Auditory Processing Disorder Sub Types

Categories of APD

Auditory Processing Disorder will not present the same way in every child, though it is rare to find a child who only suffers in one of the listed areas. APD usually exists as a blend of difficulties -- however, one issue may be more dominant than the others. The main types of APD identified in children are:

• Phonetic decoding, a problem that occurs when the brain incorrectly decodes what is being heard. Sounds are unrecognizable, often because the person speaking talks too fast.

• Tolerance-fading memory, a condition with little or poor tolerance for background sounds.

• Auditory integration involving a person's ability to put together things heard with things seen. Characteristically there are long response delays and trouble with phonics, or recognizing the symbols for sounds.

• The fourth problem area, often called "prosodic" where the information is coming in too fast to be processed.

Tolerance/Fading Memory” subtype
Symptoms include:
Often seems to “ignore” people, especially if engrossed.
Hears less well, or is less attentive/productive, in ordinarily busy surroundings.
Difficulty following a series of spoken directions.
Unusually forgetful of information previously memorized (such as multiplication tables, correct spelling), or of household or school routines and responsibilities, despite frequent reminders.

“Decoding” subtype
Symptoms include:
Difficulty with phonics (sounding out words) approach to reading.
Confuses similar-sounding words; may learn words wrong.
Poor speller: errors phonetically correct (e.g. “littul” for little) or seem random (wrong sounds, sounds/syllables missing/added).
Problems with speech clarity or articulation, or with grammar, now or in the past.

“Integration” subtypes
Symptoms include:
Marked difficulty reading or writing efficiently, despite knowledge of phonics.
Needs to (or should) ask many extra questions to clarify task before starting; “doesn’t get the picture.”
Interprets words too literally, becoming confused or suffering hurt feelings.
Poor “communicator” -— fails to explain, apologize, negotiate, defend.
Speaks or writes “telegraphically” -— omits facts or switches topic, so that audience cannot follow train of thought.

Because auditory processing difficulties of any kind pull brain capacity away from comprehension and "integration," this sub-type is found in most cases of auditory processing disorder.
Auditory Integration Deficit

“Prosodic” subtype (often seen with NLD or non-verbal learning disability)
Symptoms include:
Absorbs details and facts, but misses the “big picture” — cannot prioritize or summarize information.
Insensitive to tone of voice; may misjudge speaker’s mood or be unintentionally tactless.
Problems with cause-and-effect reasoning; difficulty surmising the unspoken rules of conversation, play, and other situations.

Our Auditory Processing Treatment

Our program, Fast ForWord, is an intensive intervention for auditory processing disorder, with specific exercises that work directly on the underlying causes of the characteristics listed above.
Auditory processing treatment for children and adults