Students with APD or CAPD can’t process the information they hear in the same way as others because their ears and brain don’t fully coordinate. Something adversely affects the way the brain recognizes and interprets sounds, most notably the sounds composing speech.
Students with APD often do not recognize subtle differences between sounds in words, even when the sounds are loud and clear enough to be heard. This is especially a problem where there is more background noise – the sounds found in any normal classroom.
Students who are easily distracted or unusually bothered by loud or sudden noises could be suffering from ADP though they are often diagnosed with ADHD instead. These students’ behaviors and performances often improve dramatically in quiet settings. Following spoken directions is also a symptom of ADP. These students often have difficulty with reading, spelling, writing, or other language-based activities. ADP or CAPD is often a misunderstood condition which often leads to the proper teaching methods not being used to appropriately help these students.
The most important factor to consider when teaching students with APD is to use multiple methods of disseminating information. Talking alone will not be successful; it must be accompanied with many various visuals.