Auditory processing disorders in adults and children: evaluation of a test battery

A Dutch test battery comprising six different tests for auditory processing disorders was evaluated in a group of 49 adults and children (age 8-57 years) with auditory complaints despite normal audiometric thresholds. Percentile scores were derived from normal control groups (n = 132) to determine whether a subject passed or failed a test. A composite score was computed to reflect a general score on all the auditory processing tests. In order to gain insight into underlying auditory processes, factor analysis was performed. Normal scores on all the tests were seen in five subjects. The remaining 44 subjects had at least one test score that was below the cut-off point (10th percentile). Factor analysis provided evidence for a model comprising four auditory components: auditory sequencing, word recognition in noise, auditory closure, and auditory patterning. This model could be useful in the interpretation of scoring patterns. Although there were some differences in scoring patterns between the children and adults, the test battery proved to be useful in both groups.