AProcessing.
Assessment.
Comprehensive auditory processing evaluations for children and adults who struggle to understand speech despite normal hearing.
// ages
Children & Adults
Screening from age 4. Full assessment from age 7.
No referral required
[ 02 ] / The condition
When Hearing Is Fine but Understanding Is Not
Do you or your child hear people talking but struggle to make sense of what they are saying? Does you or your child have difficulty hearing in a classroom or meeting room? Do noisy restaurants, group conversations, or phone calls feel exhausting? Hearing may be perfectly normal, but the brain may be processing sound differently.
Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) affects how the brain interprets the sounds it receives. Standard hearing tests often come back normal, which can make the experience frustrating. A specialized APD assessment is designed to identify exactly where the processing breakdown is occurring.
[ 03 ] / Evidence
Signs You May Have APD
If several of these feel familiar, an assessment is worth a call.
Difficulty understanding speech in noisy environments
Frequently asking people to repeat themselves
Trouble following conversations with multiple speakers
Challenges with phone calls or virtual meetings
Difficulty processing rapid or complex verbal instructions
Feeling exhausted after extended listening situations
Misunderstanding what people say, especially similar-sounding words
Difficulty learning to spell, read, and write
[ 04 ] / Method
The Assessment Process
Our comprehensive APD evaluation goes beyond a standard hearing test to identify specific processing challenges.
Hearing Evaluation
We begin with a thorough hearing test to establish your baseline hearing sensitivity and rule out hearing loss as a contributing factor.
Auditory Processing Battery
A series of specialized tests evaluating different aspects of auditory processing: ability to hear in a noisy environment, ability to fill in missing auditory pieces, ability to distinguish individual phonemes, ability to hear intonation in a voice, and ability to process fast speech.
Results and Recommendations
Your audiologist reviews findings with you, explains which processing areas are affected, and provides practical strategies and recommendations tailored to your specific challenges. Includes a detailed report to be sent post-assessment.
[ 05 ] / APD Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
APD is a condition where the brain has difficulty processing auditory information, even when hearing sensitivity is normal. People with APD can hear sounds clearly but have trouble making sense of what they hear, especially in noisy environments or when instructions are complex.
With hearing loss, sounds are not reaching the brain at normal volume. With APD, sounds reach the brain just fine, but the brain struggles to interpret them correctly. A standard hearing test may come back normal, which is why specialized APD testing is needed to identify the condition.
Common signs include difficulty understanding speech in noisy environments, frequently asking people to repeat themselves, trouble following conversations with multiple speakers, difficulty with phone calls, challenges processing rapid or complex verbal instructions, and difficulty learning to spell, read, and write.
Yes! It co-exists with speech and language disorders, Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), Dyslexia, Learning Disorders, Autism Spectrum Disorders, and Head Injuries.
We can screen AP at any age, but the youngest we will screen is 4 years of age. We can perform a full assessment starting at 7 years of age. There is normative data up to 50 years of age.
No referral is required. You can call us directly to schedule your assessment. If you suspect you or your child has APD, a comprehensive evaluation is the first step toward understanding the challenges and finding strategies that help.
Think You or Your Child May Have APD?
Call us to schedule a comprehensive assessment. No referral needed. We will help you understand what is going on and what you can do about it.
Ears for Life | Winnipeg, MB