Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD)

Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD) is a complex and often misunderstood neurological disorder that occurs in individuals with normal hearing who have a reduced or impaired ability to discriminate, recognize, or understand sounds. The symptoms are highly individual, ranging from mild to severe with many different causes and expressions. Children with CAPD cannot fully process auditory information passed between the ear and the brain. They may have difficulties hearing amidst distracting background noise, remembering information, discriminating between similar sounds or words, or listening long enough to complete a task. CAPD may affect their ability to develop normal language skills, succeed academically, or communicate effectively.

Trained specialists, such as speech-language pathologists and audiologists, can assess CAPD using auditory tests such as behavioral and electrophysiologic tests. Speech-language pathologists and other educational specialists can provide a variety of treatment strategies to help children with CAPD work around many of the receptive, organizational and retention challenges caused by this disorder. Some children’s auditory processing skills may well mature developmentally to the point where they become indistinguishable from other children. Others may have more chronic symptoms throughout their lives.

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