So I'm not asking for a diagnosis I'm just wondering if I have these things in common with you guys.

So basically ever since I was really little, my parents yelled at me for my listening. However I was a good kid and always tried but just couldn't somehow. Even as an adult, I have to ask people to repeat themselves like 3 times before I understand them. It doesn't even have to have noise in the background, it's just as if I didn't know they were talking in the first place. It is especially worse with background noise but I always struggle. If it helps, I have gotten my hearing tested and it's above average.

I'm just wondering, should I look into this more???

I got hearing aids about two months ago to try and find a solution for my CAPD. I knew it was a long shot, but I was so frustrated that I was willing to try. Turns out it makes a huge difference in my case! It's important to note that I don't have ADHD, which seems to change the APD experience a bit. I was wondering if anyone else has hearing aids for their APD? If so, what has your experience been like?

I just had a conversation with my wife where I had a bit of an epiphany. She was speaking and I had lost the thread of her words. And it hit me, listening to conversations to me is like listening to 5 songs at the same time and trying to pick out a single beat.

Sometimes it takes me a moment to find the beat, and other times I lose it randomly and cannot find it until a break in the conversation. Sometimes I can't find the beat at all and have to ask someone to tap it out for me. (Spell the words out)

Maybe this can help y'all explain your hearing difficulties as I know it can be an awkward subject. My wife definitely thought it was a more cohesive explanation that I usually offer!

On the noisy tube, on way to see the Jacksonville Jaguars play at Tottenham

Brother in law: "something something minute's silence for Harry Kane"

Me: silent, confused, thinking "why would there be a minute's silence for Harry Kane?"

Boyfriend: "incomprehensible mumble not cancelling games"

Me, still confused: What the hell happened to Harry Kane??!"

2 minutes later, the penny drops: Oh, the hurricane, ok that makes more sense.

Hey! I’m a teenage female and have gone to the doctors with my symptoms but to not much help. I got sent home with a few emails with tests for questions that relate to adhd (so they think I have adhd) and am having a blood test done? No clue how it correlates but oh well. I’ve been Googling symptoms and thought it would be best to ask people who actually have it to see if it sounds similar to apd!

I only just realised months ago that when people are speaking to me, I usually just smile and nod along though can't properly make out what they are saying. It's like I hear them at a normal volume but I can't comprehend their words - this usually happens with background noise to the point I'll ask "what??" So many times everyone around me is just pissed. Its not so bad in the classroom when I’m listening to teachers unless the class is being rowdy which is a good sign I think? It's becoming annoying now I've realised this happens almost every day. My parents and friends just thought I was rude and ignoring them though I don't want to self diagnose. Also for years I've heard a weird whistling ringing when it's quiet - only just been told that's not normal for everyone? No clue what that is but could be related.

Medical history- I've had my earwax cleaned out and my doctor said my eardrums are normal, when I was around 4 I did fail the school standard hearing test - they tested me at a hospital and said I was normal but I'm wondering if maybe it's neurological instead.

I can't say it's an attention problem very often. Sometimes it is, but most of the time I'm paying complete attention to the person and I still hear gibberish.

For example, a while ago my sister was telling me something. I asked her to repeat herself. Five times later, she's yelling it to me and I still can't process the words that are coming out of her mouth. I wasn't distracted by anything else, and she was less than ten feet away from me.

But on the other hand, bad auditory processing is a symptom of ADHD.

Hi, im a 17 year old boy. I just wanted peoples opinions on the airpods pro 2 for apd. Ive been using hearing aids for most of my life and as they're old they're not consistently working. I was wondering are airpods worth it or are hearing aids the only option? Please tell me your experiences with airpods in the replies. Thank you

Prompt:"you are APD treatment advisor . an APD patient visit you . assess him by asking him symptoms give him treatment options. lets start"this prompt will assess you and will give you many options. it suggested me few things that helped. few things such as "gradual exposure to conversation in noisy environment" and "playing memory games" has made me a little better. use chatGPT and if any questions then ask it. its a gift

During my last relationship with my ex in important conversations i struggled to concentrate and actually stay present in the conversation my mind was wondering and i often reply to serious conversations with just yes and agreeing but not processing any of the information they say does anyone have any advice

I hear fine, just some words sound mushy or incomplete

Voluntarily applied to be a medical receptionist as someone with adhd and apd.
I can barely understand what my colleague is saying and im processing 2% of whats happening.
Now I'm googling whether MAID is viable for someone with mental illness.

