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Stress, Anxiety & Anger. It's Not ADD. Can It Be APD?
Hello -- My sons are 11 and 13. My older has always struggled in school and now my younger is showing signs of great stress and anxiety in middle school. My older son was taking an Executive Function class taught by a prominent psychologist about 18 months ago. She noticed his great difficulty following along and suggested to me he may have APD. He had recently been given an IEP at school for ADD, not because he tested for ADD but because the school didn't know what else to call his difficulties. I told her this and she thought his distraction looked more like APD because he was following, just not understanding what was being said. I actually have a family history of dyslexia and speech and language problems, though I do not, so I took her advice seriously. My son was tested by a SLP and the tests were very scattered. We did not go to an audiologist because the SLP seemed a bit down on the idea and she thought ADD may be the real problem. Eighteen months later and my son's anxiety level is through the roof. He does not complete any classwork and it all comes home. I need to explain oral and written directions to him multiple times (he cannot follow a sequence) and work that should take 20 minute takes an hour. His processing is extremely slow. He is miserable and demoralized -- and angry! Math is a disaster -- he cannot do word problems or multi-step math. Spanish is a disaster -- he just memorizes everything. Even with the IEP, he struggles. I think he has reached the limit of his ability to memorize everything. Every "symptom" of APD that is listed, is what we see in him. I know this sounds weird, but can you explain to me what it may be like for him. Also, were you diagnosed by an audiologist? I think that may be our next stop. Also, since I see the same problems with younger brother, I want to make sure that he is helped, too. Sorry to bother you, but we are getting desperate for answers. Oh -- he was treated for ADD over the past year with medication and it did absolutely nothing! thank you -- Kelley
Hi Kelley.
You are not a bother at all. In fact, you are the reason I started iHaveAPD.com in the first place!
APD is still very misunderstood or flat out dismissed as baloney by some practitioners.
Yes, I was diagnosed with APD by an audiologist trained in making an APD diagnosis. It took several years for my parents to find a qualified person to make the diagnosis too. Local doctors, the school district, general practitioning psychologists, etc. all said either a) there was nothing wrong with me and that my mother was nuts, or b) I had what's now referred to as ADD and that it was all my fault that I couldn't pay attention in class or do anything right. (sound familiar?)
My mother was having none of that and proved them all wrong in the end (much to their dismay).
As a side note: yes, I think I do have some degree of ADD (which I read is common with APD), but it wasn't the problem.
"But can you explain to me what it may be like for him."
To put it mildly, it's scary. Three reasons off the top of my head: 1) not being sure that what you are hearing is being processed correctly is embarrassing, 2) not being able to follow simple instructions you hear is embarrassing, and 3) not knowing if you are responding to the question that is being asked of you is embarrassing.
You can also substitute demoralizing and frustrating.
For me, it made me incredibly shy. I mean a 10 on a 1-10 scale.
Even when I absolutely, positively knew an answer to something, I wouldn't answer.
In school, I memorized everything. Had to. Fortunately, my brain took it all in. However, English and foreign languages, once it got past the vocab memorization stage, was a nightmare. Again, I was unsure of what I was hearing (sounded like a fast garbled mess sometimes), so I did not know how to respond. I had nightmares of a teacher asking me what a poem meant to me or to respond to a question they asked in Spanish.
Here's the kicker. Looking back at my APD diagnosis, it was clearly stated that while I was quite intelligent, I would not yet be able to wrap my head around why I was having difficulty, and that this would cause a high level of stress and anxiety.
The good news. Getting the proper diagnosis and help by a qualified person who specializes in APD, can make a HUGE difference. I'm so happy that my mother, especially, never gave up and got me the auditory training I needed. I excelled in high school, college and started a business. Shyness is down to about 2 out of 10. :)
I want other kids and parents to know that APD can be successfully overcome. It never goes away, but the more confidence you gain, the more it becomes just an annoyance or nuisance.
