Escaping the Hidden Prison of Auditory Processing Disorder | Angela Loucks Alexander | TEDxTauranga

If your auditory system works like a computer, your ears are the hardware and your brain is the software. Even when the ears hear normally, errors in the software (the processing) can interfere with understanding or remembering what was heard. This is called Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) and often leaves sufferers feeling isolated and disconnected. Of the approximately 6% of the population struggling with APD, most don't even know it’s a disorder. The good news is that with specialised audiologist help, dramatic improvement in auditory processing is possible.

Dr Angela Loucks Alexander, Audiologist, has spent fifteen years specialising in diagnosing and treating Auditory Processing Disorder (APD), a hearing difficulty with less to do with the ears and more to do with the brain. Despite significantly affecting potential and well-being, many of those affected are unaware of the condition, let alone their treatment options. Angela is the host of Between Two Ears podcast and founder of the Auditory Processing Institute, where she trains audiologists and speech-language pathologists to provide APD services. She has also created an online, searchable map to help clients find the help they need.

Dr. Angela Alexander, Audiologist is the Director of Education at Auditory Processing Institute where she teaches Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists how to provide effective auditory processing services ranging from testing to treatment through online, on-demand courses.

[sfvalleygirl]

The foster mom saying, “Look how good you are. I’m so lucky to have you”. Ugh that tugged at my heart. What a beautiful change for that child

[jennylynn]

How is nobody giving this woman a standing ovation as she leaves the room! This was fantastic! She is fantastic!

[kristinathomas]

This lady was one of the very few lecturers on video who I never struggled to figure out what she was saying. I was surprised at not needing to turn on subtitles. I bet she talks slowly and clearly on purpose because she helps people all day at her job who have hearing disorders.

[uhhmanda]

I went to an audiologist and they literally told me "your hearing is great. You just need to pay more attention." And now I'm just mad. Why couldn't they have offered me more tests or MENTIONED that there are such things as auditory processing disorders? That was YEARS ago and I'm still "not paying attention" and dealing with feeling like an airhead when I go places. Also, public places are so loud.

[Beverlylemaster]

I am in tears .
I never knew there was such a thing .
I was told by my mom, you can hear what you want to hear . I strained so hard to understand the TV that I turned my head like a dog .
My parents would fuss at me and say stop that.
I then developed a habit of putting my hands on each side of my face to keep my head straight .
My dad said he was going to make pictures of me so I could see how silly I looked and how was I ever going to get a date with a boy .
I wanted to hear . I really did .I still do !!
I frustrate my friends asking them to repeat themselves so much that I sometimes just sit back and pretend I know what they are saying but secretly wish I really did.
I put subtitles on my TV about 3 years ago and it was so exciting that I have rewatched, I'm sure, a hundred or more .
I am 61 and believed my whole life I was scattered brained and had severe ADD.
Even if it's too late for me, it validates what I have known all along .
Thank you for sharing your story
I feel joy for the possibilities but saddened that I have lived my entire life in a fog.

[-beee-]

My favorite part of this was the speaker saying that choosing to believe patients is a choice and one that doctors absolutely can make.

[christincoggins]

I have a daughter with APD. She is 18 now and it's taken a lot of love and therapy to get her to where she is at. She will be starting college soon and will be working toward becoming a music therapist. She loves music and is a beast on a guitar! She is also on the Autism spectrum and is diagnosed with ADHD. She has never allowed her disabilities become her disabilities. She is one of the best humans I know and I am so period of her. Don't ever allow your diagnosis to hold you back! It may take you a bit longer than others but you are capable.

[kikibplays]

I was in tears through at least half of this talk. What an incredible woman. I'm autistic and struggle immensely with auditory processing disorder. I learned to read lips from a fairly young age so I could follow conversations in noisy places. If the kitchen faucet is running, I am rendered what I call "functionally deaf." I never knew there was treatment today, but I will be talking to my care providers about this ASAP. What an amazing thing it would be to no longer be deafened by even the smallest of noises!

[ashleyymahl]

being told that i am "so good" brought me to tears, and this explained what i think i have been struggling with for YEARS. wish i found this tedtalk sooner.

[rallyreel]

I love subtitles because I can read them before they are spoken, so the words make sense. Without subtitles im constantly asking myself, "did they say ___ or __?" And I just kind of fill in what I think makes sense. This is one the few Ted talks I would love to hear in person, because it was so good.

[alison]

I've been telling my son's doctors for six years that he has, he _must have, _ an auditory processing disorder. I'm so grateful I've found this talk. He has only been properly "diagnosed" with severe ADHD. His speech therapist started using visual cues with him for different sounds. Suddenly it clicked for him. He's eight years old and _finally_ making consistent progress ❤️

[stuttgartkimmer]

I just saw this. When you said you were in the lecture and were happy because you weren't "tired from listening". I actually cried. Tired from listening is my life...and so many hearing mistakes... even with my hearing aid.

[amonkeybird]

I was crying 3 minutes into this TED talk.. how can anyone do this to a child??!! and you not only thrived in spite of them, but helping others. You are a true angel.

[airohtheenby]

I had my hearing tested twice as a kid because I kept claiming I didn’t hear when my parents called me. I felt so ashamed and confused when both came back normal, especially since I did hear most things. I only found out APD existed after getting diagnosed with ADHD a couple years ago and doing my own research. Most people still don’t understand, and I rarely mention it, but I take comfort finally understanding myself better

[juliachan]

APD is such an unknown disorder, so anyone who has APD feels like an alien. i didn't get diagnosed until i was almost 27, and it can be a very isolating experience! thank you for brining light to APD- it makes us feel less alone :)

[joannewsome]

My daughter was diagnosed with this by a learning specialist after being told she had a learning disability by a teacher. This was the mid 1960s so we were lucky to have found the right diagnosis. So, in the third grade & further grades, she had to relearn the first, second & third grades. We all worked hard to get up to speed & we did it. In high school she got As in Biology & Spanish because she had been trained to memorize correctly. She became a Nurse & was loved by her co-workers. She married & had a daughter, whom she loved very much. We were very close. She got a very aggressive cancer and died within three months of diagnosis. I miss her every day. She was my only daughter. Life is never the same after you lose a child. She had just turned 50.

[juliefordreister]

This makes me cry. I am constantly telling my students, "Wait - if there are several voices, I hear nothing." When you mentioned recording your lectures, I was taken back to lectures where - unless they were interactive - the information felt like sand in my hands. I could see it, but it would disappear as more "came in." Thank you for the transparency, sharing your story, and the phrase, "You are so good." 🙏

[umbongonights]

That was pretty powerful. In my teens I said to my doctor that I had trouble hearing people when there was background noise. His response ..’Pay more attention’. That was 35 years ago and nothing has changed. Socially it’s been crippling, academically it’s been challenging, professionally it’s been destructive! I hope that this lady’s work brings positive change to others before they experience the same.

[jmvanzalinge]

I learned about APD while looking into ADHD and it explains so much! I had learned to just nod, smile, and agree rather than asking for people to repeat or clarify over and over.

[rebeccagiovanini]

I never realized this was so common! I found out I have this disorder four years ago, but I’d learned to cope by just giving generic answers when I have no idea what someone is saying. 😅 People usually don’t notice, but my husband always does. I did well in school and college because I’m luckily a good reader, so I would teach myself out of the textbooks.