APD Care
Auditory Processing Disorder & Auditory Retraining
Listening and communication rely on more than just hearing — they depend on how the brain processes and makes sense of sound. Our program helps patients of all ages strengthen the listening skills they use every day.
As an integrated audiology and speech therapy practice, we address hearing and brain-based processing together — moving beyond diagnosis to deliver targeted, practical strategies that lead to meaningful, real-world improvement.
Offered by Shawna Beasley, Au.D. & Lana Fanson, SLP
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Our APD Specialists
Shawna Beasley, Au.D.
Dr. Beasley has years of patient care and diagnostic audiology experience. She was drawn to audiology through her own personal experience with hearing loss.
Dr. Beasley became interested in auditory processing disorder in the last several years and now offers this service as part of her specialty. Through her own experience of struggling academically and with hearing loss, she understands now that she likely has an auditory processing disorder secondary to her hearing loss. She hopes to help those who also struggled like her and provide ways to overcome those difficulties through different therapy options.
Dr. Beasley is trained to provide therapy using the Buffalo Model Auditory Training program. Auditory processing is a skill that can be improved! Regardless of the cause, an auditory processing evaluation can identify an individual's unique patterns of processing strengths and weaknesses to create an action plan for improvement through auditory training. Auditory training is a systematic set of exercises designed to improve auditory skills — if someone has difficulty with a skill, she teaches them how to do it.
Dr. Beasley is a member of the Auditory Processing Institute and completed her education and evaluation in APD at the institute.
Lana Fanson, M.S., CCC-SLP
Lana is the speech-language pathologist at The Hearing Place. As part of her comprehensive services, she works closely with Dr. Shawna Beasley to deliver coordinated, team-based care for patients participating in the Auditory Processing Disorder and Auditory Retraining programs. By combining her diverse clinical experience with Dr. Beasley's expertise in Buffalo Model Auditory Training, Lana provides a seamless, multidisciplinary approach tailored to individuals experiencing auditory processing challenges and speech intelligibility difficulties.
View Lana's Full Bio
Program Offerings
Comprehensive, integrated care — from in-depth evaluation to targeted therapy and ongoing support, all under one roof.
Comprehensive APD Evaluations
In-depth testing to identify how the brain processes sound and pinpoint specific strengths and areas of difficulty. Testing may include:
- Comprehensive hearing evaluation to assess hearing sensitivity
- Assessment of the inner, middle, and outer ear
- Specialized auditory processing assessments
- Evaluation in a controlled, sound-treated environment
- Input from parents, teachers, or other providers when appropriate
APD Treatment & Therapy
Targeted auditory training designed to improve listening skills, strengthen processing abilities, and build real-world communication confidence. Treatment may include:
- Auditory discrimination training
- Auditory memory and sequencing exercises
- Speech-in-noise training
- Phonemic synthesis training (blending speech sounds)
- Listening strategies for school, work, and home
- Compensatory communication techniques
- Hearing aid prescription and fitting to increase auditory stimulus
Auditory Training & Retraining
Focused therapy to help patients strengthen listening and processing skills following hearing loss — improving clarity, understanding, and confidence in everyday communication.
Appropriate for
- Children with cochlear implants developing listening skills
- Adults adapting to hearing aids or cochlear implants
- Patients with mild-to-moderate hearing loss who still struggle with speech clarity despite appropriate devices
Training may include
- Speech discrimination and clarity training
- Listening exercises across quiet and noisy environments
- Auditory memory and processing tasks
- Brain-based listening exercises
- Integration with hearing aid or cochlear implant use
- Real-world communication strategies for home, school, and work
Speech & Audiology Multidisciplinary Approach
Our multidisciplinary approach brings audiologists and speech-language therapists together to deliver truly integrated care. By consulting regularly and offering collaborative sessions, our team addresses both hearing and communication needs simultaneously, providing patients a cohesive and effective path to progress.
Learn more about Speech Therapy →APD Education
Personalized guidance and resources for patients, families, and educators to better understand APD and apply practical strategies for daily success.
Therapy Options
Auditory processing is a skill that can be strengthened. Using structured programs like the Buffalo Model Auditory Training (BMAT), we target specific areas of difficulty and help patients build the skills they're struggling with, step by step.
In-Clinic Therapy
One-on-one sessions in a structured, supportive environment with access to specialized tools and equipment.
Co-Treated Audiology & Speech
When appropriate, coordinated sessions that address both hearing and communication together.
Remote Therapy
When appropriate, therapy offered remotely anywhere in Colorado (subject to insurance limitations and level of need).
Home Program Support
Patients and families receive clear, practical exercises and strategies to carry progress over outside the clinic.
Our Treatment Approach
Our approach focuses on improving auditory processing skills in everyday situations — not just performance during testing or therapy sessions. We combine targeted auditory training, environmental and communication strategies, and recommendations for school or workplace accommodations when needed. We also consider how each patient's hearing ability and hearing aids interact with their auditory processing skills.
What You Can Expect
- Comprehensive, individualized evaluations
- Evidence-based therapy (Buffalo Model Auditory Training)
- Functional goals that translate to real-life improvements
- Collaboration between speech and audiology providers
- Building listening skills
- Strengthening brain-based processing
- Greater confidence in classrooms, meetings, and group settings
- Treatment oversight by the diagnosing audiologist
- Regular progress updates with real-time plan adjustments
Who Can Benefit from APD Services
APD can affect both children and adults. You or your child may benefit from an evaluation if you recognize concerns like the ones below.
Common Signs Include
Teachers or educators may also raise concerns about:
- Listening and learning abilities
- Attention deficit
- Behavioral challenges
In children, these challenges often become more noticeable in academic settings; in adults, they may affect communication at work or in social environments. APD can appear alongside — or sometimes be misdiagnosed as — Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
APD can be more prevalent in patients who have also received a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), dyslexia, learning disabilities, and/or ADHD.
Common Causes & Contributing Factors
The exact cause of APD isn't typically clear, but it may be associated with:
What Makes Our Clinic Different
An integrated, deeply personal approach to auditory processing care — built around real-world results.
Integrated Audiology & Speech Therapy
Rather than separating hearing and communication services, our audiology and speech teams work together to evaluate, treat, and retrain listening skills in one coordinated, patient-centered program.
Lived Experience That Shapes Our Care
Our program is led by an audiologist who has personally experienced both hearing loss and auditory processing challenges — bringing a deeper understanding, empathy, and commitment to helping patients overcome the same struggles.
Designed for Real-World Success
We go beyond identifying challenges — we focus on helping patients function confidently in the everyday environments where listening matters most: classrooms, workplaces, and social settings.
APD FAQs
Is APD the same as hearing loss?
How do I know if I or someone I love may be struggling with APD?
What ages can be affected by APD?
Is APD related to ADHD?
What accommodations might help someone with APD?
- Preferential seating
- Reduced background noise
- Written instructions to support verbal communication
- Use of a remote microphone/FM system
- Extra time to process spoken information
Can APD be cured?
Getting Started
The first step is a comprehensive evaluation to determine whether Auditory Processing Disorder is present. From there, we'll develop a personalized treatment plan and walk you through every step of the process.
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