Why Does My Child Keep Saying 'What?' Even Though Their Hearing Test Was Normal?

If your child constantly asks you to repeat yourself, seems to mishear instructions, or struggles to follow conversations in noisy places—but their hearing test came back normal—you're not alone. Many parents face this exact situation and feel confused about what's causing their child's listening difficulties.

Auditory Processing Happens in the Brain-Not the Ears

When a child repeatedly says "what?" despite having normal hearing, the issue isn't that they can't hear you. The problem is that their brain is having trouble making sense of what it hears. If these problems are significantly different from people of the same age, this is called an Auditory Processing Disorder, or APD.

Think of it this way: your child's ears are like perfectly good microphones, picking up all the sounds around them. But somewhere between their ears and their brain, the message gets jumbled. They hear the words, but their brain can't organize and understand them quickly enough—especially in noisy or busy environments.

What Causes This to Happen?

Several things can make it harder for a child's brain to process sound:

The auditory system develops differently - Some children's brains simply process sound information differently. Ear infections and/or uninfected fluid are two of the most significant risk factors for APD. 

The brain's "sorting system" isn't working smoothly - When you talk to your child, their brain needs to sort out your voice from all the other sounds happening around them. For kids with APD, this sorting system gets overwhelmed easily. Tuning out background noise in a classroom or restaurant may be very difficult.

One ear becomes dominant over the other - Sometimes one side of the brain is better at processing than the other, and the other ear is weaker. We call this a "lazy ear," and it means your child’s processing is unbalanced, leading them to process only part of what they hear.

The brain can't keep up with the speed of conversation - Normal speech moves fast. For some children, their brain needs more time to process each sound, so by the time they've figured out the first part of your sentence, they've already missed the rest.

They can't hold onto spoken information long enough - Some children hear what you say, but the information disappears from their memory before they can fully process and respond to it.

Why Basic Hearing Tests Can Miss This Problem

When your child has a basic hearing screening—whether it's the newborn screening at birth, a quick check at their pediatrician's office, or the annual screening at school—these tests check whether their ears are detecting sound. Can they hear quiet sounds? Can they hear different pitches?

But these screenings don't check what happens after sound leaves the ear and travels to the brain. They don't measure whether your child can understand speech in a noisy classroom, remember a list of instructions, or tell the difference between similar-sounding words.

Even a comprehensive hearing test done by an audiologist focuses on how well the ears are working—not how well the brain is processing what the ears hear.

That's why a child can pass all these hearing tests with flying colors but still struggle to listen and understand in everyday situations.

What APD Actually Looks Like at Home and School

Parents often tell us their child "hears but doesn't listen." Here's what that looks like in real life:

• Your child asks you to repeat things constantly, even when you're standing right next to them
• They can't follow directions when you give them two or three steps at once
• They struggle in noisy places like the car, restaurants, or busy classrooms
• They mix up words that sound similar or mishear what people say
• They have trouble with reading and spelling, even though they're smart
• Background sounds that other people ignore really bother them

These struggles can be exhausting for kids. They're working twice as hard just to keep up with conversations and classroom lessons. Often, they get labeled as distracted or unmotivated, when really their brain is just trying its best to process all the sound coming at them.

Why APD Sometimes Comes With Other Challenges

Many children with APD also have ADHD, dyslexia, or learning differences. This happens because these conditions all involve how the brain processes information. A child might have trouble paying attention partly because they're exhausting themselves trying to understand what's being said. Or their reading struggles might be connected to difficulty hearing the differences between sounds.

That's why getting the right testing matters—so you can understand the full picture of what your child needs and how to help them in school, at home, and with their peers.

APD Can Get Better With the Right Help

APD isn't something your child will just "grow out of," but it does respond well to therapy. We use auditory therapy methods that retrain the brain to process sound more efficiently. The therapy is personalized to target your child's specific challenges—whether that's understanding speech in noise, remembering what they hear, or getting both ears working together properly.

We also work with schools to set up accommodations that help your child succeed as they build their auditory skills. Things like auditory therapy, preferential seating, visual supports, and extra time for processing can make a real difference in how well they learn.

Get Answers About Your Child's Listening Struggles

If your child's hearing test was normal but they're still struggling to listen and understand, an APD evaluation can tell you why. We can test children as young as 3.5 years old. You'll need a recent hearing test (within the last six months) before we can do APD testing, just to make sure we're looking at the right issue. If you don’t already have a full hearing test, we can do this at our office in Bonita Springs, FL.

We offer testing and therapy in person at our Florida and Virginia offices, and via telehealth across eight states. Our team works exclusively with auditory processing, so we understand exactly what your child is going through and how to help. Contact us at (239) 444-7393 in Florida, or (703) 783-4327 in Virginia to schedule your evaluation.