About Auditory Processing Disorder
APD affects 5% of school-aged children with normal hearing by causing problems with understanding speech when there is background noise, remembering what they heard, or remembering the order of what they heard. This causes challenges in school and at home and can be difficult to separate from other educational challenges, such as ADD/ADHD, language disorders, or learning disabilities. According to the National Institutes of Health, in children with reported learning difficulties the prevalence of APD has been found to be 43%, and co-existing with children who have developmental dyslexia in 25%.
COMMON BEHAVIORS IN CHILDREN WITH APD:
- Difficulty understanding speech when noisy
- Difficulty remembering what was heard
- Difficulty reading
- Misunderstanding what was said
- Difficulty following directions
- Frequently asking for repetition
- Improved understanding with instructions that are written
