Abstract:
Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) is a controversial disorder across the fields of
psychology, audiology, speech-language pathology, and education. However, due to narrow
diagnostic criteria as well as frequent co-morbid diagnoses, the majority of children referred for
assessment for APD are left without a diagnosis. Oftentimes these children then return back to
school, with continued listening and learning difficulties, without specific recommendations for
intervention. Complicating diagnosis is the similarities to other neurodevelopmental disorders,
especially ADHD. Due to well documented deficits in executive functioning (EF) in children
with ADHD, the current study investigated the executive functioning skills of children with
suspected APD with and without ADHD. Findings point towards compelling differences in the
groups of children with and without ADHD referred for APD testing: Children without ADHD
scored lower on measures of inhibitory control compared to children with ADHD. Conclusions
indicate that decreased EF skills exhibited in children with suspected APD, even those without a
diagnosis of ADHD, support the notion that top-down processing plays an important role in the
receiving and comprehension of auditory information. Future research to guide EF intervention
for all children with suspected APD is discussed.
