If you find yourself having a hard time following your favorite TV shows without closed captioning, it might not be because there’s anything wrong with your hearing. Instead, experts say that a common but little-known condition could be to blame. Psychiatrist and ADHD specialist Dr. Sasha Hamdani says the inability to follow dialogue can be a sign of Auditory Processing Disorder (APD). APD affects about 5% of the population and can make it extremely difficult to understand auditory information. Even though people with APD hear just fine, their brains have trouble interpreting speech into something they can understand. Some signs of APD include having difficulty understanding what people are saying, especially in places where there's a lot of background noise. “Maybe you get distracted by the background noise or the sound effects, maybe there’s a change in volume and suddenly someone’s whispering and you can’t interpret it,” said Dr. Hamdani. The condition most commonly develops in childhood, where it can cause difficulties in the classroom, but some people can also develop APD later in life. This means that captions can be extremely helpful to those who struggle with this condition. Unfortunately, captioning today poses its own problems, with many services failing to keep pace and trying to catch up by posting dialogue too quickly. There is no cure for APD, but treatment can include improving listening abilities through auditory training. If you think you could have APD, you should consult your doctor.
