This research project is investigating spatial processing disorder (SPD). SPD (also known as spatial hearing loss) is a condition where individuals are less able to process differences in the timing and intensity (and hence directionality) of auditory signals arriving at the ears from different locations in the environment.

This differs from a listener with 'normal' spatial hearing who can take advantage of 'listening cues' to process sounds arriving from a target location, while simultaneously filtering out noise arriving from other directions. An example of this activity is the ability to process the voice of a teacher standing at the front of a classroom and filter out noise from other children talking in the surrounding area.

Our research uses the Listening in Spatialized Noise – Sentences test (LiSN-S), a diagnostic test for auditory processing deficits. This tool has revealed that children with spatial hearing loss need a significantly greater signal-to-noise ratio in order to achieve the same speech reception thresholds as normally-hearing children. If the condition is not diagnosed and managed it can lead to academic deficits, sometimes accompanied by low self-esteem.