Auditory Processing Disorder - Identifying Symptoms 

Thumbs up if the backround music is pissing you off.

they just said its hard for people with this to understand stuff with background noise, and they play background music while she talks.

I find it funny how they are talking about how it is hard trying to listen with background noise while they are playing music in the background of the video, messing with my head. lol

At 52 years old I'm just now seeing what it was that I struggled with so much in school! I still struggle socially with this. Wow!

I honestly want to cry of happiness. this explains so much for me!

Sometimes I just never get someone's name because I can't make it out. I prefer to listen to music during "quiet study time" because music is organised and predictable so I don't have to process the auditory info because I've heard it so many times whereas the slight background noise is random and confusing. In class I pretty much always have to ask someone beside me what the homework was or what the teacher said.

Literally every time i listen to someone on the phone they sound like the damn adults from charlie brown.

I usually say,”what” a lot even though I here them I just didn’t process it,sometimes not often when a person talks it sounds like gibberish, and I misinterpret some words with background noise or don’t hear some words in the sentence

I find it easier to process what someone is saying when I don't have to look them in the eye. If I'm uncomfortable, I also have a bad time focusing as well as when there is a pressure to focus like in a classroom setting.

I was diagnosed in the 90's with (C) APD. I was already 25 years old, and it was a roommate that initially pointed out that I rely way too much on lip-reading in order to hear someone, so I finally had gone to a specialist with my symptoms. My exam and testing resulted with my having a major case of (C)APD and was surprised that I had gone this far in life without diagnosis. They were surprised that my teachers throughout my school years never noticed it. Once I got the diagnosis, I did a lot of research, and learned I had a lot of obvious symptoms that should have pointed it out. Some of those symptoms included: - Late speech development in childhood. I even to this day remember my private speech therapy lessons. I didn't start to really talk until I was 4. - I am a loud talker, and only really hear well when I am listening to a loud talker. - I had a difficult time in language classes, particularly with foreign languages. Math was my jam, but language... not so much. - It was IMPOSSIBLE for me to hear people talking in a restaurant or other loud environments. Even the food chewing sounds in my mouth/head would interfere. Meal times were difficult growing up. - I constantly ask people to repeat themselves, because I never hear the first part of the sentence. By the time I am able to 'tune in' to a person talking, I already missed the first half of what they said. - Talking on the phone is extremely difficult. I usually have to put it on speaker and turned all the way up. - I would Hyper-focus on an activity and I just 'tune out' outside noises.... for HOURS! (like puzzles or crafts etc) Someone would practically have to yell my name to snap me out of it, and get my attention. If someone WAS talking to me, it would sound like someone talking low from another room- all muffled, almost like how adults sound on Charlie Brown animations, so I wouldn't look up or mentally acknowledge that someone was talking to me. - when something is said to me in an environment with background noise, if I cannot see their mouth, it sounds like they are speaking a completely different language. - During my youth, my mother would be angry with me claiming I had 'selective hearing' as if I was doing it on purpose. - I need CLARITY in statements spoken to me, so, many times I follow up with a bunch of questions regarding to their comment to ensure I heard/understood them properly. Sometimes I simply try to repeat what was said to me to ensure I heard them right. Scarily enough, many times I would have it TOTALLY WRONG. Funny how my brain will 'fill in the blanks', no matter how wrong it can be. After additional follow-ups, the 'audiologist' pointed out why i was able to get that far in life without a diagnosis. Apparently, I developed a major coping mechanism... and that was lip-reading. I didn't realize how much I depended on watching someone's mouth to 'hear' what they are saying. Apparently, I became very good at it, and I had no idea that others didn't do it to the extent of what I had been doing. So now it's been 25 years since my diagnosis, and have learned additional coping mechanisms. The best thing I do when I am in a group environment, socially or otherwise, Once I notice I have been asking people to repeat themselves (usually more than once or twice) I quickly follow up by saying "I apologize, I have an auditory disorder so I cannot make out speech at times". Everyone seems to be quite forgiving once they know and/or understand. My poor husband, he knows to repeat himself whenever I ask. Here's the kicker... I am now living in my second foreign-language country, so working on my third language. The struggle is real, but at the same time it really helps train my brain to listen. I am sure I would be a lot more advanced in this language if it wasn't for my disorder. I have a disorder, but it doesn't hold me back. I plug through and purposely challenge myself to hone my much needed additional skills to overcome my shortcomings with APD.

