Self-Guided Auditory Training for Adults with Sensory Sensitivities
As an audiologist specializing in auditory processing assessment and intervention, I’ve spent years helping both children and adults who struggle with listening, learning, and language comprehension. My work emphasizes the use of technology-based tools, including low-gain hearing aids, which I’ve found to be life-changing for many individuals with auditory processing disorder (APD).
Through my clinical work, I’ve seen firsthand how much auditory access can improve when properly supported—and how often traditional auditory training approaches are limited by high costs, overly clinical environments, or rigid formats. That’s why I’ve become a strong advocate for integrated, real-world auditory training. I believe that with the right tools and mindset, meaningful auditory progress can happen outside of formal therapy, through self-led and naturally embedded activities that align with a person’s daily life and interests.
Auditory training doesn’t need to be complicated or expensive—and it doesn’t need to be limited to children. Adults with auditory processing challenges, sensory processing disorder, autism, or visual processing differences can benefit immensely from self-guided, real-world auditory training—especially when it’s rooted in music, space, and natural context.
I work with a university engineering and music student who recently completed my low-gain programmed hearing aid (LGHA) trial. As a result of their trial, they were finally able to hear subtle sounds in music and tuning that, due to APD, were never accessible to them before. While tuning their instrument, they had never been able to hear the beats of a standing wave. With practice using the aids, those beats became increasingly apparent.
They also told me they were previously only able to tell when they were off key—but now they’ve started to recognize when they’re on key. These critical music listening skills, initially dependent on the aids, eventually generalized to the point that the student could discriminate them even without the devices. This is what we hope to see in any good training program: generalization beyond the tool.
For adults, especially those who are neurodivergent or sensitive to sensory input, structured clinical tasks can feel artificial or overwhelming. But when you embed auditory training into real-life, personally meaningful environments, the brain becomes more willing to engage and adapt. Here are some ways adults can guide their own auditory development through intentional, real-world practice:
1. Use Music as a Training Tool
Listen to acoustic music or live recordings that feature rich harmonic textures. Try to identify individual instruments. Sing along, hum the melody, or try to match pitch on a piano or tone app like Tenuto, ToneGym, or Simply Sing. Use spatialized headphones (like open-back studio monitors or AirPods with spatial audio) to explore sound directionality.
If you’re musical, focus on tuning: Can you detect when something is slightly sharp or flat? Can you feel the vibration of a chord’s “rightness”? If you’re not musical, simply noticing patterns, dynamics, and pacing builds temporal and pitch resolution—skills that directly impact speech perception.
2. Practice Auditory Spatial Awareness
Go for walks and try to identify where sounds are coming from. Birds, passing cars, dogs barking—what’s close, what’s far? Try walking with noise-canceling headphones on transparency mode and then off to compare how the environment shifts. Try localizing voices in a coffee shop or identifying multiple conversations in a crowded room.
For those with visual sensitivities, it may help to close your eyes periodically (in safe areas) and focus exclusively on sound. Can you “hear the space” around you? Which sounds are above you, behind you, or moving laterally?
3. Layer Your Listening
Put on a podcast while you cook, clean, or stretch. Then pause it and summarize what you just heard. Were you multitasking too much to remember? Can you repeat the main idea? This kind of dual-task listening mimics real-world distraction and builds selective attention.
If you’re feeling ambitious, try having one earbud play soft music while the other delivers speech or dialogue. Practice filtering and switching your focus. This approximates dichotic listening challenges and can be built up slowly over time.
4. Use Auditory Training Apps with Structure
For adults who like structure, apps like Auditory Workout, Sound Storm, or browser tools like BrainHQ can help build consistency. These apps may not be built for adults with sensory sensitivities, but if paired with noise-canceling headphones or volume control, they can be tolerated and effective.
Always pace yourself. If fatigue sets in, pause. The goal is sustainable growth, not overexertion.
5. Tune Your Environment
Environmental sound can either overwhelm or train you. If you’re sensitive to certain noises, start by adjusting them—not avoiding them completely. Use low-gain amplification, pink noise, or apps like myNoise to condition your sound tolerance gradually. Build up from quiet rooms to more dynamic ones like bookstores or cafés.
Record your experiences: When were you able to stay focused? When did you shut down? Use this as feedback—not failure—and adjust accordingly.
Another helpful strategy is listening to audiobooks at different playback speeds. Start at a comfortable rate, then gradually increase the pace to stretch your comprehension skills. You can also layer in background noise—like soft music or ambient sounds—to train selective attention. Many blind and visually impaired individuals routinely learn to listen at speeds far faster than typical readers because their brains adapt to higher-speed input when visual cues are limited. You may find that your own auditory agility increases over time with practice.
Auditory training is not one-size-fits-all. It’s not about a perfect score or polished test result. It’s about increasing access to sound, meaning, and connection. Adults with APD or sensory sensitivities deserve tools that respect their needs—and that includes real-world listening routines that can be adapted, paused, and repeated as needed.
Need More Assistance in Your Auditory Training?
If you’d like help customizing a plan, I offer virtual consultations and auditory testing. I’m also building a subscription list where you can sign up with your email to receive new blog posts, first access to resources, and discounted materials I will be offering on other platforms at full price. Just let me know your email and area of interest, and I’ll add you to the right group. And if you’re interested in low-cost handouts and self-guided materials, my email list will be opening soon for early access and discounted resources.
Hearing isn’t just biological. It’s learned. And it can be relearned—on your own terms, in your own space, at your own pace.
If you’d like more support, I offer virtual consultations and flexible auditory processing testing for adults. You’re also welcome to join my email subscription list by sending me your email and area of interest. Subscribers will receive early access to blog posts and discounted materials designed for home use.
Visual Description
This cartoon-style illustration shows a young adult seated at a table, listening to an audiobook. He has short brown hair, light skin, and is wearing a blue t-shirt and green over-ear headphones. He’s smiling with eyes closed, suggesting relaxed focus and enjoyment.
In his right hand, he holds a black audiobook player, labeled “AUDIOBOOK” with a pause icon and a small screen. Above his head, a speech bubble contains the text “2x,” indicating he’s listening at double speed. The color palette is warm and vintage-inspired, with earthy tones and soft shading, giving the image a calm and thoughtful atmosphere.
References
Cameron, S., & Dillon, H. (2008). The listening in spatialized noise–sentences test (LiSN-S): Test–retest reliability studies and comparison to the prototype LiSN. Journal of the American Academy of Audiology, 19(5), 377–391.
Cameron, S., & Dillon, H. (2011). Development and evaluation of the LiSN & Learn auditory training software for deficit-specific remediation of binaural processing deficits in children: Preliminary findings. Journal of the American Academy of Audiology, 22(10), 678–696.
Ferguson, M. A., & Henshaw, H. (2015). Auditory training can improve working memory, attention, and communication in adverse conditions for adults with hearing loss. Frontiers in Psychology, 6, 556.
Jiang, W., Zhou, Q., Zhang, J., He, Q., Cui, G., Huang, R., Liang, C., & Huang, Z. (2025). Effects of auditory training on cognition in hearing loss: A systematic review and meta-analyses. Journal of the American Academy of Audiology.
Sweetow, R. W., & Palmer, C. V. (2005). Efficacy of individual auditory training in adults: A systematic review of the evidence. Journal of the American Academy of Audiology, 16(7), 494–504.
Weiher, J., Chermak, G. D., & Musiek, F. E. (2015). Auditory training for central auditory processing disorder. Seminars in Hearing, 36(4), 199–215.
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