Auditory Processing Disorder and Reading: Connection, Signs, Strategies, and FAQs

auditory processing disorder and reading

Auditory processing disorder (APD) is a disorder that impacts the ability to process speech and other incoming auditory information. In addition, APD can affect reading skills, since it impacts phonological awareness, a key reading skill. This article will discuss the connection between auditory processing disorder and reading. 

How are APD and Reading Connected? 

Sound is important to both auditory processing and reading. The core components of reading all require auditory input: phonological processing, phonemic awareness, phonics, and decoding. 

  • Phonological processing is using the sounds of language to process spoken and written language. It also includes the storage of a sound in the brain, since the way in which sounds are saved impacts how an individual produces the sound. 
  • Phonological awareness is the ability to manipulate sounds in spoken words and phonemic awareness is the ability to recognize and divide words into individual sounds. 
  • Phonics includes the understanding that letters represent the sounds of spoken language. 
  • Decoding is using knowledge of these letter-sound relationships to sound out words. 

As you can see, literacy skills are closely related to auditory processing skills, because they both involve sound. Individuals with APD have poor auditory or speech sound discrimination and slow processing speed. These impact the foundational literacy skills that are needed to master reading fluency and comprehension, leading to poor reading skills.

Signs of APD Affecting Reading in Children

In individuals with auditory processing disorder, reading can be a challenge. Signs and symptoms of APD affecting reading may include the following:

Difficulty differentiating between similar sounds 

When reading, it is essential to distinguish between subtle differences in sounds, because it can mean the difference between “bag” and “back.” If children with APD are unable to notice these differences, they will experience frustration when reading. 

They may mix up similar sounds, which leads to mixing up words. This means they will not be able to understand what they are reading, leading to poor reading comprehension as well.

Poor spelling 

Individuals with APD have weak phonological processing, meaning that they do not have a solid map in their brain of sounds to letters or groups of letters. Besides difficulty decoding words, they will also struggle to get the words written down on paper. 

Children spell words the way they hear, read, and say them, so they may exhibit frequent spelling errors. Since about 85% of words are spelled phonetically, children with APD will try and fail to memorize how to spell all words. 

Poor reading fluency and decoding skills 

It may take students a long time for students with APD to read, and they may make frequent errors. If they have a weak phonemic inventory, they may read and pronounce different words the same way. 

For example, they may pronounce “shin,” “chin, “chip,” and “ship” the same way. Since they do not have strong grapheme-to-phoneme (sounds-to-letters) correspondence, they are unable to differentiate unique phonemes in order to distinguish between different words. 

A plateau in reading skills 

Some children with auditory processing disorder compensate by relying on visual cues. When reading, this can look like memorizing words by sight instead of hearing and learning the phonics sounds. After a couple of years, not learning to decode catches up to these students since they reach a point when there are too many words to memorize. 

The academic impact of this grows as children get older, since more specific and advanced subject-specific vocabulary is used. If children are unable to decode or memorize these terms, they will struggle academically. 

Poor reading comprehension

Reading fluency and accuracy directly impacts reading comprehension. If a child does not read accurately, they will not understand what they are reading. Over time, this can significantly impact their academic performance since reading skills are required across subject areas. 

In addition, since decoding does not come easily or automatically, more focus and concentration are needed, leaving less brain space available for understanding what is read.

Preference for simple books or short sentences

Trying to decode and keep up with what they are reading or what is being read is a lot of work for individuals with APD. They may misunderstand the character’s actions or lose track of the plot of the story. 

Stories will be difficult to follow and reading becomes unenjoyable, leading children with APD to find ways to simplify the reading process. When given the option, these students will choose beginner books. 

How to Teach a Child with APD to Read?

How can you best support a child with APD who struggles to read? Below are some practical tips and tools on how to teach a child with auditory processing disorder to read:

Multisensory Learning Techniques

Multisensory learning can be beneficial for all students, especially those with auditory processing disorder. Information taken in through our five senses is sent to our brain, which is what allows us to create new connections in the brain and learn new information. When multiple senses are used at the same time, it can help students to further reinforce their strengths and improve upon their weaknesses. Multisensory reading instruction includes visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and tactile components to allow children multiple ways to process instruction. 

Examples of strategies used include seeing written words and letters, hearing words spoken out loud, feeling or tracing letter shapes or magnet letters, forming letters with pipe cleaners, or writing words in shaving cream or sand. 

Improve Phonemic Awareness, Auditory Memory, and Attention

Since phonemic awareness, auditory memory, and attention are all foundational reading skills that are difficult for individuals with APD, one way to help is to target and improve these skill areas directly. 

Isolating, blending, and segmenting sounds are activities that can help improve phonemic awareness. Practice could look like identifying the initial or final sound in a word, blending individual sounds to form real or nonsense words, or breaking up words into their individual sounds. 

To enhance auditory memory and attention, children can work on repeating sounds, numbers, words, or sentences. You can read a series of numbers or a sentence to the child, and have them repeat it back to you. Children can also listen to a short story and recall details from the story. Practice following longer and more complex verbal instructions. 

Create a Supportive, Distraction-Free Reading Environment

Create a positive reading environment in order to help children with APD feel confident and motivated to read. It is important to minimize background noise and other distractions. The space should be well lit, with comfortable seating options and noise-canceling headphones. Include reading material that is interesting and at their level, adding more complex options as the child progresses. 

Assistive Technology

Children with APD can leverage assistive technology to help improve their reading skills.

One such tool is Forbrain. Forbrain is a bone-conduction headset that uses auditory feedback via bone-conduction technology to provide auditory feedback. Equipped with a microphone, Forbrain provides immediate feedback, amplifies the volume of speech, and enhances the speed with which the auditory input reaches the brain. It improves auditory attention and allows individuals with APD to hear and understand speech more clearly. All of these benefits are especially helpful for improving auditory processing skills.