I'm 21 and still have this problem. Respect to others who struggle with this!

Also, people that talk fast are a huge headache for me. Spoken directions that have lots of steps are also a nightmare for me. Driving directions are impossible when spoken. I ask people to write things down.

I'm so tired of people getting mad at me for asking "what?" 5 times before I can comprehend them and then giving up on speaking with me

What were they thinking with that music?

background sound while discussing auditory processing problems!

In loud environments I find that putting in ear plugs really helps, I haven't tried this at a club where listening and being social is more important. I do allot of industrial construction and drowning out as much back ground noise as possible helps, but its still difficult for what people are saying to register in my head. My current foreman has a really raspy voice that is very distinct and pierces through background noise which is really helpful.

Who else had to rewind so many times during this video because they kept missing major points.

And, yes, that background music is just enough to create problems for me. At first I thought I was imagining it. Closed captioning is a blessing to me. Sometimes when I hear music, I keep hearing it for a while after. Same thing with sirens, I keep hearing them after they are off.

I was evaluated by a dr. who put background noise on and I asked her to turn it off. She said that was done on purpose to find out if I had one. Fascinating.

I can recall standing in the hallway while my 6th grade teacher tried to send me on an errand. She handed me a sheaf of papers and tried to tell me what to do with them. The class was noisy and I swear she was speaking gibberish. It was humiliating. No matter how hard I try to listen I end up "tuning out". I avoid talking with people because I know I will miss half of what they say. Meetings at work are torture. My hearing tests normal. ADP? This is a revelation!

I don't understand if you're trying to help people with auditory processing disorders why would you have random music playing in the background that makes it hard to listen?

This makes so much sense. Consistently having to stop whatever I'm doing to listen and watch lips to understand, asking people to repeat themselves not because I couldn't hear them speaking, but I couldn't hear what they were saying, hating phone calls and audio books because I can't see their lips; I can't count how many times I've I've asked someone to repeat themselves and specify to not raise their volume. Tone was actually super important growing up, since if I couldn't catch their words, I could piece together by their tone. I loved learning but had the hardest time listening. In regards to the noise from passing time, I just shut off my focus. I "zoned out", focusing on where I was going, not what I heard around me.

Anyone else have just as much trouble with the "loudness" of complete silence? I do better with music or TV noise to focus "against."

*The background music

Listening to and playing music may be of help. I just found out very recently that I was diagnosed with APD about 20 years ago. I am 33 years old. When I was 13 my parents suspected that I had a learning disability, more specifically Attention Deficit Disorder, as I was struggling with school. I didn’t have ADD but I was diagnosed with APD. I always felt bad when people would say I was a bad listener. I am a musician and I just realized APD is probably why I became one. I would often listen to music as a way to self-sooth before I picked up my first instrument. I grew up in a dysfunctional family and had anxiety when I was younger. There is a therapeutic feeling I get when learning or playing an instrument, as it gives me the gratification of controlling a singular sound, or putting multiple sounds/instruments together to create a singular sound. I figured I should share this as it has always helped me cope and maybe it can be helpful for others with APD. Cheers

I’ve never related so hard to one of these disorders I just learned about. It would explain a lot because I’ve known for a long time that I have excellent hearing but being able to parse out what you’re saying from all the other noise I hear is so difficult. Also, subtitles for movies and RU-vid videos are sometimes a must.

I have audio processing disorder. it doesn't effect me much now that I am almost fifty, but I still take people literally. I think I can tell when a person is being sarcastic. I am a little slow at understanding jokes. what I remember about being a kid was how tiring school was. (I was diagnoised with capd at age 22) I also remember that to get the c-/d+ gpa needed graduate, I employed cheeting on exams, especially in spelling tests. there just wasn't enough hours in the day to do all the homework assigned. my only regret was that I didn't drop out of school at age 16 to attend comunity college. at 18 when I attended community college, my gpa shot up to a b+ average. it makes sense now. those classrooms were quiet. it didn't take as much effort to follow along. also, the pacing of the classes were quicker and in more depth. and I didn't have to employ devices like cheeting or bringing crib-notes into class to pass exams. I took a lot of math-science courses.

