Question
Can Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) co-exist? I have a patient who was diagnosed with ADHD first and then APD. I wonder whether the two were confused.
Answer
There is no question that APD and ADHD can, and often do, co-exist. That is not always the case and audiologists who are involved in the assessment of individuals with APD work to see when they can differentiate between the two disorders. One reason to appropriately identify APD versus ADHD is that APD is not treated with stimulant medication. On the other hand it is true that both groups might benefit from classroom management to include even assistive listening devices to help focus listening and attention.
At another level, many of the position papers published over the last 15 years acknowledge the difficulty of recognizing the comorbidity of APD and ADHD. At least one author believes that ADHD and cognitive disorders are the prevailing problem among children diagnosed as having APD, and that few children are specifically APD. So, the question you ask is still being debated. Clinically, while we can sometimes differentiate between the two disorders we should recognize that they often co-exist along with other problems such as language disorders. In all cases we do well to describe children's auditory behaviors, their strengths and weaknesses, and develop management programs that help to alleviate the listening problems experienced by children to help them achieve at their highest level.
Robert W. Keith, Ph.D. is an Adjunct Professor at theUniversity of Cincinnati - College of Allied Health Sciences - Department of Communications Sciences and Disorders .
Robert Keith, PhD
Related Courses
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