Mapping the landscape of tests employed in diagnosing developmental auditory processing disorder in adults: A scoping review

PURPOSE: Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) is a common but often overlooked neurodevelopmental disorder affecting auditory cognition with psychological, physical, and social consequences. Despite affecting all ages, research on APD diagnosis primarily focuses on children, leaving adult diagnostic criteria and evidence-based tests and guidelines poorly defined. This scoping review aims to map tests used to diagnose developmental APD in adults and identify gaps in the literature. METHOD: A systematic search was conducted across ten databases (ERIC, CINAHL, Scopus, PubPsych, PsycINFO, PubMed, Cochrane, MEDLINE, Web of Science, and EMBASE). Studies including adults with normal peripheral hearing and reporting diagnostic auditory tests for APD, without cooccurring cognitive, developmental, congenital, or neurological disorder, were included. After deduplication, 1787 records were identified, title and abstract screening yielded 163 full-text articles. RESULTS: Six studies were included, two experimental studies (n = 59 adults), and four surveys (n = 603 clinicians). Substantial inconsistency in APD test use, heterogeneity in participant characteristics, and referral criteria were revealed. CONCLUSION: There is currently no consensus on diagnostic tests or criteria for APD in adults. The low number of studies, along with methodological variations, highlights a need for research to provide evidence for what an appropriate test battery would be. Addressing these gaps should lead to improvements in diagnostic reliability and intervention outcomes for adults with APD.