Have you ever heard the term ‘Auditory Processing Disorder’ and wondered what it was, especially when used to describe a challenge your child was having? This article will give you some further information on what ‘APD’ is and where you can get further information.

Just when you feel like you are starting to understand what dyslexia is, it may be that in discussing a child’s needs the term Auditory Processing Disorder is used.

Auditory Processing Disorder is described on the NHS website as a ‘hearing problem where the brain is unable to process sounds in the normal way.’

In 2017, writer Ela Lourenco, shared her experience of supporting her daughter who has APD and I would like to share that content with you again as it gives the perspective from a parent which I think is useful.

Ela writes:

Many of you will not have heard of APD. I certainly hadn’t until five years ago when my daughter Larissa was diagnosed with it. It is a relatively new area of study and not even the leading educational psychologists can agree on whether it is a part of dyslexia, tends to occur with dyslexia or something else entirely.

What is it?

In a nutshell, it is a disconnect between the ear (heard input) and the brain (processing input). Think of it as a computer mouse which is not well plugged into the computer main.

Does your child seem to not ‘hear’ you or their teacher at times? Do they tend to only hear one part of a multi-step instruction? Do they lack organisational skills and struggle with telling the time or the concept of time itself? Perhaps they find it harder to read (particularly aloud) and take longer to grasp the context/plot of the story? That was my daughter Larissa before we had her referred to an educational psychologist. For a bright child, she seemed to struggle with certain aspects of basic standardised education and yet was maintaining the status quo through sheer will power and hard work. The down side was that her brain was having to work 5-6 times more than her peers and she was exhausted all the time.

APD is very common and easily missed (even more so than dyslexia) which can lead to children being labelled very negatively as ‘lazy’, ‘slow’ or ‘careless’. Please beware! The worst thing a parent or teacher can do is to knock the self-esteem of such children without assessing them. These children are often extremely bright, hard-working and eager to do well but without the right support can struggle with confidence, school life and stop trying because they ‘can’t do it’.

BUT THEY CAN DO IT!! THEY CAN DO ANYTHING!!

Having studied diplomas in child psychology and dyslexia and co-occurring difficulties I have seen the ‘science’ side. Having brought up a child with APD, dyslexia and mild dyspraxia I have seen the ‘practical side’. The disconnect between Larissa’s ear and brain was so vast that it took two years and several specialists to determine that in fact she was not deaf (despite registering as such on the audiology tests!) Fast forward five years and you have a child who is doing well at school, plays three instruments and composes her own songs – proof that neither APD nor dyslexia can stand in your way if you don’t let it.

Yes, there are aspects of standardised education which will pose hardships for children like Larissa, but they are not ‘disabled’ nor ‘flawed’. Quite the contrary, they tend to be most gifted in areas of creativity, engineering, problem solving, thinking outside the box… All we need to do is support them in harnessing the energy of their strengths and applying it to their lives.

Useful tips for parents:

1. If in doubt get your child assessed, don’t assume they are ‘lazy’.

2. Help them find methodologies which work for them (i.e.; Larissa used her musicality to memorise time tables…)

3. Get them to repeat instructions back to the teacher at school as this helps the information ‘register’.

4. Help them to get organised by creating rituals such as writing all their homework/activities down in an agenda or diary.

5. Talk openly about their APD without making negative allusions; focus on their strengths.

6. BE PATIENT!! Yes some things will take longer – support each other!

How does APD relate to dyslexia?

Whilst it is not a condition that is directly related to dyslexia i.e neither condition causes the other. It is thought to co-occur by as much as 50% of dyslexic children and adults and so as a result would be thought of as a ‘co-occuring condition’ especially as dyslexia is a language disorder. APD would be a part of what is now being described as ‘Neurodiversity’ a positive term for people who experience learning differences but who also have great strengths that come with the territory in experiencing dyslexia and other conditions.

Leading UK educational psychologist, Dr Lyndsay Peer will be talking about Dyslexia and Auditory Processing Disorder at the upcoming Dyslexia Show in March 2020.

A useful video on ‘Neurodiversity’.