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The application of auditory processing tests to patients with sensorineural hearing loss is controversial. Several studies have shown that it is difficult to separate peripheral from central hearing processes. In the present study, a Dutch auditory processing test battery was administered to 24 subjects with mild, relatively flat, symmetrical sensorineural hearing loss. Tests were administered twice; the second time, the presentation level in four out of the six tests was adjusted according to the speech reception threshold. The scores of the hearing-impaired subjects were significantly poorer than those of the subjects with normal hearing on five out of the six tests, even with the adjusted presentation level. Significant correlations were found between test scores and PTA (pure-tone average); scores on words-in-noise, filtered-speech and binaural-fusion tests were additionally corrected according to PTA. In contrast to previous studies in the literature, the present dichotic-digit and patternrecognition tests were greatly influenced by mild hearing loss. Therefore, this auditory processing test battery cannot readily be used to diagnose central auditory processing disorders in patients with flat sensorineural hearing loss. At least, both adjustment of presentation level and additional correction are needed.Key Words: Adults, auditory processing disorders, presentation level, sensorineural hearing loss Abbreviations: APD = Auditory processing disorder; PTA = pure-tone average; SRT = speech reception threshold Sumario La administración de pruebas de procesamiento auditivo a pacientes con trastornos auditivos sensorineurales es controversial. Varios estudios han mostrado que es difícil separar los procesos auditivos periféricos de los centrales. En el presente estudio, se administró una batería holandesa de pruebas de procesamiento auditivo a 24 sujetos, portadores de una hipoacusia sensorineural leve, simétrica y relativamente plana. Las pruebas se aplicaron dos veces; en la segunda vez, el nivel de presentación en cuatro de las seis pruebas se ajustó de acuerdo al umbral de recepción del lenguaje. Los puntajes de los sujetos hipoacúsicos fueron significativamente peores que aquellos de los sujetos con audición normal en cinco de las seis pruebas, aún con los niveles ajustados de presentación. Se encontraron correlaciones significativas entre los puntajes de las pruebas y el PTA (promedio tonal puro). Los

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A Dutch test battery comprising six different tests for auditory processing disorders was evaluated in a group of 49 adults and children (age 8-57 years) with auditory complaints despite normal audiometric thresholds. Percentile scores were derived from normal control groups (n = 132) to determine whether a subject passed or failed a test. A composite score was computed to reflect a general score on all the auditory processing tests. In order to gain insight into underlying auditory processes, factor analysis was performed. Normal scores on all the tests were seen in five subjects. The remaining 44 subjects had at least one test score that was below the cut-off point (10th percentile). Factor analysis provided evidence for a model comprising four auditory components: auditory sequencing, word recognition in noise, auditory closure, and auditory patterning. This model could be useful in the interpretation of scoring patterns. Although there were some differences in scoring patterns between the children and adults, the test battery proved to be useful in both groups.