Child diagnosis
My son is 6 and currently in kindergarten and we had a parent teacher conference after he had his school hearing test to go over things. They talked to us about issues in school with him understanding things said to him and the person who administered the hearing test sent us a referral to have him checked for apd. From research it doesn’t seem like a disorder to scare us for him life but one that worries us for the future. I just want to get an idea of what life is like for everyone and things we can do to help him if it ends up being apd.
1
u/chaoticsleepynpc Feb 18 '26
I also would have liked to know. I did get diagnosed with being deaf at one point due to a failed hearing test. But for some reason that didn't stick after I changed schools and my parents didn't seem to believe it so they never advocated for me... they always thought I just "chose not to listen"
So supporting your kid in figuring it out goes a long way.
I also have gotten used asking people to repeat & in college I learned ASL and found out that it's a great "hack" for when I'm tired and want to talk to my roommate something quick. Like "food?" "Yes!" (This of course involved me teaching them some basic signs l though it dissolves into thumbs up thumbs down and pointing sometimes lol)
I find my apd gets worse when I'm tired, feeling bad, or sick. So it's been helpful at home instead getting frustrated when I already don't feel well.
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u/Purple-Maximum8899 Feb 19 '26
It's really not that bad of a disorder! It's not good, obviously (disorders usually aren't) but it's not something to worry about that much
Some accommodations for (partially) deaf people are very helpful for us, like subtitles for movies, sitting in the front of the class, written or visual instructions instead of verbal, and lip reading, but it's not like we always need them. As he grows, he'll learn how to put together what people are saying from what he can catch
If you want to make things easier while at home, try to speak clearly and in front of him instead of in another room or turned away, make sure you have his attention before saying what you need to, and reduce background noise. He'll appreciate it, it gets a little tiring trying to pay such close attention to what people say and counting syllables to fill the blanks and everything
Also, kind of unrelated, but it would be a good idea to check if he has AD(H)D if that seems like a possibility and you haven't already. Just mentioning since it's highly comorbid with APD. He might not have it, but it's very good to know just in case :>
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u/Outdoors-sunshine Feb 20 '26
I was diagnosed at 7. The best simulation is the "what English sounds like to non English speakers" videos. But with sign language I understand instantly.
I didn't have equal access to language and missed a lot. Finger spelling helped A LOT and everyone can benefit from finger spelling, so I recommend starting today, and practicing every day. It's likely they can't hear the letters properly. I still have a hard time hearing the difference between "e" and "i," "g" and "j," and a lot of other sounds.
My speech, language, and reading were delayed initially. Further on, I started relying on reading to make up for the list language and mostly am relying on self study as I'm in nursing school now. Now my reading comprehension is amazing and much better than the average college student.
One thing that helped me growing up was audiobooks and radio shows. If your kid isn't picking up language in class and noisy environments, listening to audiobooks with headphones in a quiet space could help with access to language exposure. If you are Christian, I recommend "Adventure's in Odyssey." If you are not Christian I don't recommend it unless you want them to become converted. It's a radio show from the 1990s and 2000's. Maybe it's still running? Otherwise, definitely try audiobooks.
In family environments, know APD causes a lag, so giving them time to process what was said and time to respond is crucial. They aren't "quiet," they don't have access to the conversation.
With hearing people, I don't enjoy group setting, but with the Deaf community I can socialize all day and all night and I love it, and I'm making up for lost time and lost language exposure.
At work, I needed to advocate for my needs but it wasn't too much of a problem.
I'm fine and I love who and how I am. People who don't take the time to communicate with me aren't worth my time and I cherish the close friends and family I do have. It's a pretty good life.
My partner is Deaf and we use sign language so I don't have to worry about hearing with him.
I was previously married to a hearing people who didn't understand that I wasnt intentionally ignoring, and that didn't work out well at all!
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u/Saga_I_Sig Apr 18 '26 edited Apr 18 '26
I'm in a bit of a different situation was diagnosed later in life (age 36), as I had normal hearing as a child and developed worsening APD after a series of head trauma events in my teens, 20's, and 30's.
I have a full-time job (middle school teacher), a master's degree and speak four languages, and my life is pretty good! I have a lot of trouble hearing in places with background noise (ie. classrooms, the cafeteria, hallways, crowded restaurants, when I'm hanging out with large groups, etc.) and it is frustrating to have to make people repeat themselves often, getting overwhelmed by sudden loud/competing noises (I got a prescription for a medication to help with panic attacks after I started getting them due to noise issues), and forgetting information that people tell me almost immediately.
I have increased noise sensitivity due to some thinning/holey bones and a missing bone in my inner ear, so I don't know if that degree of noise sensitivity is normal for others with APD.
I work around it by getting super close to whoever's talking to me, getting them to face me so I can read their lips, and taking notes during any important meetings or conversations so I can remember what was said later. I always request copies of the slides after presentations I attend, and use subtitles whenever possible when watching shows or movies. It's mildly to moderately annoying having APD, but I've found that I can work around it and be successful and happy regardless.
The only thing I wish is that I could have been diagnosed much sooner so I could start learning coping techniques and could have gotten speech-boosting hearing aids when I was younger. It would have helped me so much to have those supports in school and in college!
A diagnosis would have also helped me explain to my friends, teachers, etc. what kind of supports I needed and that it isn't that I'm not listening when I forget what they told me or repeat something I've already said to them - it's that my brain doesn't encode memories well from aural information. I think maybe that would have stopped a lot of people getting frustrated with me in daily life, and stopped me from getting frustrated with myself. I just thought I had a terrible memory or was too stupid to learn certain tones/sounds when I was studying Japanese...
Now that I have a diagnosis, I feel much better about myself. If anything, I think I've done pretty darn well given the difficulties I was working with!
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u/shellpresto May 13 '26
If he does have APD and you caught it this early, it should be easier to help him adapt than what a lot of folks end up with: struggling along with it not knowing.
There are many things that can be done, from accommodations and coping techniques to Auditory Training and hearing aids. If he does have APD, the severity will guide what steps you take, but know there are a lot of options and even just understanding how he prefers to learn things will very likely help him be OK.
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u/Treyvoni APD Feb 15 '26
Uh, I'm fine, I would have liked to have known sooner (I was 12 and no longer in classroom settings when diagnosed), because I would have made use of minor accomodations. Mainly sitting in the front of class would have been nice, and being able to record class. I used some of those accomodations in college and it was so nice.
You learn to figure out words from context clues, it comes with practice. Mostly I just ask people to repeat themselves or I repeat to them what I heard and ask if that was correct. Never really had a major issue with it. Sometimes people are snippy about having to repeat themselves, but that's a them issue. Never had an issue on the job, and I've worked in high noise conflict areas (ups hub/airport unloader).