I'm in riot bar Dublin.

About half an hour has passed since I last heard anything

Hi everyone! I want to know if any of you wear earbuds? Ever since I was a kid, my mom hasn't wanted me to wear earbuds because she says it's not good for my APD. I don't know where she got this and I wear headphones to listen to music all the time. I want to wear earbuds because they are small and easy to store. Does anyone know anything about people with APD not being able to wear earbuds? Thanks!

My APD - came about a few years ago due to a TBI - really seems to be a huge issue for a lot of other people.

At my job, about 2 years ago there were some new leadership and policies that mean most meetings cannot be transcribed, recorded, or even captioned.

With that ADA accommodation gone, the replacement became that my job duties got shifted a bit. I’d been supposed to take notes in this 90 minute meeting once a week that… I was told to try my best one day and just couldn’t understand or hear ANYTHING without the captioning and transcripts.

So someone more junior (probably more appropriate to their level) was given this task instead. I was completely shifted from any project that required very long meetings. The talking in circles, multiple people talking at once, often arguing… the dozens of speakers, the really long time… It all compounds. I also struggle with verbal memory.

A few months ago I got a new manager (promoted from another team to lead ours) who really took issue with my not taking notes in these meetings. My hearing impairments + speech impairment (all TBI related), he saw as anxiety and lack of confidence, and felt it was his God-given duty to “fix” me.

That’s been a real shitshow with HR and not a fun work environment. It’s also been brought to my attention that my needing assistive technology in meetings (that leadership doesn’t permit) is holding me back.

When I have a meeting or presentation, I prepare talking points and answers to potential questions in advance… so when I’m READING those I “speak as well as I write”. but when I have to speak off the cuff, my speech impediment and APD both shows. The times I can do well are being held against me. I work full remote and peole don’t realize I’m reading out loud… so they get mad and claim I don’t need supports. Then when they see my REAL spontaneous speech, they jump all over me.

A client will request me to lead a project that I could effing rock, but then management tells them, “Oh no she’s not quite there yet.” Then discusses how “she’s so smart and does such great work, but her speech and inconsistent executive presence are a dealbreaker.”

The only reason I feel unconfident or unhappy at work is that I’m being kept on a leash and feel like I can never get a promotion due to my disability.

I;m just wondering if this is normal?

And yes, I am speaking to both an attorney and to Vocational Rehab…

Hi, My bf and I have both education in the spacial ed field and are both pretty sure I have APD. I've not felt the necessity to get a diagnosis, but something today changed that. My father got extremely angry and told me that I was disrespectful for saying X. The thing is, I didn't say that. I feel absolutely crazy but I'm pretty sure I know what situation he is referring to, and I didn't say what he says I said. My father has always been hard of hearing but has always complained about the hearing aids "not working". He speaks incredibly softly, answers to questions nobody asked and now that I read up on APD some more symptoms come to mind. I've read for the first time today that there is a potential for APD to be hereditary. I feel extremely uncomfortable with how he chose to confront me and I was so shocked that I couldn't speak. Are these kinds of misunderstandings typical for APD? My experience with what I think is APD is that sometimes words just sound like gibberish, but not that I will actually understand something completely different. But I am also drowning in self doubt for maybe being rude bc I'm taking a weird cocktail of meditation right now because of an ongoing cancer treatment. Bf says the rude remark would be highly out of character for me, I agree but who knows. I still have a bitter taste in my mouth from this situation, bc even if i said that, his reaction is very over the top. Sorry for the rambling, I've been crying all night because of this and can't really explain any better.

Hi all,

For as long as I can remember, I have been diagnosed with sensory processing disorder, ADHD, and purity OCD. However, as of the past 2 years, my sensory processing disorder has been spiraling out of control.

When I was a toddler, I was in OT where I did routine tasks to alleviate my processing disorder. They said I was "better", and I also placed out of the gifted classes they had in elementary school. I was placed in regular classes and treated as such. I had no problem with problem solving, logic, etc. I actually excelled in school quite a bit. However, it wouldn't be until high school when my processing disorder started to tick. I would start not noticing objects at all or entirely, routing to my possible ADHD and tunnel vision issues. I have constant spatial awareness issues where I constnalty bump into things, trip over myself constantly, or fail to recognize certain patterns.

