Teri James Bellis, author of When the Brain Can’t Hear, writes with great understanding about brain-related auditory disorders. In part, it comes from working in the field of auditory neuroscience for over 15 years as a researcher, professor of audiology, and audiology textbook author. It also comes from the first-hand knowledge gained by living with auditory processing disorder (APD) herself, the result of a head injury she suffered in an auto accident.

Bellis wrote this book, she states, to address what she sees as a “general lack of awareness of how APD can manifest itself in various ways, methods of diagnosing APD, and methods of treating it.” She complains that much of the information available on these topics is “incomplete, grossly generalized, and sometimes even outright inaccurate.” Even worse, she states, is that some of it is “difficult to understand even for clinicians in my own field.”

Readers of Bellis’ book won’t have trouble understanding what she has to say. Written in a clear, straightforward manner, the book includes many case studies that illustrate the various forms APD can take. In addition, the book explains the relationships among language, learning, and auditory processing; and it describes APD both in children and in adults. Additional chapters address the diagnosis (and misdiagnosis) and the treatment of the disorder along with ways of compensating for it.

Throughout the book, Bellis emphasizes that “[w]hen dealing with APD, no two people are alike, and the impact of a deficit on one person’s life may be quite different from the impact of the same deficit on another’s. This heterogeneity leads to difficulties in defining, diagnosing, and treating these deficits.”

Regarding diagnosis, the author discusses her great concern over “the present popularity of the APD label.” She believes it may be partly the result of parents seeing APD as being “relatively nonthreatening and innocuous compared to other disorders that can manifest themselves similarly. Some of these disorders are rather intimidating, especially those that have negative connotations.” Among these disorders, she states, are mental retardation, AD/HD, or autism.

Bellis urges parents to become familiar with normal speech and language development and monitor their children for delays so that problems can be detected early. If problems are found, Bellis stresses the importance of empowerment for children – helping them gain a sense of “power over their environment and their disorder.” Furthermore, she states, “[I]t is critical that children’s…performance today be compared to their own performance yesterday or last week or last year, and not to the performance of others. And it is absolutely critical that they know that we will love them, respect them, and support them no matter what.”