HOUSTON – As children head back to school, a local audiologist is warning about auditory processing disorder (APD). The condition is when the brain has a problem processing sounds, which can affect how someone understands speech.
Jana Austin of Allison Audiology & Hearing Aid Center said it’s often undiagnosed until a child starts school and has difficulty learning.
A traditional hearing test won’t detect APD.
“APD is really occurring more along the auditory pathway, so volume is not an issue. It’s not an issue of hearing sounds or having access to the speech sounds, it’s just how the brain is processing those sounds or decoding them,” Austin explained.
She said the beginning of the school year is when kids are more commonly checked for APD.
Here’s the key to knowing if it might be affecting your child, according to Austin:
- Difficulty following multi-step directions
- Having trouble hearing or understanding background noise (like if the television is on or if they’re in a group setting)
- Trouble developing their reading skills
Treatment
Treatment is non-invasive and can be done a couple of times a week from home. Austin said it’s like playing a video game.
The treatment is important to build the connectors in the brain to process sound. Austin compares it to physical therapy for your auditory nerve.
