An APD assessment is generally performed over the course of two appointments, dependant on the child’s age and the areas of listening difficulties. Assessing over two appointments will additionally help to reduce fatigue as a variable in the results as a high level of concentration is required. For this reason, I recommend APD assessments be performed earlier in the day.

At the initial assessment a detailed history of the individual’s listening and learning difficulties is taken and a peripheral hearing assessment is performed if not already done prior or elsewhere. Generally the battery of tests for assessing an APD will commence at the second appointment.

The Battery of tests used to diagnose an APD at Inner West Hearing are as follows:

• Listening in Spatialised Noise Sentences Test (LiSN – S test) - Assesses for a Spatial Processing Disorder (SPD)
• Test of Auditory Perception Skills test (TAPS 3) - Assesses Auditory Memory including working and sequential memory
• Dichotic Digits – Assesses for a left ear deficit on dichotic speech tasks