r/AudiProcDisorder

Hi! This might get long so I apologize in advance.

I was recently evaluated for APD, and scored one point higher than is needed for a diagnosis. Doctor was emphatic with how frustrating that is, since I don’t have enough deficits to diagnose, (therefore insurance won’t cover a hearing aid and my job doesn’t have to give me any accommodations) but I’m having very real struggles in my everyday life. Her recommendations were getting AirPods Pro 2 or newer ones, which have hearing aid capabilities, and trying recourses like Lumosity, L.A.C.E., and Brain HQ. I’ve ordered a new pair of AirPods despite not really wanting to, and now that I’m off work for my weekend, I’ll be looking into those other recourses, but I can’t afford to pay for any of those. She wasn’t sure if any had a free option but thought one did at least. Is anyone familiar with any of these and/or the hearing aid feature on AirPods Pro 3? Have any of these things been helpful to anyone or should I be preparing myself for disappointment and frustration?

I’m also wondering about ways my job might be able to support me. I work in the emergency department of a veterinary hospital, and when it’s busy or loud, I’m not able to understand what’s being said on the PA system. I’m terrified of missing triages or stats because I never know if they’re calling for something relevant to me or if it’s for another department completely. This is a new job that I just started at in March. I’ve been getting by with asking people around me what’s being said but sometimes no one is really sure/there’s no one around to ask and it really makes me anxious, because the last thing I want is for it to look like I’m just ignoring these pages. I know that they’re not required to do anything, since I don’t have any diagnosed hearing deficits, but does anyone have any ideas that they might be willing to try out with me? I’m also nervous about trying to wear AirPods while at work, since we’re typically not allowed to. I’ll definitely email my boss before I try to wear them at work and make sure it’s okay, but I’m just overall anxious.

If you got this far, thanks for reading. I guess I’m just overwhelmed and frustrated with a plethora of medical issues right now, and this hasn’t been helping lol but yeah. I’d really appreciate anything anyone has to say about navigating not being able to hear, but not having a diagnosis to explain it. Thanks friends!

On July 1, a new law took effect in Virginia requiring movie theaters that have five or more locations in Virginia to offer regular, limited on-screen captions. (Those with less than five have to offer an open caption screening within eight days of receiving a request.) Virginia is now the fourth state to have this kind of law (the other states and cities are Hawaii, NYC, DC, MD, and WA). This new law means that Virginians with auditory processing disorder now have a choice between using closed caption devices or seeking out the required open caption screenings. Under the law, ALL Virginia AMC, Regal, Cinemark, and Alamo theaters must have regular open caption screenings, and many did even before the law was passed.

https://preview.redd.it/hgf5d9gd37bh1.png?width=895&format=png&auto=webp&s=7c7bce2613548e85976878b820cbc7ea5e98e3a0

Hey yall, so I just got a new job where I’m working with a lot of refugee immigrants (I live in the US, for context.)

I’m super grateful to have gotten this job and excited for the opportunity to work with this community. I think working with people who have entirely different life experiences than you is great for anyone.

That being said, I am 100% struggling heavily to understand what my coworkers are saying. I mean, even if someone speaks perfect English in the exact same accent I speak with I struggle to understand them, so obviously this is a challenge.

I feel so bad about it. I know there are people out there who will intentionally act like they can’t understand what ESL speakers are saying, pretend they can’t pronounce their names, etc. in order to be condescending, and I absolutely do NOT want my coworkers to think that I am doing that. I need to find a way to, idk, train my ears for this?

Has anybody struggled with a similar situation and how did you overcome it? I think it will get better with time naturally as I hear their voices and get accustomed to the way they pronounce things more, but I want to fix this as soon as possible. Any advice/help is appreciated.

One disclaimer: I don’t like to tell people about my ADHD/APD. Honestly, a lot of the time I feel disclosing these issues to people makes them less understanding of my struggles. People seem a lot nicer to me when they just write me off as stupid/bad at hearing, so honestly I just let people think that.

ETA: ftr in saying I don’t want to tell my coworkers about my APD and stuff, I’m not saying I think they specifically will be rude or not understanding about it. Everybody seems very nice at my new job. That’s just the general reason I don’t like to tell people. In this specific case I’m hesitant to talk about it because like I said, I’m working with refugee immigrants. Their struggles in life blow mine out of the water. While I generally subscribe to the thought process of “whether you’re drowning in two feet or two hundred feet of water, you’re still drowning.” I also subscribe to the thought process that “maybe don’t complain specifically to the person drowning in two hundred feet that you’re drowning in two.”

Thank you all in advance. This is my first time posting in this community so I hope this is an appropriate thing to post here. The rules seem pretty lax though.

I'm 25. My hearing test (including basic speech-in-noise test) came back normal, but I have a very hard time understanding people in noisy places (bars, groups, restaurant). My audiologist suggested trying low-gain hearing aids to help me hear speech in noise, so I got the Signia Pure Charge&Go 7IX.

