About the APDQ

Introduction

The APDQ is a differential screening tool designed to assess children's listening and learning competencies by examining the relative strengths of auditory processing, attention, and language skills. Developed by Dr. Brian O'Hara, a developmental-behavioral pediatrician in Honolulu, Hawaii, the tool was copyrighted in 2016 and has been available online since September 2023.

Parents and/or teachers of students aged 7 to 18 rate observable behaviors across 50 items commonly encountered in daily activities.

The resulting report identifies the student's relative risk profile for auditory processing, attention, and language-learning disorders.

APDQ screening reports have been effective in informing clinical evaluations and referrals, with reported risk factor accuracy in the 70 to 85 % range. The questionnaire has been translated into seven languages and is recommended as a screening tool for auditory processing disorder by consensus panels from the American Academy of Audiology and the New Zealand Audiological Society.

April 2026 Update

The auditory processing website is now more than two years old and has generated over 2,300 reports for parents and professionals worldwide with half the clients outside the United States.

A minor scoring protocol change was made, placing greater emphasis on rank percentiles rather than raw scale score differences. This change resulted in a minor 1% shift in Primary Risk factor assignments from single risk APD or ADHD to the category "Combined APD and ADHD" risk.

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For more information, email us at: info@auditoryprocessing.org