Hearing loss, whether peripheral or central, compounds the communicati
on and educational problems of the learning disabled student. A centra
l auditory processing disorder uniquely interferes with both the input
and integration of verbal information, further resulting in a potenti
ally permanent cognitive dysfunction during the developmental period o
f acquisition of language. Illustrative cases are presented that indic
ate the panorama of cognitive dysfunction associated with the learning
disabled status. Methods of evaluation and identification and diagnos
tic criteria are correlated with auditory, visual, and academic perfor
mance. Comments regarding clinical awareness, prompt recognition, and
ensuing individualized remediation are submitted.