Dyslexia vs Auditory Processing Disorder
ICD-11 is the World Health Organization's list of medical codes. It lists auditory processing disorder among hearing conditions. That listing is not a definition. Dyslexia is a name for a pattern of trouble reading words, spelling, or both. We cannot tell you which of these names fits your child. Ask your child's doctor whether hearing has been checked recently.
TL;DR
- ICD-11 is the World Health Organization's list of medical codes. In it, auditory processing disorder is listed among hearing conditions. It is in the chapter on the ear, not with developmental conditions. That listing is not a definition. Ask your child's doctor whether hearing has been checked recently.
- One review looked at children diagnosed with auditory processing disorder (de Wit and colleagues, 2018). It compared them with children diagnosed with dyslexia and other conditions. On tests of intelligence, memory, attention and language, the groups scored much the same. Its 13 studies were of moderate quality. No sign we hold has been shown to tell dyslexia and auditory processing disorder apart. Ask your child's doctor whether hearing has been checked recently.
- A British audiology body describes auditory processing disorder as listening trouble with normal hearing (British Society of Audiology, 2018). One large UK study argued that auditory processing disorder is mainly an attention problem (Moore and colleagues, 2010). This is not settled. Ask your child's doctor whether hearing has been checked recently.
- Dyslexia is a name for a pattern of trouble reading words, spelling, or both. Auditory processing disorder is a different name. In our view, the two names point at different things. We cannot tell you which of these names fits your child. Ask your child's doctor whether hearing has been checked recently.
- In our view, a child may need both a hearing check and reading help. One does not replace the other. Ask your child's doctor whether hearing has been checked recently.
Dyslexia is a name for a pattern of trouble reading words, spelling, or both. Struggling to read says nothing about how smart your child is.
”DyslexiaWhere the World Health Organization lists auditory processing disorder
ICD-11 is the World Health Organization's list of medical codes. In it, auditory processing disorder is listed among hearing conditions. It is in the chapter on the ear, not with developmental conditions. That listing is not a definition. A British audiology body describes auditory processing disorder as listening trouble with normal hearing (British Society of Audiology, 2018). One large UK study argued that auditory processing disorder is mainly an attention problem (Moore and colleagues, 2010). This is not settled. Ask your child's doctor whether hearing has been checked recently.
What one review compared
One review looked at children diagnosed with auditory processing disorder (de Wit and colleagues, 2018). It compared them with children diagnosed with dyslexia and other conditions. On tests of intelligence, memory, attention and language, the groups scored much the same. Its 13 studies were of moderate quality. No sign we hold has been shown to tell dyslexia and auditory processing disorder apart. We cannot tell you which of these names fits your child. Ask your child's doctor whether hearing has been checked recently.
Hearing, and what to do
Ask your child's doctor whether hearing has been checked recently. In our view, a child may need both a hearing check and reading help. One does not replace the other.
If reading is hard too
Find which job of reading is going wrong, and work on that one. The exception is a skill that was there and has gone. Our position is that a lost skill goes to a doctor first, not a tutor.
Have hearing and vision checked too. A child who cannot hear well needs that found. So does a child who cannot see the print clearly.
Reading improves with reading instruction.
When to ask for help
Each of these is a reason to ask for help on its own.
- Little change, even with steady practice and good teaching.
- Reading well below what school expects.
- A teacher who raises a concern about reading.
- Extreme upset about reading.
- Complete avoidance of reading.
- Hopelessness about learning.
- Sadness or worry that lasts.
- Significant delays in speech, language or motor development.
- A skill that was there and has gone. Our position is that a lost skill goes to a doctor first, not a tutor.
If no skill has gone, start with the teacher. Say what you are seeing at home, and what you have tried. Beyond the teacher, the right person depends on what it turns out to be about. If the work is too hard, someone who works on that school skill. If worry or mood is the thing, someone who works with children's mental health. In our view, delays in speech, language or movement are worth raising with your child's doctor. In our view, if you are worried enough to ask, a professional evaluation is worth asking about.
Any talk of hurting themselves is a same-day call to your doctor or a crisis line.
In the classroom
A child may often ask for things to be said again. If so, suggest the family ask the child's doctor about hearing.
Check for a missed step early. Teach it again, and see what the child does with it.
Two sentences for an email home: "In class, your child often asks me to say things again. Has your child's hearing been checked recently?"
