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Auditory Processing disorder
Background
Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) was first noted in the USA in the mid-1960's. In 2004 it was defined by the British Society of Audiology steering group on APD as a hearing disorder resulting from problems with processing of sounds by the brain, rather than the ear and characterised by poor recognition, discrimination, separation, grouping, localisation or ordering of non-speech sounds. While people with APD may also have a problem with speech perception, those with speech perception difficulties do not necessarily have APD. Further research is being actively supported by the UK government and by hearing research charities.
Hearing starts with a complex set of actions within the outer, middle and inner ear. These actions send the sounds to the brain that interprets them so the individual can understand. This set of actions can be defined as 'listening' and carries the medical term 'auditory processing.'
If an individual's auditory processing is functioning well but there is no understanding of the sounds that are heard, the individual may have an APD. In some children with APD there may be tiny differences in the way that neurons (brain cells) are joined together, or send messages to each other. This may make it hard for sounds to be passed on to the areas of the brain that aid the understanding of language. It is possible such brain cell differences may cause APD.
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