adhd and auditory processing disorder in adults

She experienced humiliation from her coworkers as she could not pronounce a coworker’s name and would say “Prunence” instead of “Prudence.” This woman became more discouraged when her teenage children would laugh at her when she could not differentiate words in songs. For example, a 52-year-old woman with a severe level of a decoding type of CAPD responds to her son “poetry” rather than “poultry” when he inquires of the evening dinner menu. Such a tactic reduces fatigue and tension in trying to remember such information in a social setting.Īuditory training should not be dismissed from the intervention program of the adult client. The waitress is asked to point at only two available salad dressings. This was a learned strategy to be successful in her job performance due to her weak auditory memory skills.Īnother client, age 60, was taught at a support group for adults with CAPD to use his laminated bookmark-size listing of salad dressings (that he keeps in his shirt pocket) when he is at a restaurant. Most adults will complain that rapid speech and lengthy directions are difficult to comprehend.Ī client who worked as a secretary indicated that she required the person on the telephone to speak to her in a slow manner as if she were in grade six.

The adult may experience a lack of appreciation of music, has difficulty in understanding the message during telephone conversations, and may struggle in learning specific technical or vocational language. The adult may perform community service, have work commitments, attend civic and religious events, or have family responsibilities that all may be affected by the CAPD.Ĭommon behaviours seen in adults have been noted for many years. The adult is involved with more daily living situations than the child’s school and home environments. While CAPD remediation may or may not include auditory training (AT), there are additional facets involved in developing a successful management plan for the adult with CAPD.

who are evaluated for CAPD for the first time even though they have experienced, for many years, difficulty in accurately perceiving the auditory message.

who experience CANS degenerative processes related to normal aging.

who experience auditory deficits due to neurological or degenerative diagnoses that compromises the central auditory nervous system (CANS) such as traumatic brain injuries, cardio vascular accidents, Alzheimer’s, and multiple sclerosis.

with a history of CAPD with intervention as a younger person.The adult clientele we would most likely encounter are those: A common statement from the adult who is diagnosed with CAPD is, “What a relief that I now know why I struggle with complex auditory information!” In my practice, psychologists refer adults for a CAPD evaluation for differential diagnosis, especially when the comprehensive psychological evaluation indicates the presence of weak auditory memory or when attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is suspected. The next question is what can be done to assist the adult and why was an evaluation for CAPD provided? Often I am asked if I evaluate adults with CAPD.

Adhd and auditory processing disorder in adults