Navigating Social Situations with Auditory Processing Disorder: Strategies for Managing Emotion

Auditory Processing disorder is very rarely discussed in mainstream media. 

Auditory processing disorder is a condition where the brain does not process sound signals in the same way it does in a typically developing human being. This is usually not a neurological condition but a different ‘wiring’ of the brain.

APD  is present in children from a very young age. However, in some cases it is developed in adults after going through traumatic instances in their life, for example, war veterans. 

APD in children makes it difficult for them to be interactive in the normal sense, and thus they often face issues with making friends as a kid. Due to their non responsiveness towards the people around them, they are often considered ‘weird’ by their peers. It is crucial to understand that this condition has no direct impact on their cognitive abilities, however, due to lack of social interaction, they often have difficulty in school.

“It is a lonely existence to be a child with a disability that no one can see or understand. You exasperate your teacher, you disappoint your parents, and, worst of all, you know that you are just not stupid,”  – exclaims Susan Hamilton, a specialist in child psychology.

Many people confuse Auditory Processing Disorder with  learning disabilities, such as Autism and ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). Moreover, many people make the mistake of thinking that APD has something to do with physical hearing problems.

An APD is a condition that affects the listening capability of a child. This means that the child will have a hard time comprehending and distinguishing between different sounds. They have trouble processing information that is received through their ears. 

This makes it difficult for the child to stay attentive, especially when in a place with higher background noise. Most places such as playgrounds, classrooms, etc are a child’s favourite place to be however, these places would be extremely overwhelming for a kid who has APD.

In this article, we will try to understand the following aspects in detail

• What is Auditory Processing Disability?
• How are people with APD often misunderstood?
• In what ways does a person’s social life is affected as a result of having APD?
• What is the right course of action for handling APD?

What is Auditory Processing Disability?

Auditory Processing Disability is a condition in which the child is unable to appropriately perceive sounds originating from various sources. Usually, when a person is communicating with you, they have the ability to tune out the background noise, the overlapping sounds of another person speaking nearby, and ambient noise coming from other sources. Being able to distinctly recognise these sounds and concentrate on the ones that a person with APD wishes to listen to is challenging.

These issues manifest in their day-to-day life in the following ways.

• They have difficulty in learning the difference between similar-sounding words even when the word is pronounced clearly, such as the k and g sounds in English phonetics.
• They have trouble remembering simple instructions given verbally.
• Places with many overlapping sounds, such as playgrounds, classrooms, and social gatherings, are very overwhelming for the child.
• Getting tired after listening very easily
• Has poor listening skills and often gets distracted easily

Another symptom that many people tend to overlook is reading issues in children with APD. Since APD is associated with how the brain is not able to coordinate with auditory senses, it is easy to neglect this symptom. 

However, a study stated in their article on “Comorbidity of auditory processing, attention and memory in children with word reading difficulties” presented by Macquarie University, Sydney, showed that within the sample of 24 kids with reading difficulties and 28 children with no reading issues, more than 50% of children also had issues with auditory processing, memory retention and processing how words sound accurately. 

This could be a result of not being able to understand how to pronounce similar-sounding words, associate the right meaning to the words that rhyme or have similar connotations, and, as a result, make sense of a sentence. 

They often miss some words in a simple phrase and that leads to a lot of misunderstanding, says Francoise Nicoloff, a psychologist who has been working with APD for 45 years. When she asks a child: How old are you? They respond: “fine!” So in a very short sentence of 4 words, they hear “how are you” so imagine if the parent or the teacher are speaking with long sentences, they are totally lost and confused.

Students with APD have consistently shown to perform poorly in class as they are unable to follow what their teachers are instructing or teaching. At the same time, they might have reading difficulties and get distracted easily. 

This does not subside when they become adults. When a person with APD becomes an adult, they simply learn how to live with the disorder. However, growing up with a disorder should also come with the right diagnosis so that the person isn’t kept away from the same opportunities that a typically developing person obtains.

Therefore, early diagnosis and treatment are needed so they can learn to manage their condition and eventually gain confidence while leading a quality life.

How Does Auditory Processing Disorder Affect the Life of a Person?

A child with undiagnosed and untreated APD can grow up to have very low self-esteem. This is because, growing up, they are often treated as if they are less intelligent than their peers. The constant struggle to concentrate on different sounds and fail many times is frustrating, not just for them but for the people around them. 

Studies show that people with APD have difficulty in carrying out communication on call, are unable to comprehend complex instructions, and are unable to learn a new language. This automatically implies that as an adult, a person with APD would not be able to do a job efficiently that requires telephonic communication, acquire new skills through training, or settle in a country where they speak a different language. Removing these job opportunities leaves very few opportunities for them where they can perform well. They often don’t pass the trial period in a position due to the lack of understanding and performance

As a result, there have been multiple studies that suggest a direct relationship between people diagnosed with APD to have depression and anxiety. However, according to a study on perceptions of health care professionals, the negative attitude of mental health professionals toward people with auditory processing disorder, autism and learning disabilities needs a lot of improvement. 