I have Auditory Processig disorder and Autism. I love this video but the background noise is so annoying!

Wow this is interesting; one of my symptoms is that I often have a hard time recognizing sarcasm, but somehow I’m also very adept at understanding the “gist” of what’s being said in a foreign language solely by listening to inflection and pitch and relating it to contextual clues. Maybe it’s because my brain isn’t trying to process everything that’s being heard when it hears a foreign language, so it can focus *just* on the tone/inflection alone?

I have this problem and it’s nice to not feel alone

i have APD disorder and all the things this lady mention i have done at some point. this is a great info vid for me thank you.

Hi just a few weeks ago my son, 7 years old was diagnosed with APD... Your video has been very helpful to me and my family. please keep informing us.

Ive done hearing tests over and over again, ive been called lazzy and stupid my hole life even my mother thinks im autistic... but that test wasnt it ither.. no its this an APD! This make so m7ch sence to me. When she talked about feeling overwhelmed and exhausted after spending hours TRYING to listen, it made sense. This is ME.

I zoned out..

I couldn’t keep track of what they are saying because of the music

Thank you so much for posting this!

Wow, this is great. I have a very mild case of APD and it has caused me no end of aggravation in my lifetime, mainly in social situations, like you, because of the "delay" effect. I wish I had known about it before!

I am diagnosed with A.P.D. and music is abit different. It helps me focus! Especially if its loud! It's busy noise that is the problem! When my music is loud it helps me complete tasks! Especially paper work it is not easy for me to do! I also have A.D.D. music always helps me! Driving my loud music helps me focus!

I'm 1 minute into this video and she has just described me EXACTLY!!!

Yes the background noise makes me not hear all of what she is saying. I think that back noise was intentional to prove their point . I need to get checked because I may very well have this problem and most likely had it as a child and just was never diagnosed.

Sweet. I have HFA and Auditory Processing Problems so I needed to know what it was

Awesome! Most videos about apd have terrable sound quality like echos in the room making them difficult to listen to so I turn them off. Thank you for bothering to have clean sound, it makes all the difference.

Wow no wonder I have a hard time in school I have all the symptoms

I can hear a pin drop in the woods, hear everything around me when we are working there BUT I can't hear people talking when in civilization. I was diagnosed with CAPD years ago and told nothing could be done about it, given no help, and sent out into the world which I couldn't understand most of the oral communication, and expected to thrive without help. Of course it was obvious to people I can hear but they didn't and still don't understand it's voices and not the background noise. Recently this caused havoc at a doctor's office and hospital. I'm 66 years old and I was treated like a bad little kid because my voice is loud because I could not follow the conversation. That earned them a report to the medical society, and I am working on a Justice department complaint form right now. After years of abuse just because I can't hear properly, I'm done accepting that people will abuse me over this. I will take action every time a professional person does this under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Refusing someone the modifications needed to communicate in a professional setting is ILLEGAL in the USA. I won't put up with it.

I could pay attention to this when I watched it on my tv but when I watched it again from my phone with headphones all I could hear was the annoying music. Couldn’t pay attention this time.

I found it odd that in a video meant largely for people with CAPD, they included subtle background music which interfered with my ability to concentrate on and understand her.

I might have some kind of APD. I can do some of the things though. I just can't make sense of people all the time.

I have this disorder. I never realized it as a child, but discovered it when I started working with children who have this disorder. One of the occupational therapists asked me questions and helped me realize that CAPD was the cause. My disorder causes a delay in what is said. I get easily "lost" in a big group meeting. In school, I excelled at my school work, but I asked a zillion questions. I also forget or miss what was just said. At work it can be hard at meetings. People don't understand.

