software bug

[anotheranon]

Today was the audiology appointment.

I'm happy to report that standard testing showed that my physical ability to hear is within normal ranges. Even my left ear, which was rammed up against a speaker at a long-ago Christian Death concert, hasn't lost too much acuity. This is good news :)

However, it doesn't explain my frustration in noisy environments, and the audiologist suggested that I might have central auditory processing disorder (CAPD). As near as I can tell, this is a problem with processing the sound once it's in the ear.

This is not an official diagnosis, and IMHO I only fit one criteria, albeit extremely well: "hears less well, or is less attentive/productive, in ordinarily busy surroundings." BUT, it is interesting.

The tests for CAPD are extensive, expensive, and not usually covered by insurance (I've not checked with mine yet). I'm reluctant to go out of pocket for a diagnosis and no solution, so I'm starting at that end first. I gather that it's a problem of attention so it's possible to retrain my brain to focus correctly. I'm a big fan of mental retraining, so this may be the way to go.

At any rate, it's nice to know there's nothing physically wrong.

Comments

[dustdaughter.livejournal.com]

I'm glad everything checked out.

Also, Christian Death? As in Death Metal, but for Jesus? Wow. :)

[anotheranon.livejournal.com]

Deathrock, yeah (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Death), but not for Jesus :P

IIRC I saw them on their "Wind Kissed Pictures" tour. This is a very pretty album. It was NOT what they played live!

[kiya.livejournal.com]

I was thinking about what you described and it sounds familiar. I was reminded of a friend (lets call her M.) who was describing an issue that she had. M. actually has a diagnosed learning disability and it obviously impacts her reading, but it also impacts her over all intake of information (and also some output). But what your story reminded me of was a comment M. once got from an acquaintance she was working with who asked if she had a hearing impairment or was deaf. The reason the acquaintance asked was because she had spent a LOT of time around deaf folks who lip read and that M. was doing the same kinds of body language, body position tricks that deaf folk use to make sure they face whoever is speaking.

It wasn't a hearing impairment but a variant of a learning disability and that was M's unconscious adaptation.

Just a thought. No real solution, but perhaps a tidbit for a coping mechanism and a story to let you know that perhaps you're not alone.

[anotheranon.livejournal.com]

I already tend "cup my ear" or other gestures so people know I can't hear them until I'm up close. If I'm doing anything more subtle than that I'm certainly not aware of it.

[nminusone.livejournal.com]

When I read about APD I thought "Hmmm... that sounds familiar." I also find it very hard to follow conversations in noisy places, even when the people around me seem to do just fine. My raw hearing has always tested ok, and I am actually pretty good at recognizing singers and actors by their voice, if the SNR is high enough. (A lot of times I'll recognize someone in a movie by their voice long before I recognize their face, but then I kinda suck with faces.)

So yeah, it seems like there's some type of fairly specific brain processing issue at work here.