Auditory processing disorder

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Does anybody here have auditory processing disorder? If so, how does it manifest in your case?

I ask because normally it's very difficult for me to separate sounds in a noisy environment; especially if someone or several people are talking all at once and I want to listen to what they have to say. I almost can't discern it or I simply can't at times.

But some weeks ago I also noticed something that I hadn't noticed before, maybe because I never had been in that situation before any way: I was at a workshop on learning how to do presentations. One task consisted in telling each other the topic of our presentation with a yelling voice.
So everybody was practising it all at once and I suddenly couldn't talk; it was like I was unable to think or to get any word out at all. It was weird. And I'm almost sure it was because of the noise.

Yep, anyways, what are your experiences of auditory processing disorder or how does it manifest in your case?

I haven't been explicitly tested for auditory processing disorder (though I was meant to have been), but I experience the things that you described.

Picking out a single voice from many is extremely hard and seems to take a lot of concentration for me - and it's particularly hard if there's music playing, as that does draw my attention; I think my brain prefers it because it's a very structured sound. I'm hyper-sensitive to sound generally, and there are many which I find absolutely unbearable, some even at very low volumes. The sound of lots of people all talking at once is one of the worst - it seems to close in on me until it's the only thing that I can perceive. I can't abide people shouting, especially if it's unexpected, and I find it hard even to make myself shout.

The longer I stay exposed to such sounds, the slower my brain seems to get until I can no longer form sentences. More exposure eventually leads to my language abilities deserting me completely - I can't even understand speech that's clearly directed at me any more. Further still, and I have a complete shut-down - I just go pretty much catatonic. This happens much more easily if my other senses have a lot to do, and watching people speak often makes it harder to understand them than if I look away (partly why my eye-contact is poor.) After episodes like these, I need hours, sometimes even days, to fully recover.

I also get quite a lot of auditory hallucinations. Not voices telling me things, more like little snatches of things I've heard being replayed, sometimes looping around and around. Like having a song stuck in your head, but for any kind of sound at all, and so vivid that I often can't tell them apart from real sounds. It's not unusual to hear a kettle boil that I didn't even switch on, or go to the front door to find nobody there. Until my age started catching up with me, I could hear sounds of a far higher pitch than most people, too - ultrasonic pest-repellents that no-one else could hear used to drive me nuts.

How much of this might be APD, I don't know. It was meant to be covered by the Occupational Therapist of the autism unit which diagnosed me, but this never happened due to staff shortages.

I definitely have this problem, but with an odd twist: If I'm listening to a severely degraded voice signal on shortwave radio, I can pick out what's being said when others just hear a lot of noise. So, I can hear someone halfway around the world fine, but can't make out what the person sitting across the table in a crowded restaurant is saying.

That's an interesting observation. I sometimes get the sense that my problems with isolating a single voice are partly because my language circuits are desperately trying to decode ALL of the voices (the effect is similar when there are TV or radio voices competing.) Music will dominate if there is any playing, but a single voice against other backgrounds is generally easier than for an equivalent level of vocal background. Two voices at roughly the same volume often ends up as a garbled mix of snatches from both even when I try to concentrate on only one. When I'm making music, picking apart different instruments in a mix is not generally a problem; there's plenty of detail in my hearing - possibly too much, even.

And welcome to Wrong Planet!

I know I didn't take too well trying to listen when lots talk at the same time and school halls with lots of loud kiddies in them were places I would try to close my ears in... I would sit on a corner with my fingers in my ears! I would get out if I was allowed to.

Now I disn't know I had a delay of hearing untill fairly recently. When I am in or coming out of an energy loss situation, I can hear people speak but make no sense of it. Usually I have to really concentrate to hear people if I get energy loss (Which could be partial shutdowns).

My brain is extremely poor at filtering background noise, it makes it hard to concentrate. Before I did OT, I used to wake up several times a night because of normal household noises. There are some frequencies that I hear too loudly, it doesn't hurt, but it's at the limit of what I can tolerate. If I'm getting overstimulated, people seems to be speaking faster and faster until I can no longer understand what is said. Sometimes I progressively lose the ability to speak, but it's more rare. Sounds can also start to sound louder, at that point, I will hurt. Sounds that hurt are green for some reason.

@Nydcat
Would you mind telling us a little bit more about how the OT helped you with APD? I've worked out a few coping strategies over the years; but as it was recommended that I receive OT, I'm very curious about its benefits.

Sure.

For me, it doesn't get rid of the APD, but helps menage it. I have sensory exercise to do twice a day, it helps even out my senses. I am not awaken easily at night anymore, I don't wake up craving tactile input anymore. It helps me go longer without having a sensory day.

After you've calmed down after overstimulation, when you feel like you're ok, your sensory system are still aroused. Those exercises helps you bring your senses back to normal. That's how my OT explained it.

What it doesn't do for me: it doesn't seem to bring down the intensity or help with background noise.

Exactly. Music I can hear well and pick apart the different instruments.
I also can't listen to the radio, TV or anything like that while other people are talking over it (unless it's music). I need silence to listen to the radio, TV, PC...etc.

I definitely find it difficult to understand when many people are talking at once or it there is background noise. But I have found a trick that helps. If I stare at the lips of the person that I wish to hear, I can vastly improve my ability to hear and understand them. It is like lip reading.

Yes, I have this. Also some hearing loss from multiple ear infections as a baby...which is ironic, since I am still hypersensitive to sounds. Even though I can't hear as well as a "normal" person at some frequencies.

My Dad has the processing issue too though, and he is definitely NOT on the spectrum. Maybe ADHD, but not autistic or asperger's in any way.

But yes, too much chaotic noise makes it hard for me to focus or think. It's okay if it's in the distance (like I am outside the cafeteria), but if I am in the middle of it it's super hard to focus or understand anything others are saying. I basically have to lip-read mixed with hearing every 5th or 10th word and do a lot of nodding like an idiot, then ask my husband later what in the world everyone was talking about.

The worst lately is my church - they play music after the service AND everyone is talking at once while they mill about in the sanctuary. I find it very stressful, and can't decipher most of what is said to me. I bought hi-fidelity ear plugs just for church - they don't help me decipher what people are saying, but they cut down on the decibel level of the music and talking noise so I can at least think and function and stay in the room for a but so my husband can enjoy chatting. So I do recommend those for when noise can't be avoided.

Oh yes, that's very familiar. A friend recently commented that he couldn't see how I had problems interpreting language because I "obviously" comprehend social situations - as I said to him, a big part of my "masking" is that I'm very good at looking like I know what's going on when actually I haven't a clue; and if you're good enough at it, most people won't bother with a comprehension test.

@Nydcat
Thanks for your comments about OT - I'm definitely going to chase up that referral that never happened.

I would be interested in knowing if there are any at home exercises I could do...with my (US) insurance, it would cost a TON to see an OT myself.

Really? I live in Canada, they cost around 120$ a session.

My experiences are pretty much the same as for the others here. Apart from the sensory overload thing that happens when a lot of people are talking at the same time, I also have issues with separating background from foreground noise. I can also hear coil whine and other high pitched noises better than most.
Perhaps the most problematic is that when I am very tired/approaching a shutdown I have a real hard time just understanding words.

I did think of one potential "perk" from this though - I have noticed that I am better at interpreting what people mean who speak broken English, have thick accents, etc. I think because I have gotten so used to having to piece together "clues" to understand people in noisy environments. So I'm used to having to think about the context, body language, lip-reading, etc. to figure out what the words I didn't understand could have been.