Key Takeaways
ICD-11 is the World Health Organization's list of medical codes. In it, auditory processing disorder is listed among hearing conditions. It is in the chapter on the ear, not with developmental conditions. That listing is not a definition. Ask your child's doctor whether hearing has been checked recently.
One review looked at children diagnosed with auditory processing disorder (de Wit and colleagues, 2018). It compared them with children diagnosed with dyslexia and other conditions. On tests of intelligence, memory, attention and language, the groups scored much the same. Its 13 studies were of moderate quality. No sign we hold has been shown to tell dyslexia and auditory processing disorder apart. Ask your child's doctor whether hearing has been checked recently.
A British audiology body describes auditory processing disorder as listening trouble with normal hearing (British Society of Audiology, 2018). One large UK study argued that auditory processing disorder is mainly an attention problem (Moore and colleagues, 2010). This is not settled. Ask your child's doctor whether hearing has been checked recently.
In our view, a child may need both a hearing check and reading help. One does not replace the other. Ask your child's doctor whether hearing has been checked recently.
Reading improves with reading instruction.
Notice when your child asks you to say something again. Write down when it happened and where you were. Take the note when you ask about hearing.
”What to do tonightWhat to use next
A set of questions you answer about what you see at home. A screener is a starting point, not a diagnosis. If your child might need formal accommodations (an IEP or 504 plan), or you suspect a vision, hearing, or medical cause, pursue a professional evaluation too — that's the only route to those supports.
A short reading and spelling practice. Each word appears letter by letter. The picture comes only once the word is complete. So guessing from the image is not available. It includes writing words from memory. That practices the spelling and the writing of a word at the same time.
Common questions from parents
What is the difference between auditory processing disorder (APD) and dyslexia?
ICD-11 is the World Health Organization's list of medical codes. In it, auditory processing disorder is listed among hearing conditions. It is in the chapter on the ear, not with developmental conditions. That listing is not a definition. Dyslexia is a name for a pattern of trouble reading words, spelling, or both. We cannot tell you which of these names fits your child. Ask your child's doctor whether hearing has been checked recently.
Is it auditory processing or dyslexia?
One review looked at children diagnosed with auditory processing disorder (de Wit and colleagues, 2018). It compared them with children diagnosed with dyslexia and other conditions. On tests of intelligence, memory, attention and language, the groups scored much the same. Its 13 studies were of moderate quality. No sign we hold has been shown to tell dyslexia and auditory processing disorder apart. We cannot tell you which of these names fits your child. Ask your child's doctor whether hearing has been checked recently.
Is auditory processing disorder a hearing problem?
ICD-11 is the World Health Organization's list of medical codes. In it, auditory processing disorder is listed among hearing conditions. It is in the chapter on the ear, not with developmental conditions. That listing is not a definition. A British audiology body describes auditory processing disorder as listening trouble with normal hearing (British Society of Audiology, 2018). One large UK study argued that auditory processing disorder is mainly an attention problem (Moore and colleagues, 2010). This is not settled. Ask your child's doctor whether hearing has been checked recently.
Is "auditory dyslexia" the same as auditory processing disorder?
ICD-11 is the World Health Organization's list of medical codes. The term "auditory dyslexia" is not in it. That is the one list we checked. We hold no source on what the term means or who uses it. We cannot tell you whether the term means auditory processing disorder. In ICD-11, auditory processing disorder is listed among hearing conditions. That listing is not a definition. Ask your child's doctor whether hearing has been checked recently.
Is it auditory processing disorder or developmental language disorder?
ICD-11 is the World Health Organization's list of medical codes. It puts developmental language disorder and auditory processing disorder in different places. In it, developmental language disorder is lasting trouble learning, understanding or using language. ICD-11 says the trouble starts while a child is developing. Developmental language disorder is listed with developmental conditions. Auditory processing disorder is listed among hearing conditions, in the chapter on the ear. That listing is not a definition. One review looked at children diagnosed with auditory processing disorder (de Wit and colleagues, 2018). It compared them with children diagnosed with language impairment and other conditions. On tests of intelligence, memory, attention and language, the groups scored much the same. Its 13 studies were of moderate quality. We cannot tell you which of these names fits your child. In our view, delays in speech or language are worth raising with your child's doctor. Ask your child's doctor whether hearing has been checked recently.