Experts are raising the alarm over links between Apple’s wireless AirPods earbuds and a surge in disturbing neurological issues among young people and children.
Noise-canceling listening devices are sold as being “safer” as they block out background sounds more effectively.
The idea is that wearers are less likely to turn up the volume of music or podcasts.
However, audiologists are warning that referrals among young people with hearing difficulties have spiked significantly in just a handful of months.
On inspection, however, they discover their hearing is normal.
Instead, the problem is neurological because their brain is struggling to process what it hears and differentiate sounds.
The condition is known medically as auditory processing disorder (APD).
APD can make it very difficult to follow the dialogue in TV shows or movies where there is often a musical score or sound effects in the background.
People may also struggle to understand fast talkers or those with unfamiliar accents.
APD has long been linked to childhood brain injury, ear infection, or a faulty gene.
However, experts now believe that AirPods and similar devices could be untraining the brain in how to naturally block out background noise.
Leading experts in the UK have issued a warning to the public regarding the surge in APD cases.
Renee Almeida, an adult audiology clinical lead at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, said:
“There is a difference between hearing and listening.
“We can see that listening skills are suffering.”
Further, Claire Benton, vice president of the British Academy of Audiology (BAA), also told the BBC that because the devices block out everyday sounds such as train noise or car beeps, the brain may “forget” to filter the noises out.
“You have almost created this false environment by wearing those headphones of only listening to what you want to listen to,” she said.
“You are not having to work at it.
“Those more complex, high-level listening skills in your brain only really finish developing towards your late teens.
“So, if you have only been wearing noise-canceling headphones and been in this false world for your late teens then you are slightly delaying your ability to process speech and noise.”
Treatment methods for APD vary and often involve re-exposing the ears and brain to process words against a backdrop of noise, through apps, microphones, or hearing aids.
Dr. Angela Alexander, audiologist and owner of APD Support, a private organization, told the BBC:
“What does the future look like if we don’t investigate this link?
“There are a lot of well-meaning parents and teachers who think the answer to children having problems with noise is to wear earplugs or have noise-canceling headphones on.”
According to the NHS, the exact number of children APD affects is still unknown.
However, estimates from around the world suggest between three and five percent of children have APD to some degree.
It is often mistaken for ADHD when it presents in children since the two have several overlapping symptoms, but there are a few key distinctions.
One 2018 study found that children with APD have difficulties that are exclusively related to sound while ADHD causes more general disruptions.
For instance, people with APD find it difficult to learn songs or localize the source of a sound.
People with ADHD meanwhile may struggle with auditory tasks but also struggle to follow written instructions.
However, since issues with auditory processing can affect attention and executive function, the two conditions can be extremely hard to separate.
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