| Is
your child's learning disability actually a listening disability?
You have heard about
the link between auditory processing and reading. In fact,
if you have been a regular reader of this newsletter over the years,
you might be sick of hearing about auditory processing!
But as time does on,
the link becomes more and more evident. Studies are being done
and books are being written that emphasize the importance of auditory
processing in learning to read, communicating with oral and written
language, and developing adequate social skills. I have seen
this verified over and over in our clinical work with students.
As we have worked in
this area, I have been continuously reminded of the wholeness
of learning and of the learner. I have previous written
about the auditory system, (“Breakthroughs in Auditory Processing”
at www.learningdisability.com) and its connections not only with
the language center of the brain, but with the vestibular system
(our system of balance and movement), and the automatic functions
of the body (respiratory, digestive, and eliminatory).
When we use sound
therapy to stimulate the auditory system, we find the results to
be more global than the original goals of increasing phonemic awareness,
reading, or language skills. Improvements in handwriting,
posture, sleep habits, communication, social skills, confidence,
calmness and math are a few of the peripheral changes we have seen.
Dr. Alfred Tomatis,
a French ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat specialist), discovered in the
early 1950’s that the ay we listen has a profound impact on nearly
every aspect of our lives. He also discovered that many learning
problems are the direct result of listening problems.
He distinguished hearing
from listening, indicating that they are actually two different
functions of the ear.
- Hearing is the passive
perception of sound.
- Listening, on the
other hand, involves the desire and ability to focus on selected
sounds; to choose what sound information we want to attend to
so that we can process it in a clear and organized manner.
Listening is closely
related to attention and concentration, and integration, understanding
and retention of auditory information, and therefore, critical to
learning.
What happens when
a person’s hearing is good, but their listening is poor?
Surprisingly, poor listening can affect a wide number of areas. Canadian
Listening Therapist and author Paul Madaule has put together a checklist
of abilities or qualities that relate to listening skills.
There is no score, but
this tool may be helpful evaluating an individual’s ability to listen,
and therefore to learn. This checklist is reprinted here with
the permission of The Listening Center 599 Markham Street., Toronto,
ON M6G 2L7 (Tel: (416) 588-4136, Fax: (416) 588-4459, www.listeningcenter.com
Listening
Skills Checklist
Development
History: Our early years
This knowledge about our younger years is extremely important in
early identification and prevention of listening problems. It also
sheds light on possible causes of listening problems.
- A stressful pregnancy
- Difficult birth
- Adoption
- Early separation from
the mother
- Delay in motor development
- Delay in language
development
- Recurring ear infections
Receptive Listening:
Our external environment
This type of listening is directed outward to the world around us.
It keeps us attuned to what's going on at home, at work, in the classroom
or with friends.
- Short attention span
- Distractibility
- Over-sensitivity to
sounds
- Misinterpretation
of questions
- Confusion of similar-sounding
words
- Frequent need for
repetition
- Inability to follow
sequential instructions
Express Listening: Our
internal atmosphere
This is the kind of listening that is directed within us. We use it
to listen to ourselves and to gauge and control our voice when we
speak and sing.
- Flat and monotonous
voice
- Hesitant speech
- Weak vocabulary
- Poor sentence structure
- Overuse of stereotyped
expressions
- Inability to sing
in tune
- Confusion or reversal
of letters
- Poor reading comprehension
- Poor reading aloud
- Poor spelling
Motor Skills: Our physical
abilities
The ear of the body (the vestibule), which controls balance, muscle
and eye coordination and body image needs close scrutiny also.
- Poor posture
- Fidgety behavior
- Clumsy, uncoordinated
movements
- Poor sense of rhythm
- Messy handwriting
- Hard time with organization,
structure
- Confusion of lefts
and rights
- Mixed dominance
Level of Energy: Our
fuel system
The ear acts like a dynamo (a powerful motor), providing us with the
"brain" energy we need to not only survive but also to lead fulfilling
lives.
- Difficulty getting
up
- Tiredness at the end
of the day
- Habit of procrastinating
- Hyperactivity
- Tendency toward depression
- Feeling overburdened
with everyday tasks
Behavioral and Social
Adjustment: Our relationships skills
A listening difficulty is often related to these qualities of interacting
with others.
- Low tolerance for
frustration
- Poor self-confidence
- Poor self-image
- Shyness
- Difficulty making
friends
- Tendency to withdraw
or avoid others
- Irritability
- Immaturity
- Low motivation, no
interest in school/work
- Negative attitude
toward school/work
At the Learning Center,
we use Samonas Sound Therapy to stimulate the auditory system and
improve listening and listening-related skills. As students
become better listeners, they have also become better learners. Here
is one story:
John came to the learning
center as a 7 year old. He had been diagnosed with apraxia,
which affected his gross motor coordination, graphomotor skills
(handwriting), and oral motor skills.
When he started, John
showed extreme difficulty with any fine or gross motor movements,
organization, or coordination. He had difficulty articulating
sounds and words and difficulty expressing himself in a way that
others could understand. He was obviously very bright, but
had difficulty with social and language comprehension. He had
huge amounts of uncontrolled energy and serious attention problems. He
could attend to a task for only 10-15 minutes with re-direction.
He was a non-reader,
had trouble making friends, and had poor self-esteem.
After 4 weeks of sound
therapy, John had better control in swimming; more eye contact;
clearer, more controlled language; and had begun asking questions
about conversations and other things in general.
After 6-7 weeks of
sound therapy, John was using larger words and more mature sentences
and questions. His sentences were no longer fragmented. He
showed dramatic improvement in artwork (from scribbles to drawings),
and showed better motor coordination. He started doing front
and back somersaults in the pool, with control. He wrote a
note on his own for the first time and posted it on his bedroom
door. His self-esteem was reported as high!
John’s learning skills
improved dramatically as a result of his listening therapy. His
increased attention, motor coordination, articulation, communication,
and auditory and language processing abilities allowed him to be
ready for further processing skills development and academic skills. John
is now reading at grade level!
Samonas Sound Therapy
is a music and sound stimulation method that focuses on re-educating
the ear and auditory pathways for increased 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.
Samonas was developed
by German sound engineer, Ingo Steinbach. With his background
in physics and music, Steinbach combined the principles of Dr. Alfred
Tomatis with advances in technology and physics to develop the Samonas
recordings.
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