APD Testing Near Me: Why Adults Struggle to Find It and How Telehealth Helps

You can hear someone speaking, know that they are talking to you, and still struggle to understand what they are saying. Conversations in restaurants become exhausting. Meetings leave you wondering if you’ve missed something important. You might ask people to repeat themselves, rely on watching their faces, or find yourself nodding along when you have not quite caught the conversation – hoping you haven’t agreed to something you’re not on board with.

Perhaps you’ve already had a hearing test. The audiologist excitedly told you your hearing test was normal. But you’re still having trouble.

If this sounds familiar, you may have searched online for “APD testing near me,” hoping to find a pathway forward. You may have noticed that finding a clinician who evaluates auditory processing in adults can be surprisingly difficult.

Auditory processing disorder (APD) affects how the brain processes auditory information, including speech. Although auditory processing difficulties are often discussed in children, they are just as common in adults. You may have been struggling since childhood, or maybe you’re noticing difficulties following a brain injury, hormonal changes, or just with age.

Why Is Adult APD Testing So Difficult to Find?

Searching for an APD assessment can be a frustrating cycle: finding services designed for children, contacting clinics that do not offer auditory processing testing, being assured that your hearing is normal with no explanation for your difficulties or being told that APD isn’t real.

There are several reasons for this.

1. Many Auditory Processing Services Focus Only on Children

Auditory processing disorder is frequently discussed in the context of childhood learning, language development, and education. As a result, many assessment services are designed for children and school-aged listening concerns.

Adults can have auditory processing disorder, too. APD may affect conversations with friends, communication at work, relationships and the ability to participate comfortably in social situations.

An adult who has spent years compensating for listening difficulties may not realize that auditory processing evaluation and treatment is even an option.

2. Not Every Audiology Clinic Offers APD Testing

Audiology clinics vary in the assessments and services they provide. A clinic typically offers comprehensive hearing tests and hearing aid services but is less likely to offer specialist services like auditory processing evaluations.

This can make a local search particularly challenging. You may find several audiologists near you, but that does not mean you will find someone who assesses auditory processing.

When searching, look specifically for adult auditory processing evaluations, rather than assuming any hearing clinic will offer this service.

3. A Normal Hearing Test Does Not Explain Every Listening Difficulty

A standard hearing test measures how well you detect sounds at different pitches. These results are essential, but they do not tell us how well you process and understand the information once it is loud enough.

Some people have hearing loss that contributes to their listening difficulties. Others have hearing within normal limits but still struggle to understand speech especially with background noise or competing conversations.

Auditory processing is one possible area to investigate when reported difficulties are not fully explained by hearing loss. Other auditory, cognitive, language, and health-related factors may contribute, so a comprehensive assessment matters.

Being told your hearing is normal should not mean your listening difficulties are dismissed. It means that we need to look beyond the hearing test to understand if your auditory processing may be affecting your everyday experience.

What Does Auditory Processing Disorder Look Like in Adults?

Auditory processing disorder does not mean that you cannot hear. The challenge comes from making sense of the information that you can hear.

You might recognize some of the following experiences:

• You struggle in background noise
• You’re asking for repetition or for someone to slow down
• Listening leaves you exhausted
• You miss information during conversations
• You worry that you are not paying attention (or other people accuse you of not paying attention)
• You avoid certain social situations
• Hearing aids have not resolved everything

These experiences can affect confidence, work performance, relationships, and quality of life.

They’re not proof that you have APD. However, if your difficulties persist despite the appropriate hearing care or with normal hearing, they may be a reason to explore whether auditory processing deserves further investigation.

Can Adults Have APD Alongside ADHD, Hearing Loss, Brain Injury, or Hormonal Changes?

Yes. Auditory processing disorder often occurs alongside other conditions and life changes that affect how we listen, pay attention, and understand speech. Understanding these overlaps is important because often more than one factor can be involved.

ADHD and Auditory Processing Disorder

ADHD and auditory processing disorder involve many overlapping difficulties. Even in children, APD is often mistaken for ADHD and vice versa. Symptoms can include trouble following instructions, keeping up with conversations, and seeming to lose focus when there are multiple people speaking.