I also EXTREMELY bad selective hearing, meaning if I am on the phone or on the computer, I don't hear anyone except for myself. I always had some sort of attention issue, but it has been getting worse over the years.

Everywhere I see, i see that "sensory processing disorder stops during childhood", however mine has gotten so much worse I feel.

When I started doing reserach in a lab, one of the biggest obstacles was repetition and keeping everything consistent. I would have trouble not skipping lines when I read, or forgetting to add something despite checking it over my list a bunch of times, it being right there. .

However, the BIG reason why I am posting on here is because of what happened today. Today, i went to the bank to deposit $300 to my bank account. I asked the teller to deposit the money, gave her the $300, and left after taking the receipt. I didn't even look at the receipt until my mom looked at it later today, where she saw i made a WITHDRAWAL of 300 dollars instead of a deposit. So, not only did I lose $300 in cash, I also lost $300 in my account, totaling $600. I should have been more attentive and I should have looked at the receipt, but I'm not sure exactly why I am the way I am like this. I feel like I've never grown out of this, that my attentive skills have remained the same over time, and right now I'm feeling pretty shitty regrading the whole situation.

Anyways, please let me know if what I am going through is something normal, or is indicative of something worse than just a processing disorder. I'm not trying to absolve my stupidity at the bank, but I am trying to understand why my thought processes formulated the way they did.

I don't completely know how reddit works. But reddit has helped me a LOT in me finding out that I have APD after going through all the posts and comments regarding its symptoms and all.

I am from Kolkata, West Bengal, India. 23 year old male. I can speak in English , Hindi and Bengali. For the past 2 years I have been to various ENT doctors and audiologists in Kolkata and like all the tests done by them came out normal like PTA Test, BERA Test, OAE Test and every audiologist said that I don't have a problem. Now I am pasting the whole essay-like thing I sent to an audiologist on whatsapp regarding where I face all my hearing problems so please give that a read too.

Here is my problem. I have a hearing problem. I absolutely hear nothing when I try to speak with a person outside home like in a noisy environment like vegetables, fish bazaar. I also understand nothing what the person I am with is saying when I am in road with traffic noises. I also understand nothing when I am in college be it outside the class or inside. When the teacher is teaching I can hardly make out 60-70% of what he says despite sitting in the first bench whereas people sitting in the last benches have no problem. Now coming to situations where I can hear somewhat, I can interact comfortably in closed environments where there is little to no noises like my home with my mother, father and sister. When I speak on my phone or laptop meetings with my earphones on, I can only hear when the voice is crystal clear which is like 50% of the times in a phone call. I have made some friends online with whom I speak in online meetings on laptop putting my earphones on. They all speak hindi language and I can only understand them if their voices are crystal clear and their accents are normal to little difference. If I hear someone in a bihari accent, UP accent, haryana accent I understand nothing what they are saying. When I am speaking to or listening to someone with a normal hindi accent or normal bengali accent I can mostly interact with them comfortably but when I hear a new word which I haven't heard before in my life no matter how many times they say it I will never be able to figure out the pronunciation confidently and will ask them the spelling. When I am watching a 20min youtube video with a normal hindi accent, I usually miss what the youtuber said and rewind 10 seconds to hear it again. I do this maybe twice or thrice in 20 min video. And also whenever there are subtitles I always turn them on be it any youtube video or a tv series on OTT. Some hindi serials on OTT dont have subtitles so I have trouble making out what they are saying.

This year I have been to 2 wedding cermonies and I could absolutely hear nothing. While others were interacting comfortably, when someone tried to speak to me, I would bring my ear to his mouth to try to hear him. I could understand nothing coming out from the loud music speakers. Also when people where speaking from their microphone I understood nothing.

Also, when in laptop meetings even if people have crystal clear voices with normal hindi accents, when more than 1 person is speaking at the same time I cannot understand anyone is saying whereas they are communicating without any problem. So I have trouble in active group conversations even when the voices are clear and no accents.

Also, since the past 2 months I have noticed I have trouble following instructions when someone says them to me or like when someone is trying to explain something to me.

