A Guide to Living With Auditory Processing Disorder (APD)

What is Auditory Processing Disorder?

Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) is a lifelong neurological condition that makes it difficult for individuals to make sense of sound, even when hearing itself is normal. People with APD can hear speech clearly, but their brains don’t process it efficiently, so words may seem unclear or jumbled, especially in noisy environments. APD can only be diagnosed in the UK by a specialist in audiovestibular medicine or an APD‑specialist audiologist.

It’s believed APD may affect 10% of children (1 in 10) and over 20% of adults. Although many people with APD find communication tough, the condition itself has no impact on intelligence and doesn’t limit someone’s capacity to learn.

Auditory Processing Disorder in Adults: Common Signs & Symptoms

APD is often picked up in childhood when parents are on the lookout for potentially “out of the ordinary” behaviour. For example, parents may wonder why their child is ignoring them or feel concerned that their child might have hearing issues. 

Despite this, some individuals go without a diagnosis until later in life or experience APD in adulthood due to injury or illness. For an adult living with APD, symptoms might include:

• Challenges with understanding verbal information/speech – regularly asking for repetition or clarification
• Poor recall of what someone has just said
• Struggling with phone calls
• Difficulty filtering out background noise when a person is speaking  
• Mixing up spoken sequences, e.g. remembering to do chores in the right order
• Difficulty with spatial processing – problems picking up on sounds coming from certain points within a space
• Mixing up sounds and rhyming words, e.g. “sh” and “ch” or “pole” and “bowl” 
• Being unable to understand someone who’s talking while facing the other way
• Finding it hard to recognise gaps between words, instead hearing everything as a long passage or jumbled noise
• Issues with verbal questions or instructions, particularly if there are multiple steps involved

These difficulties are sometimes experienced by people without APD. To be considered symptoms of APD, they must occur frequently.  

What Causes Auditory Processing Disorder?

It’s not known for sure what causes APD, but experts believe it may be linked to neurological damage within the brain. This damage can occur for many different reasons. It can appear after a head trauma, a neurological infection, oxygen deprivation during birth, a medical emergency, or another significant medical event. According to the NHS, APD is frequently seen in people who also have attention, language, or learning difficulties, including dyslexia and ADHD. This means symptoms may sometimes be confused with other conditions.

Getting an Official Diagnosis

Suspect you may have APD? You don’t have to suffer in silence. APD Support UK have lots of useful information on their website around getting a diagnosis. They suggest that both screening and testing are needed for a full diagnosis since screening alone may not be reliable. As a first step, it’s best to book a hearing test. If your hearing is shown to be normal, you may then want to speak to your doctor. There are specific documents on APD Support UK that you can take with you to your GP appointment. These can help you secure an appropriate referral. 

Seeking Support for APD at Work

Workplaces can be noisy, busy environments with lots of verbal interactions. So, if you have APD and rely heavily on verbal communication and comprehension in your job, you should speak to your employer about reasonable adjustments. Any neurodevelopmental condition or disorder is considered a disability under the Equality Act 2010 if it has a long-term and substantial impact on daily life, and APD often fits this.  

In the workplace, your employer may be able to help by:

• Providing different forms of communication, e.g. writing down instructions and transcribing notes during meetings
• Reducing background noise or moving your desk to a quieter spot to make processing speech easier
• Offering WFH or compressed hours to give you a break from the office
• Using slides, diagrams, or written agendas to support spoken information
• Creating a clear meeting structure, with only one person speaking at a time and sharing agendas or notes in advance
• Clarifying expectations by breaking tasks into smaller steps and checking understanding without judgement
• Offering tools like speech‑to‑text or captioning to support comprehension
• Educating staff with APD training, particularly highlighting how it differs from dyslexia  

Waiting to be tested for APD? Even if you don’t have a formal diagnosis just yet, you should still speak to your boss or HR if you’re facing issues at work. They can help by making small changes or temporary adjustments that make communication less difficult.

FAQs

Who can diagnose Auditory Processing Disorder?

APD diagnosis must be carried out by a specialist. In the UK, this means a consultant in audiovestibular medicine or an audiologist with specific expertise in APD. Other professionals (including teachers, SENCOs, and general audiologists) cannot diagnose APD, though they may help identify concerns.

Who treats auditory processing disorder?

Treatment and support for Auditory Processing Disorder in adults usually involves a combination of audiologists, speech and language therapists, workplace support teams, and sometimes occupational therapists. While APD can’t be cured, strategies and adjustments can significantly improve day‑to‑day communication.

Is APD linked to autism?

APD and autism are separate conditions, but they can sometimes co‑occur. Some autistic people experience auditory processing difficulties, but having APD does not mean someone is autistic. APD also occurs in many people with no other neurodevelopmental conditions.

Can adults develop APD later in life?

Yes. Auditory Processing Disorder in adults can appear after events such as head trauma, neurological illness, or other medical issues affecting the brain. Some adults also reach diagnosis later because their symptoms were missed in childhood.