Auditory Processing Disorder * (APD) also known as central auditory processing disorder (CAPD) is a hearing problem that affects about 5% of school-aged children. They may have a hard time tuning out background noise and find loud noises overwhelming.
It may affect your ability to pinpoint a sound, tell which sound comes before another, distinguish similar sounds from one another (such as "seventy" and "seventeen") and enjoy music.
DIAGNOSES:
A pediatrician rules out other possibilities such as hearing loss related to an ear infection. A speech-language pathologist or school psychologist may also give your child tests that measure receptive language or listening comprehension skills as well as cognitive abilities. But only a trained audiologist can conduct the tests needed to make a diagnosis of APD. No matter how many symptoms of APD a child may have, only careful and accurate diagnostics can determine the underlying cause. It typically isn’t diagnosed until grade school, but there are some warning signs that can be detected in preschool.
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS:
Auditory discrimination, auditory figure-ground discrimination, auditory memory, and auditory sequencing.
Find it hard to follow spoken directions, especially multi-step instructions, saying “huh?” or “what?” often, easily distracted especially by background noise or loud and sudden noises, trouble with reading and spelling, they struggle with word math problems, trouble following conversation, poor musical ability, trouble learning songs or nursery rhymes and remembering details of what was read/heard.
AFFECTS:
Learning and School Work
Kids with APD often have trouble developing reading, spelling and writing skills. Learning vowels and developing phonemic awareness—the building blocks for reading—can be especially difficult. Understanding spoken instructions is challenging. Kids with APD tend to perform better in classes that don’t rely heavily on listening.

Socially
Kids with APD have trouble telling stories or jokes. They may avoid conversations with peers because it’s hard for them to process what’s being said and think of an appropriate response.
VIDEO:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6F6fVGg7LLg