Auditory Processing Disorder (APD), sometimes referred to as Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD), describes a situation where the ears hear sound normally, but the brain struggles to interpret that sound information correctly.
It’s not a problem with detecting the sound (like in hearing loss), but rather a difficulty with the brain’s ability to process what those sounds mean.
APD symptoms include:
- Difficulty understanding speech in background noise
- Difficulty understanding fast or muffled speech
- Repeatedly asking what was said (saying “huh” and “what”)
- Difficulty following verbal instructions
- Difficulty localising sound (working out the direction of sound)
- Not getting sarcasm or jokes
- Distractibility & attention issues
- School or academic difficulties, including reading, spelling, or learning difficulties
Is Auditory Processing Disorder genetic?
Auditory processing disorder seems to have a genetic component, in that it seems to run in families. However, it’s important to point out if a disorder ‘runs in families’ that doesn’t necessarily mean it is genetic – after all, the language you speak at home might be inherited from your parents, but that doesn’t mean your mother tongue is determined by your genes.
So is APD hereditary (passed down from your parents) or specifically genetic?
What the research says about APD
There’s been a fair amount of research into the genetic component of Auditory Processing Disorder. Here’s some notable studies and what they have found.
Twin studies could show a correlation between auditory processing abilities and genetics.
- One study conducted by researchers investigated the heritability of auditory processing skills in 96 pairs of identical and fraternal twins aged 6 to 11 years. What did they find? If one twin has APD, the other twin is more likely to.
- Another study on another disorder, called Specific Language Impairment (or Developmental Language Disorder) investigated the heritability of SLI. The study showed SLI has a strong genetic component (it’s heritable), but crucially shows that the level of heritable influence isn’t fixed – it changes as children progress through childhood. While SLI/DLD and APD are different disorders, it shows these two overlapping issues are highly heritable.
Of course, these studies established heredity – they don’t establish which genes are involved. So which genes specifically might cause APD?
How genes are involved
It’s still early days for which gene (or genes) are involved in auditory processing disorder.
However, candidates researchers have found are called the Usher genes, including USH2A, which is one of the genes involved in forming cilia, or tiny hair cells in our ears – which are important for hearing. The study suggests that different variations (or alleles) within the USH2A gene can show up as different, but related, auditory issues – including APD. Of course, APD is not a hearing issue as such. The research is not saying the Usher genes or USH2A is the cause of APD – however variations in this group of genes might increase the likelihood of someone having auditory processing disorder.
Other causes of APD
There’s a whole host of other factors that could be the cause of auditory processing disorder [3], including:
- Genetics
- Neurological disorder, disease, or damage (such as brain injury, stroke or MS)
- Prenatal/neonatal factors (such being born prematurely)
- Age-related changes in the central auditory nervous system
So it’s not just genetics or hereditary factors – even getting older can be a risk factor for auditory processing disorder.
Online auditory processing disorder test
People aged 5 and above who meet the eligiblity requirements can enrol in our online auditory processing disorder test.
You need an iPad to complete this test at home.
The test is research validated and results are evaluated by professionals.
What if APD runs in your family?
Like with any illness or disorder, if you know you have it, you can help the next generation. You can help them understand, cope with, or even minimise the effects of the issue or disorder. APD is no different.
It all starts with knowing strengths and weaknesses. If you suspect your child or children have APD, you can get a professional diagnosis entirely online for anyone aged 5 or over.
If you know your child has APD, get helpful suggestions from our post “How to help students with Auditory Processing Disorder”, or download our APD Info Pack.
For APD treatment options, consider the Fast ForWord suite of online programs. Fast ForWord is proven by decades of research to improve many areas of auditory processing. It’s designed by neuroscientists to change the brain, re-wiring it for listening, attention and memory.
References
Brewer CC, Zalewski CK, King KA, Zobay O, Riley A, Ferguson MA, Bird JE, McCabe MM, Hood LJ, Drayna D, Griffith AJ, Morell RJ, Friedman TB, Moore DR. Heritability of non-speech auditory processing skills. Eur J Hum Genet. 2016 Aug;24(8):1137-44. doi: 10.1038/ejhg.2015.277. Epub 2016 Feb 17. PMID: 26883091; PMCID: PMC4872837.
Mabel L. Rice , Catherine L. Taylor , Stephen R. Zubrick , Lesa Hoffman and Kathleen K. Earnest
Unravelling the genetic relationships between auditory processing and speech and language, Oxford Brookes University website
Learn more & contact us
Download APD info pack
Find out how to best help an adult or a student with APD, how to understand APD test results, and how Fast ForWord can help.
Online auditory processing test
Easy, cost-effective auditory processing test for people aged 5 and above. Research validated and evaluated by speech pathologists and audiologists.
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This free telephone consultation can help to answer any questions you have about our services. At Sonic Learning we are all experienced teachers and health professionals so parents tend to find it very beneficial to be able to discuss their concerns and receive guidance from our team.
