A long-term follow-up of children and adolescents referred for assessment of auditory processing disorder

Objective: This study investigated whether young adults (between 18 and 30 years at the time of the project) who were assessed for auditory processing disorder (APD) in childhood (between 7 and 16 years) experience persistence of listening and communication difficulties. Design: Participants completed a mixed methods questionnaire focusing on common areas of complaint in APD and two open-ended questions exploring participants’ past and present experiences with listening and communication difficulties. Study sample: Ninety-seven of the 722 potential participants returned completed questionnaires, of whom 66 had been diagnosed with APD (APD group) at the time of their auditory processing assessment and 31 had not met diagnostic criteria (NAPD group) at that time. Results: Substantial commonality was noted in the reported listening and communication difficulties between the APD and NAPD participants. Volunteered comments aggregated into four major content themes which included: listening and communication difficulties; participants’ sense of self; change; and participation. Members of the APD group reported greater communication difficulty than NAPD group members, irrespective of environmental listening conditions. Conclusions: Young adults with a prior referral for, and in some cases a diagnosis of, APD as children continue to experience auditory processing difficulties across a range of daily situations.