Childhood Disabilities & Disorders

Central Auditory Processing Disorder

Central Auditory Processing Disorder is a collective term used to describe a variety of disorders that affect the way the brain processes auditory information. It is not a hearing impairment; individuals with Central Processing Disorder typically have normal peripheral hearing ability.

People with Auditory Processing Disorder are occasionally unable to process verbal information and therefore do not process what is being said to them. Although they may be able to repeat instructions word for word, they do not necessarily grasp the meaning of the message. As such, simple repetition or speaking louder to someone with a Central Auditory Processing Disorder does not help.

It is characterized by poor recognition, discrimination, separation, grouping, localization, or ordering of non-speech sounds.

Auditory processing disorder is difficult to diagnose. It is therefore sometimes misdiagnosed as ADHD and forms of autism, such as Asperger’s syndrome.

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