As @suadela87 points out, “parsing” seems to be a major hurdle, maybe exacerbated by background noise and other social conditions (bad domestic/neighborhood scene, diet, etc.), the “serial position effect” (what the student will or won’t remember) is a fascinating angle-thanks for including it. My suspicion is that the stress activates their amygdala more than is healthy (thinking about long-term effects from mental exhaustion (2:07)) as it relates to cardiovascular health, while they don’t even know that they’re the proverbial baboon in the “U. of Pennsylvania experimental lab”--nobody even knows they’re there. THEY don’t even know they’re there, and probably assume everyone else has the same level of difficulty as they do. Students should be made aware that this could be happening to them so that testing can be done. A record of head-trauma patients could be a place to start. This series of videos is beyond brilliant; thanks for posting.

The video has captioning. You have to turn the setting on. I could understand what was said with captioning on.

I have APD and my teachers thought I was never listening in class. It was so hard in school. I am homeschooled now and its way better since I can have 1 and 1 with my teacher.

Thank you for this video. Again, it is interesting to note that I have trouble concentrating on this video because of the slight "drumming" in the background. At the same time, in many ways it helps me to realize that I really do have this disorder.

Your welcome. The noise you are referring to is more than likely the air conditioning in the office, which was quite loud at the time of recording and could not be switched off. But, as you say, people who suffer with this condition are the most likely to be distracted by it. If there are particular areas of auditory processing disorder you would like to know about, let us know as we use this feedback to generate more videos.

Love this video. Only issue is that people with (C)APD also have trouble with accents so processing UK accents are also difficult. I have short term memory loss as well as (C)APD and its just so rough putting two and two together. It's such a process everyday. Sometimes I wish I could just switch my hearing off for the day. Concentrating all day every day is exhausting.

I love listening to Australian voices :) Make me feel at home.

In someone with APD I wonder if background noise can disrupt a persons “train of thought” and/or focus as well as understanding speech with background noise.

coincidentally... they add background music.

Haha yeah that music is distracting, but I never really understood how to explain to people how I learn I couldn't ever find the right words to tell them, but ever since elementary school they've thought I've had this && now I'm almost 23 and finally getting testing for it. I had never done the research before until now & all I can say is wow. everything they say clicks and I can relate I knew that I had a learning issue but I could never explain it to people. We need more awareness thank you!

no wonder why my friends would always get mad at me because they had to repeat the same word like three times so i could undrestand it..... and the noise its all true, this is affecting my college life :

I've had this issue for so long! Especially in work and social settings. I constantly have to ask people to repeat themselves.

I have same issue for a long time now.when I was in college and I couldn't listen to my teacher I'd just sit on front bench and ask teacher to. Write the name of the topic we r learning and I would go home and revise it again ..so passing the degree was double work for me😁.I still have hard time while I talk with a group of people and also when the celing fan or the wind is blowing

Going to be 49 this year and this is the reason why I struggle with so many things.

my mom was a few classes away from getting a degree in Audiology in the early 80's. Did they know about auditory processing disorder then? or did they assume that hearing comprehension issues could be rooted in a processing issue? I had so so many of these symptoms but she (and no one else) never noticed. I even was taken to get a hearing assessment at one point and when I passed the assessment they were like "seems like your hearing is normal" and didn't listen to me when i said i had a hard time understanding people talking to me. My mom was like "you do fine in choir, how could you have a hearing problem?" it hurts to know that maybe i could have felt less isolated/dumb with a combination or accommodations and training/therapy, but here I am at 33 finding out there is a way to help me with this. I missed out on so much because i couldn't really understand what was going on around me as good as others. Guess it is better to something about it now than never..

That's what I was thinking - what's up with the background noise?!.

I thought it was just me!! YES, that background music is incredibly distracting. And yes, I've only recently realized the symptoms where related and classified as APD

AMAZING !! We have 2 grand kids that may have this ! Are there some kind of hearing aids that block all the background noise?

This is a great video apart from the background music which makes it really difficult to concentrate on what she's saying. I have Auditory Disorder and listening was hard work!!!!

Explains why it would be so difficult in highschool. Teens may use different tones which may be easily missed by others. Also why university lectures can be hard to focus on. Explains a lot.

