Physical and Occupational Therapy

Therapeutic Listening

What is therapeutic listening?

Therapeutic listening is a home-based program that uses sound training in combination with sensory integrative therapy techniques. Sound training uses electronically altered music to improve listening skills. When used in combination with vestibular stimulation and postural movement strategies, therapists are able to address both auditory and vestibular systems directly. This enables them to impact a variety of sensorimotor needs.

Therapeutic listening may benefit children who have difficulty or problems with:

• focusing and attending
• following directions
• understanding or remembering what people say
• reading or phonics skills
• spelling skills
• impulsive behavior
• organization
• peer relations
• self esteem
• sensory defensive behavior
• communicating
• fine motor skills
• posture or muscle tone
• quality of movement patterns
• sleep patterns
• eating dysfunction

Equipment

Therapeutic listening consists of a series of CDs and specially designed headphones. Parents must purchase the headphones. CDs may be rented from the facility. Different listening protocols are available for different needs, including sensory modulation and attention deficits, poor postural organization, hypersensitivity to sound, history of chronic wax buildup in the middle ear, etc. Your evaluating occupational therapist will determine which protocol best meets the need of your child. Listening times consist of two times a day, each for 30 minutes, with a minimum of 3 hours between listening times. The CDs are electronically altered or passed through a high-low filter. This causes the frequencies at which the sounds are heard to vary. The CDs are changed every two to three weeks to prevent accommodation.

For more information

Please e-mail Erin Psencik or Betty Vattakunnel to learn more.