Another tool is acoustically modified speech within the Fast ForWord software. This technology stretches out sounds to slow down the rate of speech and emphasize specific sounds. This helps students learn the phonological representations of words and increase comprehension. These acoustically modified speech exercises strengthen auditory processing skills. Over time, the software increases the rate so that children are able to process auditory information quickly and accurately. Phonics, decoding, fluency, and comprehension improve as well. 

Collaborate with Specialists

It is important to consult with professionals who specialize in this area. They may be able to assess the child to provide more information on their specific strengths and weaknesses since each child is different. The student with APD may qualify for therapy services in the areas of speech and language or reading. Specialists in this area may include school psychologists, special education teachers, reading specialists, speech language pathologists, audiologists and occupational therapists. 

Use a Structured Literacy Approach

Orton-Gillingham is a structured multisensory literacy program that uses multiple pathways apart from only the auditory pathway as an option for children with APD. Kinesthetic, auditory, and visual pathways help to reinforce learning. In Orton-Gillingham, the relationship between letters and sounds is explicitly taught. Using this approach, reading and spelling become more manageable because they are taught systematically. In order to better retain what is learned and help skills become more automatic, frequent practice and repetition are major components of this approach.

Decodable Books

Decodable books are books that can help enhance phonics skills. Decodable books are books for early readers that include the grapheme-phoneme pairings that students have learned so that they can practice phonemic awareness skills. Practicing segmenting and blending helps improve the ability to quickly and easily sound out words. Decodable books can be helpful for students with APD because children can use phonetic rules to practice decoding words, instead of just guessing or relying on memorized words. 

New sounds and letter patterns are presented in a systematic manner so that new words are introduced slowly over time as phonic skills improve. Decodable books are different from predictable or repetitive texts that contain repeated words and sentences, and teach readers to rely on guessing in order to read since they contain more complex words with advanced grapheme-phoneme correspondences. 

Forbrain’s Role in Identifying and Addressing APD

As mentioned above, Forbrain is a tool that can be helpful for individuals with APD. Because of its immediate feedback and increased volume and speech, Forbrain helps to improve auditory attention and improve understanding of speech.

Use our sound-based Auditory Processing Disorder Test to help identify APD at home. This first step can help you to understand a child’s auditory challenges. After taking this free test, examinees can pursue further evaluation or intervention if needed, based on the information they receive about their auditory challenges.

FAQs on Auditory Processing Disorder and Reading

Can a child with APD learn to read effectively?

Yes, with the right tools children with APD can learn to read effectively. Children with APD need specialized explicit instruction and targeted intervention.

Does APD affect comprehension as well as decoding?

Yes, APD affects comprehension and decoding. Comprehension and decoding are closely related. If a child with APD cannot process a story they hear or accurately read the words of a story, they will not be able to focus on the events of the story. This impacts the ability to comprehend what was read.

What is the best reading program for auditory processing disorder?

Since each child is unique, each child will respond differently to reading programs. What works well for one child may be less successful with another child, and vice versa. You may need to try several programs to find the best fit. Even more likely, a combination of programs may prove to provide the most success. 

What is the difference between APD and dyslexia?

APD impacts the way incoming auditory information is processed. Dyslexia impacts the way children understand words and sentences, and it is characterized by poor phonological processing abilities and weak decoding skills. 

Can a child outgrow APD?

A child can strengthen their auditory skills to the point where they no longer struggle to process auditory input. In addition, listening skills improve as the auditory system fully develops. However, do not wait to see if a child will grow out of APD. Begin treatment as soon as possible.

Final Words

As a language based disorder, auditory processing disorder affects reading skills. The foundational skills necessary to read can be weak in individuals with APD. However, with targeted instruction, students with APD can strengthen and improve their reading fluency and comprehension. If your child or student with APD has weak reading skills, have them take our APD test and implement the tips shared in this article. 

References

ASHA. (Accessed 2025, January 16). Phonological Processing. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Source.

DePriest, Laura. (2021, June 18). How Multisensory Activities Enhance Reading Skills. Edutopia. Source.

Forrest, Sarah. (2018, August 6). How to Teach a Child with APD (Auditory Processing Disorder) to Read. Helping Children to Read. Source.

Gemm Learning. (Accessed 2025, January 16). Auditory Processing Disorder and Reading: The Importance of Phonological Awareness in Reading. Gemm Learning. Source.

Nixon, Geoff. (Accessed 2025, January 16). Nine Surprising Consequences of Auditory Processing Disorder. Gemm Learning. Source.

Park Slope Communication and Learning Center. (Accessed 2025, January 16). What is the Connection Between Auditory Processing Disorder and Reading? Park Slope Communication and Learning Center. Source.

Reading Rockets. (Accessed 2025, January 17). Auditory Processing Disorder and Dsylexia. Reading Rockets. Source.

Reading Rockets. (Accessed 2025, January 16). Basics: Phonics and Decoding. Reading Rockets. Source.

Reading Rockets. (Accessed 2025, January 23). What Are Decodable Books and Why Are They Important? Reading Rockets. Source.

Richland, Karina. (2024, October 29). Auditory Processing Disorder & Reading: How APD Affects Kids. Pride Reading Program. Source.

Takabori, Amy. (2020, November 11). Auditory Processing: What’s Sound Got to Do, Got to Do with Reading? The Science of Learning Blog. Source.

Amanda Unrau

-
Amanda is a speech language pathologist by day, and a freelance writer during the in between times. She has worked with children of all ages in a variety of private practice and school settings, as well as telepractice. She enjoys research and tries to make her speech therapy and writing as functional as possible.