What Is CAPD and How Do I Treat It?

Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD) is where you struggle to process what you hear, as your ears and brain don’t fully coordinate.

You could have CAPD if you have normal hearing but have trouble understanding speech, telling where sounds are coming from, paying attention, following directions, or following the tune of music.

Common signs of CAPD include:

For a lot of people, CAPD is invisible, but it will slowly start to affect your daily life and work communications. We’ve heard people report it as “hearing but not always understanding”—which can cause frustration in conversations for both parties.

If you’re reading this and you think you may have CAPD, the first step that we recommend is practicing patience with yourself and others you’re communicating with. CAPD is quite common, and there are ways to treat it.

How Do I Treat CAPD?

Treatment options for CAPD include auditory training programs, various communication strategies, and appropriately fitted prescription hearing aids, where necessary.

The first step toward diagnosing CAPD would be a diagnostic hearing test for hearing loss. If there’s no hearing loss present, we’ll move on to an auditory processing evaluation, which goes beyond your hearing sensitivity and includes the “higher up” processes that occur when we are interpreting speech. These higher up processes include timing, pitch perception, binaural integration and separation, and auditory closure tasks.

There are also smartphone apps for auditory training programs that help you learn compensation strategies and strengthen those neural pathways that go from your ears to your brain to get you the best comprehension possible.

Additionally, prescription hearing instruments can be used as well, with or without an assistive listening device like a remote microphone. Hearing instruments get your hearing better in most situations. If necessary, a remote microphone can also improve the signal-to-noise ratio in difficult listening environments.

You don’t have to deal with CAPD alone. Through professional, personalized hearing care, you can rejoin the conversation and make sure you’re hearing it properly.

CAPD Specialist Assessments with Clarity Hearing

Clarity Hearing are CAPD specialists across Houston, with the help of our audiologist Katie Miller. With a comprehensive hearing test and an auditory processing evaluation, our team can help you understand your range of hearing and help you with treating your CAPD.

If you have questions or concerns, or if you’d like some advice about your unique circumstances, please feel free to request a callback and a member of our team will get in touch for a no-obligations conversation, providing more information and clarity where needed.

Don’t want to wait and looking to schedule an appointment? Find your local office and call us in

• Conroe, TX: (936) 788-2212

• Wharton, TX: (979) 488-2912

• Tomball, TX: (281) 951-6222

• North Cypress, TX: (281) 763-7960

• The Woodlands, TX: (936) 273-4437