Three Studies on the Assessment and Diagnosis of Auditory Processing Disorders

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to quantify the failure rate of AP tests (speech and non-speech) and to measure the APD diagnosis rate using four different diagnostic criteria in a large sample of participants previously assessed for APD. Methods: Data were collected retrospectively from the medical record review of 117 participants (Male = 64, Female = 53) between the ages of 7.1 and 57.0 years. The AP test battery consists of up to six tests, three speech and three non-speech tests. Not all participants completed all tests due to individual factors, such as age. Failure rates of speech and non-speech tests were measured. Each participant was classified as having or not having APD based on four different diagnostic criteria derived from the published ASHA, AAA and BSA guidelines. Results: The failure rate for AP tests varied from 14.3% to 76%. Overall the failure rate of non-speech tests was lower than speech tests. The APD diagnosis rate based on four diagnostic criteria ranged from 9.52% with strict criteria to 68.37% with lenient criteria.