Doing homework is the easy part. It's not a visual processing disorder it's auditory. The hard part though is learning how to read since the speech behind it is taught through auditory means. But once you develop those skills you can fall back on visual learning and memory. This is coming from someone who has lived with it their whole life. I spent years in speech therapy, was held back in 1st grade, and was in special ed. Once I learned how to cope with the disorder my grades went up, I graduated from college, and now I have a very good job at an IT consulting company.

Oh so this really is a thing. I have always been struggling to understand people. So very often I have to say 'sorry, what did you say?'. And if the person repeats the same thing exactly the same, if he or she doesn't vary anything in the speech (speaking more clearly, or slower, or using other words), then i sometimes just can't understand it no matter how many times it's repeated to me. Cool to have a name for it now. People get so surprised when I say that I have trouble with understanding speech even in my mother language (not english).

The background noise is very distracting in this video. I remember in school it is exactly as she describes. But it affects you as an adult too and you're self esteem. You think you're dumb and forgetful and you get frustrated with yourself which is very sad and unfair on yourself. It affects you professionally. Working in retail was a complete nightmare you have to be able to multitask, answering phones then face to face, writing a list helped but you'd forget in two seconds what you wrote or forgot numbers for stock or have to ask customers or colleagues to repeat themselves it annoys everyone. I flat out had a colleague turn to me and asked if I was dyslexic. And then another job my boss asked me if I had been tested because of my memory. Then relationships. At family dinners I can't keep up with them because they all talk so fast and are loud and talk over eachother and I forget what was said even though im trying so hard to listen. Then my relationship with my hubby especially when we have arguments its very difficult to hear the other person and understand. I have trouble reading his emotions and tone I have to ask him to slow down his speech so I can write things down in an argument. If we're in a noisey place like the shopping mall I have to step aside and force myself to listen or we have to step outside to the carpark. It's very hard. But being aware of it now and taking steps makes it easier. And if I want to write my book or draw I have to do my hobbies late at night when its quiet and there's no outside noise or I shut the windows and doors draw the curtains and hope its going to be a quiet day. I read why it occurs. Chronic ear infections, premature birth, malnutrition, mother smoking and drinking, head injuries. 26 weeks early prematurebaby here and my mother would punch her womb when pregnant with me ive been told. and she also smoked and drank. I was raised in a very violent and abusive upbringing and was neglected as a child so as a 27 year old woman not only am I dealing with the emotional side of things from that, my upbringing also harmed my development. It's a constant fight with yoursef. :( Also im still prone to ear infections bad ones so I take as many precautions as i can

Maybe. But finding someone who is skilled in the area of auditory processing disorder may be good to talk to as there could be ways to treat whatever it is you think you might have... thanks for your comment. Hopefully our other videos may be helpful to you also.

Why are they playing background music??? I'm here because I am concerned about my son but listening to this was so hard with the music in the background. Suddenly memories from my own auditory processing difficulties are flooding my mind.

Can you remove the background music please? Very hard to listen and understand.

I remember in school, all noise was terribly distracting. A kid tearing sheets out of a notebook or pencil sharpener etc. They need total quiet. Even a small fan running can be distracting. It isn't just speech that confuses you, it is any noise.

there is some music in the background and it was very hard for me to understand what you were talking about because my brain was paying attention to that noise so this wasn't helping me at all.

I 100% believe I have this. I never thought I was deaf, even though I was called that many times however I've gathered that I have majority of the symptoms of APD. It's really frustrating when I'm not able to understand people and have to keep saying 'what?' Embarrassingly.. especially when someone cracks a joke and my brain doesn't process it so now I'm smiling because they're smiling. Ah. I've also realised why I would get A's in Spanish GCSE but would always have a difficult time trying to listen to the person talk in the listening exam. It's not that I didn't understand the sentences, but it's the fact that their words sometimes were muffled to me.

