the attention deficit disorder spectrum, such as ADD and ADHD, both of which you can develop as an adult.

I've always been a few seconds slow at laughing at jokes, had trouble making sense out of what I hear particularly on phones (I hear all the words but I can't remember what those sound-words mean), but I just assumed that it was because I was processing double of what everyone else was processing since I was raised English/Korean bilingual.

It's only as I became an adult that I started to think that there may be more to this than "being bilingual", because it didn't seem that the problem was that I was word blocked (where you know how to say one word in one language, but can't remember it in the other language) or didn't know what was said... it was more that I couldn't make the connection between the sounds that I heard to the meaning they represent.

But going back to the ADD/ADHD link, I do think that some of the problems I have with processing are related to the fact that I can't remember some sounds long enough to figure out what they mean.

I get as far as "Oh, I know this word, it's..... wait, what did he or she say again?" -- In these cases I can only really understood what's said if the person rephrases what they said, because if they say the same sentence I just get the same bunches of noises that I can't figure out how to decode.

I haven't had any head trauma (as far as I know) so maybe it's just ADD. :hmm:

It would be nice to be able to use the phone one day without having to ask the person on the other side to rephrase what they said every other sentence. Or to be able to use verbal communication from upstairs to someone downstairs, to be able to laugh at a joke on time, to not feel exhausted from listening for extended periods of time, to be able to not feel overwhelmed in a loud environment... etc.
 
Back
Top