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Hearing integration, TOMATIS

General overview

Auditory integration therapy was created in France in the 1960s by Dr. Alfred Tomatis, an ear, nose and throat specialist. 

 

This work has been taken up by many other physicians or neurotechnology companies, including:

  • Dr. Guy Bérard, former collaborator of Dr. Tomatis, who has developed his own method that focuses more on auditory hypersensitivity. 

  • Dr. Kjeld V. Johansen, director of the B. D. R. L. in Denmark also has its own method of stimulating nerve circuits to the language centre in the brain by listening to specially recorded music CDs

  • Dr Jozef Vervoort, Director of the Atlantis Centre and Mozart-Brain-Lab in Belgium

  • The neuro-technology company ILS

  •  

Other methods also use the frequencies of music to stimulate brain activity, such as Hemi-sync developed at the Monroe Institute, founded in 1950 by Robert Allan Monroe to modify brain frequencies and synchronize activity in both hemispheres.

Source: compilation of  YouTube videos ( fair use ) - if you want to remove content contact us at contact@leneurogroupe.org

Main objectives of the method

Even if hearing is good, the auditory process (which matures in the brain during the first years of life) can still be fragile, causing hyper or hypo-sensitivity to hearing, or difficulties in concentration, focusing, sound discrimination or the environment..... 

 

The method consists in training this auditory process to make it more efficient. Like an auditory gymnastics, it will allow a better auditory performance and therefore progress in concentration, language and also in motor skills.

 

Auditory integration therapy allows:

  • Sensory integration: to facilitate the processing of auditory stimulation, to improve the auditory process, i. e.: 

    • to treat problems of auditory distortion and auditory hypersensitivity

      • hear and process sounds more effectively, analyze sounds within words more easily to improve reading and spelling

      • reduce hearing sensitivities (especially for children with ASD) to enable them to live better in society by improving their perception of the sound environment

  • Language & cognitive: 

    • improves comprehension, language

    • improves reading and superior executive functions

  • Engine : 

    • improves motor development, coordination

  • Emotional: 

    • soothing of the nervous system (regulation of the para-sympathetic system), allowing a better regulation of emotions, promotes trust, socialization

Specificities of the method

Tomatis

People are first subjected to an audiometric assessment.

The sessions are then conducted with a headset (by air and bone conduction), the child must wear the headset for 30 minutes. 

Throughout the treatment, hearing assessments are performed to determine if hearing peaks are still present and if new hearing peaks have appeared. 

 

THEY

The Integrated listening systems method was founded in Denver in 2007 - it was the first method to integrate music, movement and language exercises to improve neural functioning. Today the method is taught by more than 10,000 professionals in 30 countries.

iLs improves coordination, attention, learning, sleep and anxiety problems and auditory sensitivity. 

 

The Hemi-sync process synchronizes the brain hemispheres - that is, it ensures that the right and left hemispheres of the brain produce the same electrical waves or pulses simultaneously and synchronously. This allows access to a more productive, coherent, centered and unified state. 

Who is this method for ?

For children from 3 - 4 years old, especially those with difficulties:

  • Auditory processing disorder, auditory sensitivity to hearing (especially children with ASD)

  • Attention deficit, hyperactivity

  • Difficulty learning, reading, comprehension, learning disability

  • Communication and language disorders

  • Neuromotor disorders, cerebral palsy

What parents say about it

"I am the mother of little Mary, now 8 years old. Marie has had epilepsy since she was 4 months old. At the same time, during the All Saints' Day holidays, we practiced a Tomatis session (Tomatis being a music therapy with filtering of frequencies in the high frequencies). From November 20, the crises were spaced at 1 month. Since then, we have practiced Tomatis in December, February and Easter. The spacing of the crises has caused Mary to "relive" and begin her learning in a "normal" way. »

Scientific references

Relations entre l'audition et la phonation, Alfred Tomatis, 1956 : https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Relations-entre-l%E2%80%99audition-et-la-phonation-Tomatis/9e8e32d601c3f0474f9076c6af9da09d9e293130

 

La méthode Tomatis et la genèse de l'écoute, Timothy M. Gilmor, 1989 : https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/The-Tomatis-Method-and-the-Genesis-of-Listening-Gilmor/7e2c97661aabca5f7160e3af6cd991967c75c526

 

Étude pilote sur les systèmes d'écoute intégrés pour les enfants ayant des problèmes de traitement sensoriel

 

Données sur les troubles du traitement auditif provenant du Therapeeds Center, Fort Lauderdale, FL.

 

Revue des thérapies " musique et mouvement " pour les enfants autistes : interventions intégrées pour le développement multisystème - Sudha M. Srinivasan et Anjana N. Bhat

 

Rythme, mouvement et autisme : utiliser la recherche en réadaptation rythmique comme modèle pour l'autisme - Michelle W. Hardy et A. Blythe LaGasse

 

Rhythmic Auditory Stimulation in Rehabilitation of Movement Disorders : Examen de la recherche actuelle

 

Rythme, mouvement et autisme : utiliser la recherche en réadaptation rythmique comme modèle pour l'autisme

 

Reducing Auditory Hypersensitivities in Autistic Spectrum Disorder : Constatations préliminaires 

 

Evaluating the Listening Project Protocol, Stephen W. Porges, Frontiers in Pediatrics, 2014

qualifications

To know more about the topic

The Tomatis method: https://www.tomatis.com/fr

 

The Atlantis centre in Belgium (specialising in language and motor development): https://www.atlantis-vzw.com/home-77.html

 

L'iLs: https://integratedlistening.com/

What is ILS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FXPvOtoGM4&feature=emb_logo

The Forbrain helmet: https://fr.forbrain.com/decouvrez

 

The Hemi-sync program: https://www.institutmonroe.fr/hemi-sync-theorie

 

Information sites on therapies 

http://www.cochlea.eu/cerveau-auditif

Auditory integration of the verbal message: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0022510X67901311

Hearing integration therapy for autism spectrum disorders: https://www.cochrane.org/fr/CD003681/therapie-dintegration-auditive-en-cas-de-troubles-du-spectre-autistique

The treatment of autism by auditory integration therapy

https://autismcanada.org/living-with-autism/treatments/related/auditory-integration/?lang=fr

The Johansen-IAS method

http://www.johansen-ias.fr/

Any remarks or comments ?

This work is based on a collaborative approach to sharing research and family experience.

If you have any comments, suggestions for modifications or corrections or clarifications to make, please let us know by email at contact@leneurogroupe.org

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