A bit of history:

Research on Auditory Processing disorder began in 1954 with Helmer Myklebust who studied APD in children. The study suggested APD was separate from language learning difficulties, and that it was connected more to the neurological findings in the brain. It took over twenty years for the process to catch on, and in 1977 a new series of studies focusing on APD began. Actually the tests currently used today to detect APD are from those studies. At this time it started the understanding, causes, and treatments of APD.

Some signs and information:

There are many signs that can be easier to recognize in a child rather than in an adult, just due to the fact they are just beginning their academic career. First there are behaviors:

Mishearing

Problems following direction

Problems following oral direction

Distracted by any background noise

Poor organizational skills of verbal material

Oral and written expression problems

Remembering what they hear

Learning to read

In Adults and High school students some things that can affect the outcome of their daily living are:

Continues to spell incorrectly

Avoids reading and writing tasks

Trouble summarizing

Weak memory skills

Works slowly

Cannot grasp abstract concepts

There is no clear definition of Auditory Processing Disorder, but there are points that are agreed upon to diagnose it more easily, People who have been diagnosed with APD have a breakdown in receiving, remembering, understanding, and using auditory information. As I pointed out earlier, they do have adequate hearing abilities, although a child's ability to listen is definitely impaired. All in all, there are definite neurological issues that occur with people of all ages who are diagnosed with APD.

Below is a very interesting you Tube link that discusses common symptoms in APD:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iabuAiYZVxI

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Sources:
1. Wikepedia
2. www.everydayhealth.com/kids
3. National Center for Learning disabilities