Auditory Processing Skills: Types, Tests, and Ways to Improve Them

A child may seem distracted or have difficulty understanding spoken information, but the problem may have little to do with attention, effort, or intelligence. Sometimes, the real challenge is making sense of what they hear. In this article, we’ll explore the different types of auditory processing skills, how they are assessed, what an auditory processing disorder is, and practical ways to strengthen these skills and support learners who struggle.

Child holding a tin can to his ear illustrating auditory processing skills and strategies for strengthening listening and sound processing

What is Auditory Processing?

Auditory processing is the brain’s ability to interpret and make sense of information that is heard. It involves much more than simply hearing sounds. The brain must distinguish between similar sounds, focus on important information, remember and sequence what was heard, interpret meaning, and respond efficiently.

These skills play an important role in listening, language development, following directions, reading, classroom participation, and everyday communication. When one or more areas of auditory processing are difficult, a learner may hear what is being said but still struggle to make sense of it, remember it, or respond effectively.

Auditory Processing Workshop banner featuring head silhouette with gears representing how the brain processes sound and language

What are the Different Types of Auditory Processing?

Auditory processing can be broken down into a number of subskills. This can be very helpful when one is trying to support and remediate the cognitive weaknesses of those with a central auditory processing disorder or auditory processing weaknesses because it enables one to tailor and personalize an intervention plan.

Auditory discrimination: the ability to distinguish between sounds that are similar but are distinct.
Auditory closure: the ability to understand words when some sounds, or phonemes, are missing.
Auditory figure-ground: the ability to focus on specific sounds in noisy environments.
Auditory synthesis: the ability to pull together sounds into a meaningful whole.
Auditory memory: the ability to recall information that is presented orally.
Auditory sequencing: the ability to understand and recall the specific order of sounds and words.
Auditory reasoning: the ability to understand auditory information logically and to draw conclusions.
Auditory conceptualization: the ability to interpret a sound or sounds.
Auditory attention: the ability to filter out unnecessary sounds, as well as sustain and shift attention when focusing on sounds.
Auditory localization: the ability to determine the source and location of a sound.

How Are Auditory Processing Skills Assessed?

If you are concerned about auditory processing, the best place to begin depends on the difficulties you are seeing. There is not always one test or one professional who can answer every question, because auditory processing overlaps with language, attention, memory, processing speed, and other cognitive skills.

Start with the area that is creating the greatest difficulty. If the primary concern is understanding speech, especially in noise, or making sense of sounds, begin with an audiologist who has experience evaluating auditory processing. If language comprehension is the main concern, a speech-language pathologist may be the best starting point. If the difficulties are broader and affect learning, memory, attention, or processing speed, a more comprehensive cognitive or educational evaluation may be helpful.

The goal is not simply to obtain a label. It is to understand which specific skills are creating difficulty and what kind of support will help.

What is Auditory Processing Disorder?

Auditory processing disorder (APD), sometimes called central auditory processing disorder (CAPD), affects how the brain makes sense of sounds and spoken information. A person with APD may have normal hearing but still struggle to understand speech, especially in noisy environments, distinguish between similar sounds, follow spoken directions, or keep up with rapidly presented information.

Having difficulty with an auditory processing skill does not necessarily mean that a person has APD. Challenges with auditory memory, attention, language, processing speed, or other cognitive skills can sometimes look similar or overlap. This is why it is important to understand the specific areas creating difficulty rather than assuming that every listening or auditory processing challenge reflects the same underlying problem.

A thoughtful evaluation can help clarify what is contributing to the difficulty and guide more targeted support, accommodations, and intervention.

How Can Auditory Processing Skills Be Strengthened?

Auditory processing skills can often be strengthened through targeted practice that focuses on the specific areas creating difficulty. A learner who struggles with auditory memory may need very different activities from someone who has difficulty filtering background noise, distinguishing similar sounds, or processing spoken information efficiently.

Depending on the learner’s needs, activities might involve remembering and following increasingly complex directions, distinguishing between similar sounds and words, recalling information in the correct sequence, listening for important details, making sense of incomplete information, or using riddles and verbal problem-solving activities to strengthen auditory reasoning.

The goal is not simply to practice listening more. Effective intervention identifies the specific auditory skills that need support and provides targeted, appropriately challenging practice over time. Support may come from an educational therapist, speech-language pathologist, audiologist, educator, or other trained professional, depending on the skills involved. Many auditory processing skills can also be strengthened through engaging games and activities at home or in the classroom.

Many of these skills can also be strengthened through engaging practice at home, in the classroom, or during intervention. Explore my [auditory processing and following directions games and resources] for targeted games, activities, and multisensory tools.

What are Some Reasonable Accommodations for Individuals with Auditory Processing Disorder?

Communicating with your school and getting the appropriate testing can help to define the needed services, accommodations, and modifications. Some common reasonable accommodations are:

Provide a quiet area for independent work.
Simplify and reword questions and directions as needed.
Seat the student close to the teacher but away from auditory distractions.
Use an FM system that transmits a teacher's voice directly to a student's personal speaker or earpiece.
Ask the student to repeat back their understanding of the work to ensure accuracy.
Offer extended time for testing.
Present instructions and assignments in a step-by-step manner, highlighting important words or concepts.
Provide a written outline of lessons.
Use nonverbal cues to communicate with the student and ensure that they understand the directions.
Use images to support all verbal directions.
Provide homework instructions in writing.
Make sure teachers can speak clearly and slowly when presenting academic content.
When possible, avoid placing a learner with significant auditory processing difficulties in situations where an unfamiliar accent creates an additional barrier to understanding spoken instruction.
Don't penalize the student for spelling mistakes or misunderstandings.

Continue Your Journey

Auditory processing skills influence listening, language development, reading, classroom participation, and everyday communication. When these skills are strengthened through targeted practice and engaging activities, learners often become more confident, independent, and successful both academically and beyond the classroom.

If you'd like additional support, explore these Good Sensory Learning resources:

Following Directions Activities & Games – Strengthen listening comprehension, auditory memory, sequencing, and the ability to follow increasingly complex directions.
Auditory Processing Resources – Explore games, activities, and multisensory materials designed to strengthen a wide range of auditory processing skills.
Working Memory Resources – Improve the ability to hold, organize, and use verbal information more effectively.
Educational Games – Discover engaging games that strengthen listening, memory, attention, reasoning, and other cognitive skills while making learning fun.

Every learner has unique strengths and challenges. With engaging instruction, consistent practice, and the right support, auditory processing skills can improve, helping learners communicate, learn, and participate with greater confidence.

Cheers, Erica

Dr. Erica Warren is the author, illustrator, and publisher of multisensory educational materials at Good Sensory Learning. She is also the director of Learning to Learn and Learning Specialist Courses.