People who are experiencing a central auditory processing disorder can struggle understanding when someone is speaking to them, especially when the room they are in is noisy. 

Sometimes the ears and nerve pathways are healthy, and patients have a normal response to isolated tones on a standard hearing test. In this scenario, they do not suffer from hearing loss, however, the brain is struggling process the sounds normally. 

People with this disorder have difficulties in understanding speech. The presence of background noise creates particular challenges for them. This can create increased stress while in group social settings, and may also affect work or school performance. Many patients are diagnosed as children, but it’s also possible for adults to acquire an auditory processing disorder, usually as the result of an accident or stroke. It’s also possible to have both hearing loss and a central auditory processing disorder; this is more common in older adults.

It’s common for central auditory processing disorder to be misdiagnosed as hearing loss, a language disorder, a learning disorder, an attention disorder, or another similar problem. An audiologist is the ideal professional to test for auditory processing disorder. Our audiologist has been the one to give a correct diagnosis to a family that had been struggling for answers. This allows them to finally receive the help that they need.

Diagnosis

Only an audiologist can diagnose an auditory processing disorder. The testing is conducted with a sound booth and a two-channel audiometer. This allows different words and sentences to be presented simultaneously to the two ears. The audiologist will evaluate the patient’s ability to complete a variety of auditory tasks.

We can assess adults at any age. Adults who are struggling to hear in background noise at home and at work should have their processing abilities tested.  It can be most apparent when someone is a student or learning new things at work and they are struggling to understand what they are being taught. In many cases, they seem to hear relatively well at home, however, once in a larger environment, with its distractions and background noises, they may exhibit distractibility, difficulties following instructions, and problems with comprehension.

Treatment

Treatment of central auditory processing disorder can involve a team of professionals, including the primary care physician. The goal of the therapies includes retraining the brain, attempt to improve its ability to detect and process sounds, and teach remediation strategies. In many cases, patients benefit from an assistive listening device.  Our audiologist can help you determine what is best for you.

We offer Auditory Training therapy in our office one-on-one and in groups. We also have virtual, on-line, therapy options for those who travel a distance. Auditory Training therapy helps with retraining the brain to recognize the difference between similar sounds. Sometimes we also recommend music therapy programs that can help to retrain the auditory pathways.

In addition, treatment by a speech therapist may be recommended, depending on the type of auditory processing disorder and the age of the patient.  Other professionals may also be involved in treatment, depending on the patient’s needs.

If you’d like to learn more about central auditory processing disorder, Dr. Teri James Bellis has an excellent book about this topic, entitled “When the Brain Can’t Hear”.

Call today with any questions or to schedule your central auditory processing evaluation.  630-930-1025

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