The Australian government is taking active steps to help adults with disabilities feel included, simplify social participation and uphold their rights as Australian citizens. They have done so by launching Australia’s Disability Strategy 2021-2031.

Misconceptions Around Auditory Processing Disorder

In children with other difficulties, such as ADHD, the symptoms are almost the same. Kids, in both cases, are distracted and not attentive. A kid with ADHD chooses to ignore the surroundings, whereas a child with APD has a tough time tuning out background noise and concentrating on one sound. These are different causes creating the same outcome.

It must be noted that there is some relation that is observed between APD and ADHD. Some children have both these conditions simultaneously. However, this is not true in all cases. Therefore, if a child who has APD is diagnosed with ADHD because of many similar characteristics in both these conditions, the child will not receive the right input from their therapists to help them cope with their situation.

There are also discussions on associations between Special Language Impairment (SLI) and APD. In SLI, the child has difficulty in understanding or speaking the language. These children do not have a hearing loss of any kind and yet have issues in grasping their language. These are slightly different conditions.

As stated above, certain pre-existing conditions in a child can have similar symptoms as that of APD. Therefore, the diagnosis is only performed to confirm that there are no other disabilities in the child.

In all these cases of kids with different difficulties, it must be noted that each child would require a different course of treatment regardless of their diagnosis. Even if two kids have APD, their treatment to have a good handle on carrying out conversations or being attentive would be very different.  

The Emotional Turmoil of People with APD

The aspect that is often neglected is how APD affects the state of mind of individuals at different stages of life. Children suffering from the condition are subjected to noise or multiple voice signals, such as two people talking to them at the same time, they get confused. Research has shown that these situations eventually impact them very negatively. And unfortunately, it is not possible to control the external environment, which means that they feel upset and low for a huge amount of time throughout the day.

Moreover, they are often misunderstood as being inattentive, not that intelligent, among others. Therefore, they have a low concept of self. 

They also suffer from a lack of self-trust as they do not know if they can trust what they heard is correct. This also causes them to suffer from anxiety from a very young age. This is also a result of constant pressure to listen correctly and be under that stress for long periods of time.

APD kids then grow up to have lesser friends and less social interaction. This leads to a constant feeling of not being understood and being lonely. To an APD individual, the world seems impatient and unsympathetic towards them as they genuinely cannot control their listening problems.

Strategies to Manage Emotion

It is of utmost importance to manage not just the functional aspect of this disorder but also to come up with a plan to have a better handle on emotions for APD individuals specifically. Here are a few ways to do so.

• Make their teachers, friends, and neighbours aware of their problems so they are patient and understanding towards them.
• When considering therapy for the disorder, also consider emotional therapy and counselling so they have a better sense of self.
• Help them cope with the disorder by being very encouraging to them in a genuine sense.

What are the Different Kinds of Therapies for APD

It is important to understand that in this context, treatment does not mean cure. There are various forms of therapies and exercises that help children with this condition to be able to perform better in class, interact with their peers and be able to better distinguish between sounds. Here are a few common ways of doing so:

• Electronic devices such as Tomatis® Infinite Headphones can help children with APD immensely. They can use this in class to help tune out background noises and concentrate on what they want to do better.
• A different approach that does not directly tackle the issue is helping them make their other skills stronger, usually, the ones that do not require constant listening. These could range from memory problem-solving, and building physical strength. 
• A speech therapy customised for the needs of APD children would be absolutely necessary for them to learn to speak and eventually listen properly.
• Other ways to help them is music therapy. You can try the TalksUp® from Tomatis® Method for a person having APD to help them cope better and help to rewire the brain so it perceives and hears what the ears are hearing.

Be Your Child’s Support System

Your child has a different way of learning things and should be able to find a way to be as functional as any other child. He or she can learn to be present in classrooms, conversations and regular life with the help of the Tomatis® Method. Our course has been shown to improve cognitive skills, listening abilities and, most importantly, the mental health of children from all age groups. 

We provide a support system in a non-invasive therapeutic way to help children with auditory processing disorder. By joining us on this journey, you can support your child to become capable of performing well academically, interacting with his peers, making friends, and, most importantly, finding his or her personal strengths. 

Here at Australia Tomatis® Method, your child learns to build pathways in his brain that makes him or her more capable of listening better and being more attentive. 

We understand that each child needs a unique approach. Our attempts are to find ways to help your child that is in tune with their rhythm. 

So do not hesitate to contact Tomatis® professionals in Sydney, Australia, who can help your child with APD be socially more participative. 

Have you noticed any symptoms in your child that we discussed in this article? Write down in the comment section.