Question: does your son understand the words to songs on youtube (without reading the lyrics) or watch a tv show/moive and understand the words or meaning to conversations (without replaying it over and over)? I'm curious to know if things he enjoys are also affected. This may give you an added clue as to auditory difficulties.
Feel free to keep asking questions!
Jeff
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There are 4 subtypes of Auditory Processing Disorder, depending upon where along the way to the brain the "signals" get distorted or lost:
"Tolerance/Fading Memory" subtype
"Decoding" subtype
"Integration" subtypes
"Prosodic" subtype (often seen with NLD or non-verbal learning disability)
The following checklist is courtesy of Judith W. Paton, M.A. Audiologist and Bonnie G. Rattner, Ed. D, Spee
Noooo, I do not.
As mentioned in the list of signs of Auditory Processing Disorder (APD), it's hard to find appreciation in song vocals.
To date, I don't think I have ever understood one song from beginning to end in real time. I need to look up the lyrics or I am lost.
I have three problems with song vocals:
1 – I simply cannot understand or distinguish some of the words correctly. Once I fall b
A person with Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) will experience some or all of the following signs.
• Needs to (or should) ask many extra questions to clarify a task before starting; "doesn't get the picture."
• Has trouble paying attention to and remembering information presented ORALLY; a person with APD copes better and remembers VISUALLY acquired information.
• Appears to have poor
Yes and no.
I took Spanish for 4 years in high school. I was a whiz at memorizing words and sentence creation. On written tests, I could read each question and respond correctly. However, when it came to responding to a question the teacher verbally asked me, I was unsure of what I heard and how to respond. I ended up with a B grade on average.
In college, I took 2 years of Japanese. At the time,
Auditory Processing Disorder (APD or CAPD) affects the way my brain processes auditory information. I do not process the information I hear in the same way as others do, which leads to difficulties in me recognizing and interpreting sounds, especially the sounds composing speech. In layman's terms, what does that mean?I hear perfectly (no hearing loss whatsoever in either ear) and my brain works b
No. I don't.
Here's my problem.
With Auditory Processing Disorder, I find it very difficult to focus on both the on screen action while simultaneously processing everything each character is saying. Plus, there are implications and inferences from what each just character said that I need to process in real-time too. Then, I must process the inferences and implications from on screen images &
Hi Jeff,
My son has been diagnosed with APD and at his school it's compulsory to learn the violin. He is only just passing the subject and doesn't find enjoyment in it at all. I was wondering if you have ever played and instrument and whether you struggled with it. Do you think learning an instrument is either beneficial or detrimental to his schooling? (I'm concerned that his struggles effect his
Roy writes...
Hey Jeff... Just searching the web about APD and taking the SAT as my daughter is at that age. She was diagnosed in elementary school and went through testing and had a IEP in place etc. Although since elementary school she has been attending a private school without public school ieps etc. We recently applied to the college board for extended time due to APD and was denied and they
Yes, I was naturally lip reading at a very young age.
It was discovered by accident as I was getting language therapy help for my Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) at Jawanio (in New York). Dr. Bollard was reading instructions from her clip board and slowly lifted it up, placing it in front of her mouth. As soon as she did, I stopped understanding what she was saying. When she lowered the clip bo
Auditory Processing Disorder even back then (1988-1989 when I was in high school) was considered a learning disability, so I was able to take the SAT's UNTIMED.
That meant I could take as much time as needed (within reason) to complete my SAT's.
It's important to know that if your child has a learning disability, you can request taking the SAT untimed. It can make an enormous difference in both t
Ellen writes...
Hi Jeff, I came across your page looking for advice and help in regards to my son. I am looking for help for him. First I just wanted to tell you that he is wonderful young man. However, I am so worried about him and his future. He is entering is senior year in college next month. Although he struggle in the early grades at school he has done well with a grade point average of 3.4.
In this 3 part video series, learn what Auditory Processing Disorder is, how early intervention can influence your child's development and the treatments for APD that are available. You'll see real-life examples of how Auditory Processing Disorder affects parents and children. I found it very enlightening and encouraging.This episode of "A Place of Our Own" provides a lot of valuable information a
