SPECIALIZED HEARING ASSESSMENTS
Auditory Processing Disorder (APD & CAPD)
Hearing normally isn’t just about your ears—it’s also about how your brain processes sound. Auditory Processing Disorder (APD), also known as Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD), affects the brain’s ability to recognize, interpret, and understand sounds, especially in noisy environments. Our comprehensive assessments help identify these challenges and guide personalized treatment strategies.
Common Symptoms
APD is often misunderstood because it is not a problem with “hearing” in the traditional sense (a person with APD usually passes a standard hearing test). It is a problem of listening. Common signs include:
- Difficulty hearing in background noise: Struggling to follow a conversation in a classroom or restaurant.
- Frequent "Mis-hearing": Difficulty distinguishing between similar-sounding words (e.g., "seventy" vs. "seventeen").
- Slow Processing Time: Requiring extra time to respond to verbal instructions.
- Distractibility: Being easily overwhelmed or distracted by loud or sudden noises.
- Academic Challenges: Difficulty with reading, spelling, or following multi-step directions.
Understanding APD and CAPD
Auditory Processing Disorder (APD & CAPD)
At Golden Hearing and Balance Center, we provide comprehensive diagnostic evaluations for Auditory Processing Disorder (APD), also widely known as Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD).
While the terminology has evolved over the years, both terms describe the same challenge: a breakdown in how the brain perceives and interprets the information it hears. Essentially, in a person with APD, the ears hear the sound, but the brain has difficulty “attending to, discriminating, recognizing, or comprehending” that sound.
Is it APD or CAPD?
You may see both terms used by doctors, teachers, and speech-language pathologists.
APD is the modern, broader clinical term preferred by many audiological associations.
CAPD is the more traditional term that emphasizes the “Central” nervous system’s role in processing sound.
At our clinic, we treat both as synonymous and provide the same high-standard “gold-standard” testing for both.
YOUR HEARING JOURNEY
Why Choose Golden Hearing and Balance Center?
We understand that an APD/CAPD diagnosis is the first step toward unlocking a child’s (or adult’s) potential. Our team combines clinical expertise with a compassionate approach to ensure our patients don’t just hear—they understand.
Our Diagnostic Process
Diagnosis cannot be made through a standard hearing screening. At Golden Hearing and Balance Center, we use specialized, sound-treated booths and advanced behavioral tests to pinpoint exactly where the auditory breakdown is occurring.
- Comprehensive Audiogram: To rule out peripheral hearing loss.
- Specialized APD Battery: Assessing temporal processing, binaural integration, and speech-in-noise capabilities.
- Tailored Management Plan: Based on the results, we provide a customized roadmap involving environmental modifications, compensatory strategies, and auditory training.