APD and learning
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APD is not itself a learning disability. However, APD is a medical condition that can greatly impact learning due to its effects on communication. In order to learn, a child or adult needs to understand and remember verbal information and instructions.
A learner with APD might not be able to do this, as well as dealing with the other effects of APD such as gaps in processing what they hear/remember, incorrectly processing what they hear, and processing sequences of verbal information in the wrong order. The effects of APD can also be random and intermittent so their learning ability will be inconsistent and affected by illness, tiredness, stress and sensory overload.
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Someone with APD can't be expected to rely on what they hear, so visual representation of verbal information is vital.
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The documents below provide further information on how to support learners with APD of all ages.
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Remember:
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It’s a legal obligation for learning institutions to provide support for APD.
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It’s also a legal obligation for local authority sensory teams and Teachers of the Deaf.
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Refusal to support APD can be unlawful disability discrimination, which is unlawful
EDUCATION
Please click the document title
to read and download each document.
FEATURED
"Understanding APD: the myths and misconceptions"
Presented by Alyson Mountjoy at the Powys All-Wales CVI & APD Conference on 20th March 2023.
This presentation for education professionals explains APD and how best to support children with APD (and more). A brief handout distributed on the day, and a full presentation commentary are also available here. Parents have found it useful and shared it with their schools and LAs for whom support of APD is a legal obligation so understanding it and how to support it is essential.
Also used by education professionals and other organisations as a source of training and CPD.