So, now that I have told about my hearing problem. 2 weeks back I came across Auditory Processing Disorder and read about its symptoms on reddit and all and people talking about their problems and realising that I have the exact same problems, I strongly believe I have APD.

So after learning about APD I asked various audiologists whether they do APD test or not and most of the audiologists in Kolkata don't even know what APD is and its full-form. I found one audiologist who does its test and its the same audiologist whom I sent that essay to. So I asked him about the cost and duration of the test, he said the duration is 30 mins and the cost is Rs 800. I then knew this test wouldn't be done right since I read online that it is an approx 3 hour test and knew it will again show normal test reports and it was. I went today for the APD test and the audiologist made me put on headphones and made me listen to some sounds of frequencies but with the door open so there was some background noise of the ceiling fan. Then he spoke some words covering his mouth. Then he did the same but with some static-like noises in the headphones. He said that I was able to hear fine and I went home. So now I am home, I am writing this and I don't know what to do. Where to get tested? How to get treatment if I get diagnosed?

I mainly see all the posts on reddit regarding APD from people from US, UK and all and that it's a 200 dollars test.

So, what to do?

So for years I've thought I'm losing my hearing, but I'm realizing that I can hear fine, I just can't understand well and things can sound like jibberish at first. Looking back I see that I might have a fairly mild case of APD. As a teenager I got called a 'close-talker" by one of my teachers, for example. At work I've always said 'sorry? Pardon?" near constantly and I noticed I stare at people's mouths when they speak.

But when I'm at home, I'm fine. If I'm talking with a friend or family member, I tend to be fine.

If I'm talking to a few people in a quiet room, I'm fine.

I saw someone posted about having APD while learning to drive with an instructor and struggling. For me this was not a problem.

It's only really when I'm at work, kinda stressed out and especially if there is more than one person in the room. If the room has any echo whatsoever, forget about me hearing a damn thing. If there are several people in a conversation and any ambient noise, I will struggle. People sound like they are speaking a different language and I have to ask them to repeat themselves. It especially noticeable because no one else seems to be having a hard time following, no one else is constantly saying "huh? What? Can you say that again?"

I'm about to talk to my doctor about this to start looking into it but I'm curious if you guys think this still could be APD if I don't having symptoms of it in every situation.

I have trouble taking lectures, listening or singing along songs and asking friends to repeat myself. I'm in doctor profession so i really neeeeed some therapies i can afford for free

In other words come out knowing none/very little of what is said? This happens to me.

“ I’m sorry I heard your voice but not the words. ”

I’ve lost count of how many times per day I’ve uttered that sentence.

Hi, all. I recently took a new position and after being on the job for a few weeks, it has become apparent that I, in a non-office admin role, will be put on the round-robin for phones. A phone on my ear is like a black hole. I won't catch their name let alone what their issue is. How do I talk to my supervisor about this previously-undisclosed shared responsibility to answer the phones?

Is it common for symptoms to APD to vary or be amplified periodically or do to the environment?

Does anyone else with APD feel like what they know are background noises sound incredibly loud?

Does anyone else get so overstimulated that you're annoyed by other people breathing?

I'm in a business meeting and here's a little list of the sounds that have me feeling like I'm gonna have a complete breakdown.

Pens clicking Furniture moving Water bottled crackling Lids of water bottles being screwed off/on Water flowing through the pipes overhead Footsteps of walking on the floor above us Breathing Coughing Sneezing Typing Plastic snack packages being handled (probably the worse one) And more...

I feel like I'm losing my mind. Is this normal??

What can I do to help myself?

I tried taking some ADHD medicine but it hasn't helped at all. In fact, I think it may have made it worse. Or it just keeps getting worse because I can't change any of it.

I'll take any advice!

Hi. I recently was made aware of APD and I realized that I identify with the symptoms (with reading some of the questions and comments in here before posting my own I found more things I relate with)

I just did an introductory meeting with an audiologist and with the symptoms I gave she agreed it could be an issue. I wondering if it's worth it, being an adult to get tested this late.

I am still struggling with if this is APD or just being neurodivergent. Although I guess it could be both.

Symptoms:

• sensitivity to sound (ex. in a room with a bunch of people talking at once)
• asking people to repeat themselves and giving up after a couple repeats

-asking people to repeat themselves and then cutting them off mid sentence because it finally hit my brain

• preferring captioning on Movies and TV shows.
• (one I saw in a question on here) not being able to properly express my ideas in a way that makes sense to others.

