Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) in Adults

Attentive adult students in a classroom setting, seated at desks and taking notes, with a man in a beige sweater in focus.

Do you find noisy locations or conversations with several speakers exhausting? Is listening to a podcast a struggle, even when you’re interested in the subject? Or are you more comfortable watching television with closed captions turned on, despite hearing the sound just fine? If this sounds like you, you may have an auditory processing disorder (APD).

What is Auditory Processing Disorder or APD in Adults?

We tend to think of hearing as automatic. But the way we perceive sound and interpret it is actually very complex; we need both perception and interpretation to understand what we hear.

Auditory processing disorder in adults is a disruption of the way the brain processes sound. APD in adults makes it difficult to distinguish speech from background noise or to focus on what someone is saying in a noisy environment. When this happens, communication can be impaired, learning may be difficult, and working can be a challenge.

Auditory processing disorder in adults is not an inability to perceive sound. Many adults with APD can pass a hearing exam without trouble. And although APD can make it difficult to learn through listening, it is not a learning disorder or any reflection of intelligence. Neither hearing nor comprehension is impaired. Instead, the connection between a perceived sound and its meaning is broken or muddied.

For instance, if you say, “Bobby is running after his ball,” someone with APD may hear, “Mommy is cunning at the big mall.” It is often difficult to distinguish between words and syllables that sound alike, making communication sometimes difficult.

People of all ages can have APD. It often begins in childhood, but it can also develop later in life. Auditory processing disorder in adults can result from a severe or chronic ear infection, a head injury, meningitis, a stroke, or a nervous system disease like multiple sclerosis.¹ Unfortunately, APD is often misdiagnosed as ADD/ADHD or hearing loss.

How Common is APD in Adults?

It is estimated that 2 to 7% of children are diagnosed with APD.² The prevalence among adults is not well known, but an estimated 15% of military veterans have acquired APD due to exposure to concussive blasts.³ It is also estimated that at least 50% of traumatic brain injuries may result in APD.⁴ And a study of 1,026 people aged 64 to 93 found that 22.6% showed signs of an auditory processing disorder in adults.⁵ However, thus far, few APD studies have focused on adults.

Signs and Symptoms of Auditory Processing Disorder in Adults

Although adults with an auditory processing disorder have normal hearing, it can be challenging for them to understand speech, particularly in noisy conditions or when others are talking. As they struggle to process, interpret, and retain what they hear, it often feels like sounds and speech are speeding past while they struggle to catch up. Karen J. Foli, the author of a book describing her journey working with her son’s symptoms,⁶ describes living with APD as listening to sound through water.

The National Center for Learning Disabilities lists four discrete auditory skills required to process information from sound. And APD interferes with each:

Auditory discrimination is recognizing, distinguishing, and comparing distinct and different sounds.
Auditory figure-ground discrimination allows you to focus on important sounds, discriminating between them and a noisy background.
Auditory memory is the ability to recall what you have heard, committing the information to short- and long-term memory.
Auditory sequencing is the ability to understand and recall the order of sounds and words.

The impairment of these essential sound-processing skills can have wide-ranging effects on adults with an auditory processing disorder, including:

Difficulty spelling, reading, and writing
Difficulty following multi-step directions
Trouble using the phone for conversations
Trouble in meetings or situations with several people speaking
Difficulty picking up tone of voice and interpreting it
Difficulty multitasking with an auditory component, like taking notes during a lecture
Difficulty understanding fast speech or people with accents
Trouble hearing the phone ring
Difficulty understanding and remembering people’s names
Difficulty recognizing incidents of sarcasm or jokes
Difficulty concentrating and easily distracted

Effects of Auditory Processing Disorder in Adults

The effects of APD range from nuisance level to profound, undermining the individual’s ability to relate to others. Adults with an auditory processing disorder experiencing APD symptoms can have difficulties in various aspects of life. They may struggle with having telephone conversations and understanding complex spoken instructions or feel lost in a group with several speakers.⁷

This can be especially difficult in the workplace, though personal relationships may also suffer because others often interpret APD effects as someone having poor listening skills or failing to pay attention. Some also assume that someone battling with APD is just irritable or has a poor attitude, or they may even mistake symptoms as an indication of impaired intelligence, although that isn’t the case.

Managing Auditory Processing Disorder in Adults

Struggling with an adult auditory processing disorder can be exhausting and isolating. But there is cause for hope. Although there is no “cure” for APD, there are strategies and accommodations that can be very helpful.

For instance, when John Fetterman was the Senate candidate for Pennsylvania in 2022, he was recovering from a stroke. One of the symptoms that nagged his recovery was adult APD. He struggled with not hearing what others said but with processing the words correctly. He used a closed captioning device to enable him to participate in a heated debate. This was hugely beneficial, helping him to understand far more of what was said. It is anticipated that his condition will improve over time due to brain training.

Brain training, like that offered by The Brain Balance Program, harnesses the brain’s ability to improve connections and processing at any age. Our program provides a holistic approach to empowering individuals to exercise and strengthen their cognitive skills. We help both adults and kids with processing disorders learn to improve their focus, memory, and communication skills through brain training. Contact us today to learn what we can do for you.