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Listening Is An Integration Of The Senses
WHAT IS SENSORY INTEGRATION?
Sensory integration is the ability to organize sensory input from the body and the environment and to incorporate it adaptively in meaningful occupations. In everyday listening we are doing just that - attending selectively to auditory information and integrating it with other salient sensory data.
It is critically important to integrate information from our senses for the organization of movement, learning and behavior. A primary focus of sensory integrative treatment is to enhance sensory processing through hearing, proprioceptive, and touching senses to facilitate self-generated, goal-directed activity.
WHAT IS LISTENING?
Listening is a voluntary, survival-related, whole brain, and whole body process. Listening is the process of detecting sound and organizing and integrating it for use with information from other senses.
Listening skills include both conscious and unconscious processes. Although we are not aware of it, we constantly monitor the ambient auditory environment. When a salient sound occurs, we shift our attention to orient, locate, and select that sound for further investigation.
This constant monitoring occurs in key centers in the brain and is a critical first step to a myriad of functions including attention and integrated sensory processing. It is largely done unconsciously so that cortical pathways are free to perform higher level functions. On a more conscious level we voluntarily attend to sound and discriminate and interpret sound.
WHAT IS THERAPEUTIC LISTENING®?
Many experts agree that the auditory system is a critical link in sensory integration theory. Therapeutic Listening® is an innovative program for providing high quality auditory input within the context of sensory integrative treatment.
Therapeutic Listening (TL), an expansion of Sensory Integration, is an auditory intervention that uses the organized sound patterns inherent in music to impact all levels of the nervous system. Auditory information from Therapeutic Listening CDs provides direct input to both the vestibular and the auditory portions of the vestibular-cochlear continuum. The emphasis of TL is on blending sound intervention strategies with vestibulo-proprioceptive, core development, and breath activities so as to sustain grounding and centering of the body and mind in space and time.
Although poor listening skills do not necessarily point to a diagnosis of Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD), this list illustrates the wide range of behaviors that are associated with listening difficulties:
- Daydreaming/Forgetfulness
- Excessive talking in class
- Inability to sit still
- Difficulty with time concepts in school
- Inability to complete school work
- Dislike of school
- Increased anxiety and tension
- Low self-confidence
- Increased frustration
- Attention seeking
- Temper tantrums
- Easily upset in new situations
- Irritability
- Hyperactivity
- Impulsivity
- Disobedience
- Rowdiness
- Oppositional behavior
CHILD SUCCESS CENTER® integrates the Therapeutic Listening® program as a key to our children’s success.
WHY LISTENING THERAPY?
Music has long been known to have therapeutic value. In recent years, occupational therapists, educational therapists, speech-language pathologists and psychologists have adopted the use of music and sounds as therapy, and a variety of auditory intervention techniques have become available. Occupational therapists use music as preparation for therapeutic activities because sensory input can be calming and organizing to children.
Parents have reported, including in research studies that their children demonstrate:
- Improved attention
- Greater interaction with peers
- Decreased nightmares
- Improved transitions
- Better listening
- Greater self-awareness
- Better communication
- Improved sleep patterns
- More consistency in following directions
- Decreased behavior problems
SAMONAS SOUND THERAPY- WHAT DOES IT DO?
Samonas (Spectrally Activated Music of Optimal Natural Structure) Sound Therapy re-educates the ear and auditory pathways for increased learning, attention, communication, listening, and sensory integration. This is accomplished through the use of specially modified classical music and nature sounds that stimulate the hearing mechanism to take in a full spectrum of sound.
WHY DO WE USE IT?
It has a huge impact on a number of skills including phonemic awareness, speech and language, organization, attention focus, verbal and written expression, social communication and skills, and comprehension.
WHAT DO WE LIKE ABOUT IT?
It is easy for families to use and is an incredibly gentle but dynamic tool for supporting the auditory system.
In the past decade, several forms of therapeutic listening have been introduced in the United States. Although clinical results have been very promising, these methods of treatment have been difficult and costly to access for both therapists and clients. Samonas Sound Therapy, pioneered by Ingo Steinbach, now makes the benefits of specifically recorded and configured music available for clinic and home.
In an educational setting, Samonas has been helpful in gently but powerfully bringing about these results:
- Better articulation
- Improved sleep
- Better ability to follow directions
- Improved auditory comprehension
- Improved vocal quality
- Better organization
- Improved social interaction
- Increased balance and coordination
- Improved language
- Increased attention
- Improved communication
- Reduced sound sensitivity
- Increased frustration tolerance
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