Developing a new test for APD

Deafness Research UK is urgently seeking funding to develop a new test for APD (Auditory Processing Disorder).

APD is a learning disability which affects the ability of those affected to interpret spoken language. Patients often mishear or forget spoken instructions and find listening in noisy environments difficult, even though their hearing seems normal.

The condition is not fully understood and at present there is no effective test to identify APD. The tests that exist have proved ineffective either because they are language based or because the results can be misinterpreted.

The most commonly used test is called the Scan-C which diagnoses an auditory problem based on a child's response to speech recognition. However, this means that children with language problems that may not be due to APD also perform poorly on the test, often leading to an inaccurate diagnosis.

Deafness Research UK is funding a project aiming to develop a non-linguistic test for APD that will accurately measure a child’s ability to identify sequences of sounds that vary either in their pitch or in their rate of presentation. The test needs to be child-friendly and will be developed using children identified as having APD, as well as those with dyslexia and specific language impairment, and children with no learning difficulties.

So far, the research team have developed a test using a computer game to measure a child’s ability to distinguish differences between sounds. This is being tested on normally-hearing children first and will then be tested on children with suspected APD.

This three year project is being undertaken by the Oxford Study of Children's Communication Impairments (OSCCI) team, at the University of Oxford, led by Professor Dorothy Bishop, who is one of the leading specialists in the field of research into communication disorders.

If you are interested in supporting this project please send in donations to Deafness Research UK, marked Oxford APD.

If you would like to donate in any other way or would like any further information please email fundraising@deafnessresearch.org.uk, or telephone 020 7833 1733.