![]() ![]() Their educational backgrounds included high school graduates, university graduates, and postgraduates, and they did not have intellectual disabilities. They had normal hearing, but have difficulties to understand spoken messages that were complex or under noisy conditions, therefore, they were suspected of having APD. Additionally, their syllable intelligibilities were normal. The informed consents were obtained from subjects prior to participation in a study.Īll subjects had normal hearing at 500, 1,000, 2,000, and 4000 Hz with thresholds ≥20 dB HL in each ear. The subjects visited outpatient clinic for patients with hearing problem, and attended this study. This study included 22 adults (mean age, 30.8 ± 11.0 years) who complained of listening problems in everyday life. In the present study, we examined relationships between the results of auditory tests, APD symptoms, and psychological status using personality tests, and investigated the characteristics and causes of impaired auditory cognitive processing in subjects with APD. However, it is not clear how these psychological aspects influence subjects' listening disabilities, and there are no previous studies on the psychological characteristics of adults with APD. Among them, previous studies reported the influence of cognitive abilities, attention, and memory on APD symptoms ( Moore et al., 2010). For this purpose, we must examine a multifaceted assessment system in addition to cognitive and psychological aspects. Most APD assessments tend to lean toward auditory tasks therefore, the actual cause of the symptoms cannot always be identified. That is, reduced high-order cognitive abilities play a significant role in APD. ![]() However, it is thought that the symptoms of APD are presented in many other disorders, such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), dyslexia, and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorders (AD/HD) ( BSA, 2011). If auditory processing is measured solely using speech stimuli, the test results are influenced by language development. Recently, the British Society of Audiology (BSA) recommended using both speech and non-speech stimuli in auditory tests ( BSA, 2011). Regarding assessment methods, there are a number of auditory processing tests: the dichotic listening test (DLT), speech in noise test, gap detection test (GDT), and so on. However, studies on APD in adults are comparatively rare.Įach country has its own diagnosis and treatment system for APD. Thus, we have to take the subject's personality and mental status into consideration when supporting subjects with APD. It is possible that these listening problems in adults with APD influence their mental health. Therefore, most adults with APD often have trouble at work. They show difficulties with telephone conversations, following complex directions, learning a new language, and so on. Adults with APD tend to show difficulties in all aspects of their lives and especially at work. Additionally, APD symptoms exist in young and middle-aged adults. Prevalence estimates of APD in school-aged children are 2–5% ( Chermak and Musiek, 1997), and in older adults, 23–76% ( Cooper and Gates, 1991). They also have poor sound localization, impaired dichotic listening, and auditory perceptual deficits ( American Academy of Audiology (AAA), 2010). Subjects with auditory processing disorder (APD) have normal hearing, but find it difficult to understand spoken messages that are complex or under noisy conditions. For this purpose, we should take psychological characteristics into consideration at the time of the medical examination interview before audio-psychological testing. We have to take notice of a subject's psychological state when they perceive their listening difficulties as a large-scale problem and feel anxious as a result. However, there was no significant relationship between the results of the auditory processing tests and psychological characteristics. Furthermore, subjects with APD show relatively similar psychological characteristics to each other. Especially, the scores were low on the auditory memory test. This study included 22 adults who complained of listening problems in everyday life, and they underwent auditory processing tests and were questioned regarding their psychological characteristics.įrom the results of the auditory processing tests, all subjects showed low scores on at least one test therefore, they were suspected of having APD. ![]() In this study, we aimed to evaluate the relationships between the results of auditory tests, APD symptoms, and psychological status in subjects with APD. However, studies on APD in adults are comparatively rare. Most adults with auditory processing disorder (APD) often have trouble at work. ![]()
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