Auditory Processing

An auditory or central auditory processing disorder occurs when the ear and the brain do not coordinate fully. Persons with auditory processing disorders have normal hearing. Auditory information breaks down somewhere beyond the ear.

Persons with auditory processing disorders may have difficulty with the one or more of the following areas:

• Auditory Figure-Ground Problems: This is when a person has difficulty concentrating when there is background noise.
• Auditory Memory Problems: This is when a person has difficulty remembering information.
• Auditory Discrimination Problems: This is when a person has difficulty hearing the difference between sounds or words that are similar ("bat/pat"). This can affect reading, writing, and spelling.
• Auditory Attention Problems: This is when a person cannot maintain focus for listening long enough to complete a task or requirement.
• Auditory Cohesion Problems: This is when a person has difficulty with higher level listening tasks such as following conversations, understanding riddles, or comprehending verbal math problems.