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Showing posts with the label Auditory Processing Disorder

Auditory Processing Disorder And The Importance of Not Trying To 'Cure' Natural Variation.

Recently, an article was circulated through the UK media about "neurological issues affecting Gen Z", which were 'blamed' on "excessive reliance on noise-cancelling headphones". These 'neurological issues' are actually known as Auditory Processing Disorder, or APD. What Is APD? Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) is a difficulty in the brain being able to distinguish background noise from speech, but with hearing tests returning "normal" results. This is a tricky issue, because some people in the early stages of hearing loss will struggle in exactly this way, however their hearing test may come back as in a 'normal range'. As with all medicine, sometimes doctors fail to pick something up that could be managed or may be part of a wider issue. However, where this is relevant to neurodiversity is that these issues combined with a normal result hearing test, are a hallmark for Auditory Processing Disorder (APD). APD can occur for a va...

Don't Be 'Tone Deaf' to Deaf Inclusion

  The 6th-13th May is Deaf Awareness Week  in the UK, where 12million people are Deaf, or hard of hearing, with 'hard of hearing' including individuals with some hearing loss, as well as those with conditions such as tinnitus   and Auditory Processing Disorder . At The Productive Pessimist, our Director and Management Consultancy Lead, Ash, lives with tinnitus, Auditory Processing Disorder, and some manual hearing loss.  He has given a short insight into the challenges this causes him, and what helps (and what makes life an absolute nightmare!) Ash: I found out I had physical (referred to as 'manual') hearing loss in my teens. At the age of 38, I have very limited hearing in my left ear, though my right ear is fine. (Frustratingly, this is completely the opposite way round to my sight loss, where I have no sight in my right eye, and limited sight in my left - if the ears and eyes could link up, that would be great!)  Fortunately, my hearing is not likely to...