Auditory Processing Disorder
Humanities 101 has a growing community of volunteers and we would be remiss to not include their unique voices. One volunteer, Ashley, shared her personal experience with Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) that we were honored to share on our Blog:
Auditory Processing Disorder is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects the way the brain processes sound. I remember 4th grade my mother took me to an audiologist appointment and being sleep deprived was both fun and frustrating. Audiogram tests showed I didn't have hearing loss, but this test confirmed my brain activity when interacting with sound. It is often caused by trauma to the head or chronic ear infections; In my case it was ear infections. I can't stand the feeling of water in my ears now as an adult.
APD is often mistaken for other disorders (which caused my original misdiagnosis) or can accompany those who are autistic or have ADHD. When I am in loud spaces, I am sensitive to sound, and I have a hard time hearing spoken word. It's like a broken up phone call. This has caused me to adapt to lip or body language reading. I deal with tinnitus sometimes. I make notes, constantly, especially when it comes to things like D&D and directions, or I often will ask for step by step instructions to break it down so it's easier to digest. Sometimes processing verbal information can feel like you're swallowing a whole potato! With that said, I'm a visual and hands on learner. If I talk about anything vocally it's always something I am extremely familiar with.
My micro-accommodations in school were a small class of maximum 8 kids, I sat at the front of the class and I could go to a resource room to work on tests so I wasn't distracted. Music has helped me focus a lot as well, concerts are a hurdle as I definitely feel it in the morning but I'm still going to see my favorite band when they come around.
At work I always have my headphones on and it helps me stay focused and productive. I chose to learn a trade in pet grooming, I can be creative, it's hands on, and I have tons of flexibility. I'm technically my own boss so I'm able to have more control over my micro-accommodations. I hope that me sharing my experience is helpful.
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