APD Assessment Tests

What happens at an APD Test?

Auditory Processing Disorder (APD): APD is characterised by poor perception of both speech and non-speech sounds. Auditory ‘perception’ is the awareness of acoustic stimuli, forming the basis for subsequent action. Perception results from both sensory activation (via the ear) and neural processing that integrates this ‘bottom-up’ information with activity in other brain systems (e.g. vision, attention, memory). Insofar as difficulties in perceiving and understanding speech sounds could arise from other causes (e.g. language impairment, non-native experience of a particular language), poor perception of speech alone is not sufficient evidence of APD.

Otoscopy - Otoscopy is used to examine the outer ear, ear canal and ear drum.

Tympanometry - Tympanometry is used to give an indication of how well the eardrum moves in response to a change in pressure. It is not an assessment of hearing acuity.

Pure Tone Audiometry (PTA) - Standard behavioural audiometric test used to identify hearing threshold levels of an individual, helping to determine the degree, type and configuration of a hearing loss. The test is performed by pressing a button each time a sound is heard. The hearing thresholds are described in general terms rather than numbers at different frequencies. These descriptors are based on the average of the pure-tone hearing threshold levels at 250, 500, 1000, 2000 & 4000Hz as recommended by the British Society of Audiology.

SCAN 3 Child: Speech Discrimination- 5-12.11yrs old- Obtain information to help you differentiate an auditory processing disorder from auditory attention problems and auditory comprehension difficulties. Develop strategies to assist the child in managing auditory processing difficulties at school, at home, and in the community.

Dichotic Digits (DD): Auditory Integration, dichotic listening: The Dichotic listening test is part of the Auditory processing disorder (APD) test battery. It is commonly used to investigate selective attention within the auditory system and is a subtopic of cognitive psychology and neuroscience. Specifically, it is "used as a behavioral test for hemispheric lateralization of speech sound perception." During a standard dichotic listening test, a participant is presented with two different auditory stimuli simultaneously. The different stimuli are directed into different ears over headphones and the participant is asked to repeat what they hear in there right and left ears. Results are considered normal when z scores are better than -2.

​

Temporal Processing: Measurement of auditory temporal processing abilities. Temporal processing refers to the processing of acoustic stimuli over time. Temporal processing is very important for us to be able to understand speech in quiet and in background noise, since speech stimuli and other background sounds vary over time.

Gaps-In-Noise (GIN): Temporal Processing: The patient wears head phones and has to indicate when there is a ‘gap’ in the white noise. This test has provides an indication of temporal resolution deficits. Previous reports indicate that the GIN is a relatively sensitive tool for the diagnosis of central auditory processing disorder. This assessment tests pattern recognition, temporal processing, which is key to understanding and interpreting speech

LISN-S: Spatial Processing (SPD): This test has four steps, and assesses the ability of individuals with normal hearing to understand speech when there is noise coming from different directions. SPD is a specific type of CAPD which results from an inability to utilize the directional cues embedded in sound in order to separate the speech we want to hear from background noise. Children with SPD have particular difficulty understanding speech in noisy environments, such as the classroom. SPD is particularly common in children who have a history of recurrent otitis media (glue ear) and can occur even though their hearing thresholds, as measured by routine audiological tests, are within the normal range.

​

LISN-S PGA, has one step, only and tests the ability of individuals with hearing loss to understand speech in noise, and recommends the hearing technology that best suits their needs.

​

LISN-S and LiSN-S PGA have been developed by Dr. Sharon Cameron and Dr. Harvey Dillon of National Acoustic Laboratories of Australia (NAL) and is distributed by Phonak.

The apd assessment tests were thorough and insightful. I gained valuable insights about my strengths and weaknesses. Highly recommend!

Satisfied Customer

★★★★★