Some might have heard me talking about this before, but I find this kind of fascinating because I’m 99% certain I have auditory processing disorder. I haven’t been diagnosed by a doctor about it, but I would not be surprised if they agree. This short does kind of explain it a bit:

Now, I can hear you say: ‘wait, you, the person obsessed with listening to music, have a hearing problem?’ Well, it’s not a hearing problem. It’s a processing problem. I put it this way: if we’re in a crowded and noisy restaurant, it’s not that I’m deaf and can’t hear you. It’s that I can hear you. And the couple next to us. And the sound system that’s playing the music just a bit too loud. And the TV down the way that’s playing the game. And the bros constantly cheering at it. And if you’re not facing me while you speak, I lose the clarity of your voice. I hear all of it at the same levels, and my issue is that I have trouble filtering it so I can focus only on what you’re saying. [It’s also why I can’t wear a radio earbud at work, because I’d be too distracted by all the chatter on top of all the other noise within the store. I just use the radio the old fashioned way.]

I also often say I have shockingly sharp spatial hearing. I can easily tell which direction a noise originated no matter what direction I’m facing. It’s part of why I love music so much, especially if it’s a well-produced stereo mix. I’m sure if I had a surround-sound system it would be bliss, but also highly distracting. But it does have its plusses, in that I’m often more aware of my surroundings than other people are, that is if I’m not inundated by multiple other noises.

So yeah, I’m quite proud of being the age I’m at and still having relatively decent hearing, but APD does have its own drawbacks. I’ve just learned to work around it.