However, difficulty listening doesn’t automatically mean APD, and an ADHD diagnosis does not rule it out. Attention and auditory processing are distinct, although overlapping, aspects of how we manage auditory information. A careful assessment can help clarify which factors may be contributing to an individual’s difficulties.

Concussion, TBI, and Other Head Injury

Some adults notice changes in their listening abilities following a concussion or traumatic brain injury. They may struggle to follow conversations, process rapidly spoken speech, have increased difficulty in background noise, or just end up exhausted trying to manage the mental effort involved in listening.

These difficulties can occur alongside changes in attention, memory, processing speed, and fatigue. They do not necessarily indicate APD, but auditory processing may be one area worth investigating.

Hearing Loss and Hearing Aid Use

Hearing loss makes speech harder to understand, particularly in noisy environments. Hearing aids can improve access to speech, but some people continue to experience difficulty following conversations even when their devices are appropriately fitted and working well.

When this happens, it may be worth considering whether auditory processing is contributing. An assessment should take hearing status and hearing aid use into account rather than assuming that persistent difficulty means the devices are not working.

Perimenopause, Menopause, and Listening Difficulties

For some women, the perimenopause and menopause transition brings changes that extend beyond hot flashes and sleep disruption. They may notice increased difficulty concentrating, finding words, remembering information or following conversations, particularly in busy environments.

These experiences can be frustrating, especially for women who have previously managed demanding work, family and social situations without difficulty.

Hormonal changes during menopause may interact with processes involved in hearing and cognition. Research in this area is developing, and emerging literature highlights the importance of understanding how auditory and cognitive changes may overlap during midlife. However, listening difficulties that begin during perimenopause or menopause do not, on their own, establish that a woman has APD or that hormonal changes are the cause.

Some women may find that following conversations requires more concentration than it used to, particularly when several people are speaking or background noise is present. Others may feel that they are hearing someone speak but struggling to absorb or retain what has been said.

It is important not to dismiss these experiences as “brain fog,” but it is equally important not to assume that they are all related to auditory processing. Hearing changes, disrupted sleep, attention, memory, stress, and other health factors may contribute, sometimes in combination.

If you notice persistent changes in your ability to follow speech, particularly if they are affecting work or everyday life, consider discussing them with an audiologist who specializes in APD. A hearing assessment is the most useful starting point, and further investigation can be considered if your difficulties are not fully explained by your hearing results.

For some women, an auditory processing evaluation may help clarify aspects of their listening difficulties and inform individualized recommendations. Whether that assessment is appropriate depends on the person’s history, symptoms, hearing status and clinical needs.

Age-Related Listening Changes

Adults may notice increasing difficulty following conversations as they get older. Hearing sensitivity, auditory processing, cognitive factors and other health considerations can play a role.

The important point is that these experiences deserve an individualized approach. APD should not be assumed based on symptoms alone, and an APD evaluation is not a substitute for investigating other possible causes.

What If You Cannot Find Adult APD Testing Near You?

If you have searched locally without success or have difficulty getting around, telehealth may offer another route to specialist care.

Traditionally, people have often looked for a specialist clinic within travelling distance of home. But when local services do not offer adult auditory processing evaluations, that can leave you with limited options.

Telehealth allows you to meet with a specialist audiologist remotely, without travelling to a clinic for your appointments. Depending on your circumstances this can make specialist support much more accessible.

At Auditory Pathway, the practice is designed to support patients who need more focused attention for auditory processing difficulties and related listening concerns entirely via telehealth.

How Does a Telehealth APD Evaluation Work?

1. Meet with Dr. Kaitlyn Lepore Remotely

Your evaluation takes place over Zoom across three one-hour appointments. We will discuss your listening concerns, relevant history, and assessment needs to help determine which aspects of auditory processing are causing concern.

2. Complete the Assessment from Home

All you need is a computer or tablet, wired headphones, and a stable internet connection. You will be walked through minimal setup instructions and be helped with any troubleshooting that needs to occur. It’s so simple, anyone can do it.

