I have lived with Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD) my entire life. However, I was not diagnosed with the “silent disability” until I was twelve years old. I had successfully hidden it from the world up until that point. In hindsight, there were tons of indicators, but not one symptom quite distinct enough to scream “CAPD.” I was a reading dyslexic with sensory integration issues. My hyper-acute hearing and noise sensitivities were attributed to SI. It all started to unravel when I was around eleven and a half. I went through a battery of tests and it was determined that I did, indeed, have CAPD – severely so. It was estimated that I have a 98 percent hearing loss in a noisy classroom.

Being a teen with CAPD has its share of ups and downs – as if being a teenager wasn’t hard enough! Between boys (or girls), dances, classes, homework, friends, and sports, CAPD adds another dimension onto the awkward stages of adolescence. From the cafeteria to the movie theater, dances to the classroom, teens with CAPD are constantly faced with challenges minute by minute. The worst location is the classroom, with rustling papers, scraping chairs, and the fluorescent lights buzzing incessantly. And it certainly doesn’t help when the teacher simply responds with, “Well, just tell me what you missed.” How can you know what it was when you didn’t even hear it in the first place?

The fortunate aspect of classroom accommodations is that nearly all of them benefit all students. The unfortunate part is that these types of accommodations, such as written assignment logs, syllabi, checklists and notes on any aural information given, are incredibly time consuming for the teacher – or so I’m told – and, therefore, only happen on a hit-and-miss basis. A dream come true would be for each classroom to be outfitted with surround sound.

The cafeteria – ah yes – the cafeteria. Like the mall, gym, and dances, the cafeteria serves as a mash pit for CAPD sufferers – a cacophony of brash sounds. Trying to carry on a conversation is all but impossible. Often times, my friends will tell me to “stop yelling” when I can barely hear what I’m saying. Walking with friends at the mall and trying to talk amidst crowds and background noise is incredibly frustrating both for myself and whoever I’m with. The conversation is peppered with “What?” and “Huh?” until we finally either drop the conversation or walk outside. Dances are just as bad, if not worse, due to the overwhelming throb of the bass. I’ll never hear those sweet nothings in my ear – at least, not under those circumstances.

Being born with CAPD, you don’t know that there is anything wrong until someone tells you about it. You hear the way you’ve always heard, except now, you have a reason for the “what’s,” “huh’s,” and misunderstandings. There are up sides, however, to this disability. I am one of 2 percent of the population who have perfect pitch, and I have strong musical/mathematical abilities. My audiologist said that I’d be the perfect candidate for learning Mandarin Chinese because of the tonalities needed.

The brain is an amazing thing and is quite capable of compensating. Life, of course, will certainly be easier when I’m released from formal education! 

Kelsey Ganes, 15 years old and a senior at Mercer Island High School, is currently attending high school in Israel for the fall semester. She continues to enjoy playing her guitar, song leading, and a variety of academic interests.    

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