Dr. Snyder works with educational audiologist Alicia Swann to fit patient dignosised with Audiotory Processing Disorder, APD, with low gain hearing aid technology. Patient are seen and tested by Alicia at Auditory Processing Center in Clinton, MS. Please visit her site to learn more about Auditory Processing Disorder.
Low-gain hearing aids combined with remote microphones is a newer approach over a traditional FM system for auditory processing disorder (APD) with promising results. Low-gain hearing aids are not a particular class of hearing aids. Instead, they are a specific method of fitting hearing aids for children and adults with normal to near-normal hearing who struggle with an auditory processing disorder. However, the use of low-gain hearing aids for individuals with auditory processing disorder with normal peripheral hearing sensitivity is still somewhat experimental.
Most individuals with an auditory processing disorder have normal hearing sensitivity. They will pass a standard hearing test but have significant problems understanding speech due to faulty neural pathways between the ears and the brain. Their ears work so they can physically hear what is being said. The problem appears when the message is sent to the brain to be interpreted. Along the route to the brain, the message gets distorted or disorganized, resulting in a tendency to misunderstand what was said. Many individuals with APD struggle to distinguish similar-sounding speech sounds, and this is especially difficult when listening in noisy conditions. It often takes individuals with APD longer than the average person to process what is said to them, leading to frustration and listening fatigue from trying to keep up with ongoing speech.
Mild amplification (through personal remote microphone systems or low-gain hearing aids) helps people with APD, even though their pure tone audiogram may be normal. Research suggests slight amplification helps overcome dyssynchrony so that speech is perceived clearer.