Neuro homies: what do you think about auditory processing disorder?

[borne_before]

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Is it real? Or is it just audiologists trying to play psychologist?

 

[AbnormalPsych]

Might be a cool band name too, btw

 

[neurotic_cow]

No idea. I've wondered the same. I've also seen SLPs use that term as well as "cognitive processing disorder," but it was never something I've ever heard a neuropsych use nor did we learn about it in grad school.

 

[WisNeuro]

I've been out of the peds world for far too long to have any sort of in-depth knowledge on this, but my last understanding was that there's never been any good work differentiating this as a distinct entity. Characteristics of it overlap with other neurodevelopmental disorders far too much. Any of our peds people with a better knowledge base want to weigh in? @ClinicalABA ?

 

[PikminOC]

I see non verbal learning disability more than apc on testing

 

[WisNeuro]

I see non verbal learning disability more than apc on testing

Probably depends on who is doing the testing. SLP/OT love to diagnose APC, though I don't see neuropsychs diagnose it much.

 

[PsyDr]

What's the idea here: medial geniculate nucleus is messed up? Primary auditory cortex is somehow not tonotropically organized? Secondary auditory cortex is F'ed? All of this is undiscovered when they do that auditory evoked potential thing on pretty much all infants?

 

[borne_before]

I see non verbal learning disability more than apc on testing,

You mean "diet autism" or "autism lite"?

Kidding! It's a real thing.

 

[borne_before]

So it's basically the SLP/Audiologist version of sensory processing disorder?

I have a colleague who had a grad student call them out in a brain and behavior class when she was saying it isn't particularly well validated and has a huge overlap with ADHD/etc.

 

[Sanman]

I have heard of both central auditory processing disorder and sensory processing disorder and seen the diagnosis a few times. It seems to be more prevalent in the school accommodations game. Don't know the literaure base for either as I usually see it dx'ed by slp and audiology and the like.

 

[pediatric_psydoc]

I don’t know of research that supports it being its own diagnostic entity, but rather it being symptoms that can present in the context of neurodevelopmental disorders. Basically taking symptoms that can present in these disorders, putting them in a cluster, and giving the cluster a name.

 

[psycle708]

So it's basically the SLP/Audiologist version of sensory processing disorder?

Maybe, but I've also worked with quite a few peds SLPs that rolled their eyes at auditory processing disorder diagnoses. Seems like there's a split somewhere within the SLP field.

 

[ClinicalABA]

I've been out of the peds world for far too long to have any sort of in-depth knowledge on this, but my last understanding was that there's never been any good work differentiating this as a distinct entity. Characteristics of it overlap with other neurodevelopmental disorders far too much. Any of our peds people with a better knowledge base want to weigh in? @ClinicalABA ?

I don't recall seeing it in any of my cases, but I also tend to be seeing really young kiddos who haven't seen other "professionals" for a diagnosis. As to whether it's real or not, it's one of those things where the commonly listed "symptoms" are vague/general ("doesn't respond correctly to words"; "poor listening skills"), contradictory/all encompassing ("talks too loudly" or "talks too quietly), or assume internal "processes" that are unmeasurable with the current technology (e.g., "slow processing of verbal information"). It's a poorly defined category, with a lot of overlap between other diagnosis (e.g., ADHD), and likely poor internal consistency as a concept.

 

[Sanman]

I don't recall seeing it in any of my cases, but I also tend to be seeing really young kiddos who haven't seen other "professionals" for a diagnosis. As to whether it's real or not, it's one of those things where the commonly listed "symptoms" are vague/general ("doesn't respond correctly to words"; "poor listening skills"), contradictory/all encompassing ("talks too loudly" or "talks too quietly), or assume internal "processes" that are unmeasurable with the current technology (e.g., "slow processing of verbal information"). It's a poorly defined category, with a lot of overlap between other diagnosis (e.g., ADHD), and likely poor internal consistency as a concept.

Absolutely this, I have a feeling that all of the symptoms can be attributed to other disorders that these folks cannot diagnose.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

I haven't seen any reputable research to support it. I only have seen it on OT and SLP reports, and I usually just cringe.

 

[ClinicalABA]

Nosology is tough. Sometimes things seem to be things, but they are other things altogether.