My APD got really bad in college. I have great hearing, but sometimes I can pay very close attention to what someone is saying and my brain just processes it as noise, not as words. It affected my grades and a bit of job performance. I have to write everything down. I can’t listen to music, especially not with lyrics, when I need to write or read. Background noise gives me anxiety too. I wonder if there’s treatment, or if I’m just screwed :/

This in combination with learning disability... and it was expected to have a job on the side. And now people expect me to still be able to live adult life. I was burnt out at 13 already 😔

pens clicking and papaer flipping during a test I'm stressed out for just gives me panic attacks, and I can't sleep if I can hear the T.V. downstairs when I'm trying to fall asleep with my music...anyone else?

How does one go about getting tested and diagnosed with this? I believe my teenage son has this and has had it since he wss very young

I'm 17 (going on 18 in a few days, and it's still a pain in the ass to keep up with a simple conversation. My mom (every fucking time) tells me to talk to people in school; I can't bring myself up to speak, and I still consider myself 'socially awkward'. This also applies to family events with all the hooplah going on. Not only this, but I'm a complete disorganized person with everything. Swim practice is also Hell.

Man i have many of that symptoms that are touched upon in this video. What i wonder if auditory processing is also linked to having problems understanding speech through a telephone. While in training for an office job i had such a hard time i even avoided taking calls. Didnt help that many of the calls came from people who were driving at the same time.

The high pitch quiet music in the background made this video somewhat difficult to listen to. Good info though. Thank you.

Is it treatable?

What do you think of ForBrain?

I can't hear anyone saying anything if there's a small background noise like a fan sound or sth of the kind in the background. However if the background noise is not like that but for example bird tweeting then I have no trouble hearing the person talk. Is that a form of auditory processing disorder or do I just have bad hearing?

Do you suggest home school for a child with ADP? My son feels like the quiet environment at home would help him achieve his scholastic goals.

I have normal physical hearing but I have this disorder along with aspergers syndrome. Its like my brain is not able to hear.

They are talking about children but this still effects adults. It’s very difficult to be someplace where there’s music playing with words and someone is also talking to you. When you ask if they can turn it down people say, can’t you block it. They don’t understand and think you’re being difficult when you’re not. So now we have to explain it to people! So random people like the employees at a clothing store etc. Now complete strangers have to receive an explanation of your personal information in order to turn some music down!!

I am also suffering. Please help what can i do.

Why i can hear but can't understand the whole line..and why i have difficulty in learning new topic since 3 years..this didn't happened to me before.. answer please

What about deafness’s in high pitch noises People don’t understand no sound temporary then hearing goes back normal? To scream ing for a bit What is that about would think it’s apd???

I think I have this myself. I always have trouble making out what people say becuase it comes out as giberish. Many people think I may be partially deaf, because in hearing tests where you push a button when you hear a noise, I get overwhelmed and often don't bush the button when I hear it. I think the only way one is going to be able to tell if I am truly hearing impared is to test my hearing the same way they test babies and animals.

Anyone finding it interresting that theres a background track in this video that makes it unwatchable for people with APD?

I have enough trouble tuning out noises (I have ADD), but I still struggle even when I'm in a quiet environment. Whether it's spoken, written or I have to figure it out on my own, I fail to grasp the concept. I have problems with terminology as well: "get on the plane"? How about "get in the plane"? "The alarm just went off." Don't you mean "it just went on"? "25% off all blouses." Does that mean 25% less material or 25% discount on the cost? Those electronic paper towel machines that reads "If no towel, pull handle. Now why would I pull a handle when there's no paper? It just goes on and on. I'm dealing with disabilitism on a daily basis, especially when I'm looking for a job . . . or even volunteering.

How about hypersensitivity and/or hyper-responsiveness to changes in tonality? It may be an overcompensation to avoid shame of being tone blind, or who knows? Perhaps they come together; I don't know as I'm only just learning about this disorder and while I identify with many of the symptoms (including the occasional social blunder of misinterpreting implied meanings), I find that I'm extremely sensitive to changes in tone and often mistrustful when a person's tone, words and sometimes posture, appear to me to be out of synch.

I have apd math is my biggest issue

I shout a lot without knowing and at school in a silent hallway I saw my teacher and shouted HI MISS but luckily she knew I have APD so I was let of the hook.

I have Visual and auditory disorder