I've worn them for one day and honestly I'm a bit let down. What I'm noticing:

• They don't actually make voices any clearer - which was the whole reason I got them.
• Every sharp, high sound comes with a weird static rattle, almost like an instant echo. Like when I jingle my keys I hear extra crackly rattling in the aids.
• There's a constant faint static/hiss the whole time they're turned on.
• Instead of helping, they feel distracting - like there's an extra "shhh"/shimmer sound layered on top of everything.
• I think I expected something like AirPods, where it isolates a voice and I actually hear the person better. Instead it just feels like a glorified graphic equalizer with a tiny delay. I can't even tell where the "AI" or "speech in noise" features they advertise are supposed to kick in.

Is this normal for the first day? Does it get better once your brain adjusts? Should I try a different model?

Hi,

I’m currently studying abroad in Canada (English is my second language), and I want to get evaluated for APD, but I’m unsure if it would be worth it. Even though I have a lot of problems listening and understanding speech in my native language (Spanish), I have more difficulty hearing spoken English. My APD just becomes worse with English than Spanish, and it’s been affecting me because I can barely understand people on the streets, restaurants or any public environment. This also happened in Mexico but it got worse once I arrived here.

How is the APD evaluation like? Will I have to hear spoken English during the test? I’m afraid making the exam in English will affect the results. But I don’t return to Mexico until next year and I’m desperate for a solution. I can barely speak with my friends (even if they are Mexican too) and classmates, I’m having difficulty having conversations overall.

I don’t know if I should wait until I return to Mexico, but probably it will take a while until I get evaluated. Getting evaluated here might be easier but I’m also scared of discrimination (being told my APD issues are just bc I’m ESL) or just not be taken seriously

Sorry for the brain dump, I have no one to lament to and am just really sad after my evaluation today.

I have been so certain I struggled with some form of APD for years — all the typical things: I mishear what people say, always need captions on shows, rely on reading lips to help, and if there’s background noise it feels near impossible to comprehend unless the person is face to face with me, and even then it takes a while to process.

I had my evaluation today and did great. No deficit and was told I just have some weakness in the left ear, particularly with numbers. They framed it saying it’s great news but I cried as soon as I got to the car, because why did I pass the evaluation so well if in daily life I struggle?

The tests didn’t feel like how I feel in social interactions, it felt like the voice I was supposed to be hearing cut through. I know I should be relieved to not have this, but what else can I do now. I’ve been using Loop earplugs to try to drown out some background noise to focus on the speaker but it also dampens them and makes it difficult.

sorry for the rant. I feel so disheartened and unsure anymore. I have the follow up with an SLP this afternoon but based on my results what can they even do.

I got a hearing test in the UK at about age 16 but all they tested was beeps which I've never claimed to struggle with. I passed with flying colours, they made me feel stupid for going, and I have continued to have difficulties hearing ever since. Does anyone know how to get a hearing test that tests for the ability to hear speech in the UK? If I request a referral from my GP, am I just going to end up with the same beep test again? Thanks so much in advance for your help!

I have had problems with background noise for a while now. Went to an audiologist a couple of years ago, and was told that my hearing is "fine", but my brain doesn't process what I'm hearing properly. OK. The term Auditory Processing Disorder wasn't used, but I'm sure that's what she was talking about.

I do OK in most environments. I've learned to avoid loud bars. But my daughter and I went to a concert last week. Heard the music fine (how could you not, at those decibels). But I could not make out a thing she said to me. Even watching her talk did not help.

How do you handle really noisy enviroments? I'm considering telling her next time to text me rather than try to talk. If it doesn't "send", she can just show me her phone.

As someone who's going to an ENT to getting their hearing checked (and eventually will see an audiologist for APD) I can't understand what people say, especially when they speak lowly or in crowded spaces. I don't want to say I'm hard of hearing because I'm really not. I know some people who are HOH do accept that but I don't think that's right. When I'm speaking with people, what do I say without necessarily educating people about APD or giving out my whole story?

Hello.

I'm autistic, I'm verbal but it's still difficult to speak for me.

We suspect my partner has both autism and APD (he's waiting to be evaluated).

While we wait for definitive answers I'd like to start implementing some strategies to avoid all our conversations go the same way: huh? Huh? Huh? I don't understand. While we are both about to cry.

Please, would you share whatever helps you understanding other people when they talk?

Thank you to whoever is going to take the time 💕

Hi,

I have severe sensorineural hearing loss. I was diagnosed with hearing loss in my 20s and love my hearing aids, even though I still struggle to hear with them in a lot of settings. However, I have a sibling who was just diagnosed with (C)APD and will be getting hearing aids for that. I know that a lot of the best practices on how to communicate are the same, and I've done some reading on APD.

What I'm wondering is this: what are some of the things that are different about the lived experience of someone with APD vs. someone with hearing loss that you wish people knew about? And if you use hearing aids for APD, how has your experience with that been?

(Also, my apologies if the APD vs. hearing loss framework isn't preferred here. APD seems to fall under the hard of hearing framework in a lot of ways even if it's a different part of the body affecting things.)

My kids are adults and both them and my husband forget I have APD and try to give me verbal directions, get annoyed when things they tell me don't 'stick' and I ask the same question again later. Sometimes I just go along and don't ask again just to avoid the whole thing. Does anyone else have this problem?

This is the time between the day I told our pediatrician that I suspected some form of auditory dyslexia at my son's 24 month checkup (yes, I could tell even then) to today when we finally received a diagnosis of Central Auditory Processing Disorder. I feel like I can finally breathe.