The test is expensive and I'm afraid of doing it and it comes up with nothing. I'm even more afraid of it coming up with something and the solutions being equally expensive.

But it is frustrating because its hard to talk to people when they don't understand you, and even harder when you don't understand them. Ya know.

I guess maybe this is also a little bit of a rant so sorry if you read all this. 🙃

I’m forced to take an exam in my class with no music. When I confronted the person in charge she said that the ministry of education didn’t allow it. TURNS OUT THEY FUCKING DO AND HER HEAD IS TO FAR UP HER ASS FOR HER TO KNOW.

IM OUT HERE CHEATING MY ASS OFF AND NEGOTIATING WITH TEACHERS (that are rly understanding and nice) TO GET THE BARE MINIMUM EDUCATION. TURNS OUT I COULD HAVE IN THE FIRST PLACE!!

IM OUT HERE HIDING MY EARPHONE BEHIND MY HAIR, USING MY READING SOFTWARE TO CREATE A WHITE NOISE OUT OF “aaaaaaaaaaa”, HIDING MY YOUTUBE TABS, HAVING PANIC ATTACKS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CLASS AND SHE DIDNT EVEN TAKE THE TIME TO READ ACCOMMODATIONS PERMITTED BY THE GOVERNMENT.

FUCK SCHOOL, FUCK MY LIFE, FUCK ADULTS WHO THINK IM NOT TRYING HARD ENOUGH, FUCK PEOPLE WHO DONT LISTEN,FUCK ABELISM, FUCK ÂGISME, FUUUUUCK.

Im fucking done I’m not working eny more. They can have my failing grades on their conscious and my whiny ass in their classrooms. I don’t care

I think I have APD and I want to get tested for it. I went to this place called Connect hearing (audiologist) and they tested my hearing which was completely fine. When I asked if I can get tested for APD the doctor told me I have to go to an ENT specialist. For those who have gotten diagnosed, are ENT specialists the right place to go? I’m curious as I commonly hear APD diagnosis are done by audiologists.

Hi, so this is a vent more than anything so apologies in advance, but some of you might understand what I’m talking about 😅

I’ve been diagnosed APD for 18 months, but symptoms have been going on much longer - started about 8 years ago after sudden onset of hemiplegic & then chronic migraines.

One of the most frustrating symptoms for me is the inability to remember what someone said even 30 seconds ago, or being CONVINCED that someone said something and then they tell me I’m wrong and that they said something else. For context, my partner often says that he gets frustrated when I say ‘but that’s what you said’ or ‘you said X’ when he knows he said something else, but I 100% believe that is what he has said. It’s much worse when we’re having a heated discussion (or argument) where I get more flustered, then it all basically turns to mush.

I also get it on Teams calls where someone has said something, and then about 5 minutes later I either can’t remember what they have said or I misinterpreted it.

Apart from writing it down/recording (which isn’t feasible at all times eg when driving or just being), how can I train my brain to remember what has been said to me, as I feel like I’m losing my mind 😭

Hi! I was diagnosed with apd when I was little maybe 6 or 7; and was in speech therapy and had special classes until middle school. I’m 25 now, work in kitchens and manage to hold my own ground but I have recently had this overwhelming realization(or anxiety maybe) that a lot of people in my life just think Im dumb. I often have to ask people to repeat themselves or just get closer to them, or if told verbally what to do I only do 2 of the three, or if someone tells me left, I go right. Things like that, and I also find myself in tears sometimes cause I can’t tell if people are joking/being sarcastic or actually meaning what they say. I have always struggled with this, sometimes I get so worked up I have panic attacks(at work too) and people try to talk to me and I can’t hear them or they sound far away. Its terrifying. I try to explain to people but they just roll their eyes and say “so selective hearing?” Or “you just hear what you want to hear”. I just feel so defeated, Im not looking for attention, or reassurance; I just want people to understand that Im not making this up and it’s real(I have given up on explaining it to people). I don’t know if I should look into behavior therapy or not; Im just tired of feeling crazy and or stupid, I don’t panic on purpose I just get so over loaded I explode and then everything gets quiet. Any suggestions or advice would be great, I just found this page and already feel a little better.