3. Understanding Your Results and Next Steps

You receive a dedicated appointment to review and discuss your results, an individualized report, and recommendations based on your assessment and goals.

If for any reason remote assessment is not appropriate for your circumstances, an in-person evaluation may be recommended.

What Are the Benefits of Telehealth?

For adults who have struggled to find a suitable local service or for those who cannot travel to a clinic, telehealth offers several practical advantages:

• Access to specialist services without limit to your immediate travelling distance, provided the specialist is licensed to serve where you live.
• Appointments from home. No traffic, no travel, less stress.
• Less time spent getting to care. This may be especially helpful if travel is difficult, you have a busy schedule, or you’re already exhausted from listening demands

What Happens After APD Testing?

An assessment is most useful when it helps you understand your difficulties and informs what to do next.

At Auditory Pathway, the evaluation includes a dedicated results appointment and a written report. The aim is to explain the findings in a way that relates to your everyday listening experiences, rather than give you a collection of test scores.

If your assessment identifies auditory processing disorder, auditory training is recommended. The Buffalo Model approach to auditory training is a structured program designed to target identified auditory processing difficulties.

A round of Buffalo Model Auditory Training consists of:

• 12 weeks of auditory training: One hour per week for 12 weeks. Face-to-face with the clinician over Zoom – no apps.
• Targeted skill development: Training is guided by your assessment findings and the auditory processing skills identified for intervention.
• A reassessment of skills: At the end of the program, your auditory processing is re-tested to evaluate changes following training.

Most people only need one round of auditory training. However, severe difficulties and more complex cases of APD sometimes require more than one round of training.

What If Auditory Training Isn’t Appropriate?

Not every listening difficulty is caused by APD, and not everyone who completes an evaluation will need auditory training. If your results suggest other factors may be contributing to your difficulties, recommendations may focus on further assessment or referral to another specialist.

The aim is to move beyond simply knowing that listening is difficult and toward understanding what may help. Whether that involves Buffalo Model Auditory Training or further investigation, your assessment provides a starting point for deciding what to do next.

Is Telehealth APD Testing Right for You?

An adult auditory processing evaluation may be worth exploring if you:

• Have had a normal hearing test but continue to struggle to understand speech
• Find background noise and groups disproportionately difficult
• Feel exhausted after listening
• Use hearing aids but still have difficulty understanding speech
• Have ADHD or history of brain injury and experience persistent listening difficulties
• Have been searching for a clinician who evaluates auditory processing in adults.

These experiences do not necessarily mean you have APD. A discovery call can help you meet Dr. Kaitlyn Lepore, explain your concerns, learn about the evaluation process, and discuss whether the service may be suitable for you.

Auditory Pathway provides telehealth services in the United States in New York, Oklahoma, Arkansas, California, Maryland and Florida, and in Ireland.

If you have not had your hearing assessed recently or have noticed a new or sudden change in your hearing, seek appropriate hearing or medical evaluation rather than assuming auditory processing is the cause.

Looking for Adult APD Testing Near You? There May Be Another Option.

Searching for “APD testing near me” can be frustrating when local clinics focus on children, do not offer adult APD evaluations, or are happy enough that your hearing test is normal despite your real-life difficulties.

But a lack of specialist services nearby does not mean you have run out of options.

Auditory processing disorder deserves to be taken seriously. The right step begins with understanding your individual experience, considering the possible causes, and determining whether an adult auditory processing evaluation would be beneficial.

Dr. Kaitlyn Lepore at Auditory Pathway is a specialist audiologist with over 10 years of clinical experience. Through telehealth, she works with teens and adults to investigate auditory processing disorder and identify appropriate next steps.

You do not need to arrive knowing if you have APD. You can start by explaining your lived experience.

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https://pubs.asha.org/doi/10.1044/2022_AJA-22-00117
https://www.asha.org/Practice-Portal/Clinical-Topics/Traumatic-Brain-Injury-in-Adults
https://pubs.asha.org/doi/full/10.1044/2019_JSLHR-19-00293
https://www.asha.org/practice-portal/clinical-topics/central-auditory-processing-disorder
https://www.asha.org/practice-portal/professional-issues/telepractice