Tomatis Method for Apraxia?

[Guest guest]

Hi. Has anyone used this method and found it helped with their child's speech?

It is covered under EI here but I am not sure if it truly helps with apraxia

specifically. Any insights would be greatly appreciated.

[Guest guest]

I hope it's OK that I have a long archive to share on this- my son used a few

different methods of listening therapy back when:

Re: Listening therapy question

here's a long archive (of an archive of an archive?)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We didn't do Fast For Word or Earobics until school age (kindergarten

up). You can do Fast For Word's home version but Tanner go that

through school and therapy. Dr. a Tallal who is one of the

creators of Fast For Word is an advisor for CHERAB

http://www.cherab.org/information/speechlanguage/phonologicalawareness

activities.html We also did Earobics both home and through therapy -

and Vital links or Therapeutic Listening is what we started with

preschool age. Dorinne was a speaker at one of our CHERAB

meetings http://www.cherab.com/news/meetings/eventsjune2001.html -but

again we didn't have to take Tanner anywhere because we bought the

headphones and CDs through our SLP and did our program at home which

was a bit pricey to " try " (couple of hundred dollars) in the short

run but much cheaper in the long run. We tried it however for

reasons unlike most -to reduce Tanner's stutter which is worked for

that. Tanner's SLP then was very awesome and out of the box.

Below is an archive on more:

We did go through Tanner's SLP -but back he was getting it -most

didn't use it for speech -just sensory issues. Ortega CCC

SLP, Tanner's one SLP -was very progressive and out of the box in how

she dealt with Tanner's apraxia. She looked at his whole body rather

than just his speech issues (thankfully!)

Re: Listening Therapy

Hi Nikki and all! Listen... " Archive! "

From: " kiddietalk " <kiddietalk@...>

Date: Fri May 20, 2005 4:50 pm

Subject: Re: Listening therapy-Vital Links

Vital Links

6613 Seybold Road, Suite E

Madison, WI 53719

Phone: (608) 270-5424

FAX: (866) 636-9720

And much more info on this subject:

From: " kiddietalk " <kiddietalk@...>

Date: Sun Aug 22, 2004 7:34 pm

Subject: Re: Therapeutic Listening and other multisensory

approaches

Hi da!

Below is an archive on therapeutic listening with a number of links

that may help -and then below that a recent article on another

multisensory approach to therapy/learning called The Association

Method.

In addition to traditional speech and occupational therapy, it's

great to keep an open eye to (safe) multisensory approaches that may

also benefit our children. I recommend looking into both

therapeutic listening therapies, and many ask about good educational

preschool programs for verbal disabled children. I encourage

also exploring oral based schools for the hearing impaired (or the

Association Method school which was started at a school for the

hearing impaired)

In addition to years of intensive traditional ST and OT,

there was also ProEFA, therapeutic listening,

cranial sacral therapy, Fast For Word, Earobics (now using at 8

years old the version for Adolescents and Adults) " ride therapy "

etc. My

son Tanner attended the Summit Speech School for the hearing

impaired, an oral based program through our town's preschool

disabled 'out of district placement' program. Since kindergarten

however Tanner has been mainstreamed and a top student in an

accelerated academics private school. His speech still isn't yet

100%, however

no social/academic and/or learning

problems. We aren't just proud of him -he's proud of himself!

http://www.cherab.org/information/familiesrelate/letter.html

Tanner is not the only child like him that I know -and lets as a

group make this a trend. The unusual memory skills that I found in

Tanner even from a young age that I asked about here are reported by

many others now -strong memory skills are key for being a top

student/reading, math etc. If you are not sure what I'm talking

about let me know and I'll archive the post. I'm not talking about

academic tested " memory " -I'm talking about real life memory skills -

and even again from a young age where developmentally most others

are easy to distract. You tell them once and they don't forget -

even days later, you hide it to take it out of sight and they don't

stop looking -and once they find it they don't forget the hiding

spot, you drive somewhere once and they point to where you need to

turn the next time you go...you'll know what I mean if you know what

I mean.

Perhaps not being able to communicate early on builds up the area of

the brain for memory since unlike others their age they have to

remember the thoughts they have while they try to figure out how to

communicate them...like cabbies -the hippocampus perhaps is the are

that is developed? It's worth exploring at some point -I mean why

not our children when someone takes the time to " research " the

hippocampus in cab drivers instead?!:

" Apart from explaining taxi drivers' feats of memory, the research

suggests that the human brain is susceptible to environmental

stimulation--good news, for example, for people hoping to recover

from brain injury. "

http://www.psychologytoday.com/htdocs/prod/PTOArticle/PTO-20000701-000008.ASP

Multisensory is the way to go to help our 'cherubs' find a voice...

and success!

From: " kiddietalk " <kiddietalk@...

Date: Thu Mar 6, 2003 9:19 pm

Subject: Re: Listening Program

Hi !

There are a number of " listening therapies " out there -most based on

Tomatis -that all fall under the umbrella term for a type of

auditory treatment. We used a program called 'Therapeutic

Listening " from Vital Links with Tanner and loved it since it

appeared to help -and like the ProEFA was a pretty quick change and

fairly inexpensive. Here is an overview of some of the programs

from the company that had the program my son Tanner used -Vital

Links http://www.vitallinks.net/index.shtml

I believe you were kind of new to the group at the time and were at

the CHERAB meeting

http://www.cherab.org/news/meetings/eventsjune2001.html

<http://www.cherab.org/news/meetings/eventsjune2001.html> when

Dorinne

S. , MA, CCC-A, FAAA behind the Center

http://www.thedaviscenter.com <http://www.thedaviscenter.com>

presented their " listening program " I know that the Center is

one of the places for this type of therapy that my Co-Author

developmental pediatrician Dr. Marilyn Agin refers to. These types

of programs where you go to a clinic for the therapy sessions can be

a bit pricey (of course well worth it if they help) I have found

personally that there are other ways of doing the listening therapy

programs at home while working with professionals -which is what we

did with Tanner.

Many times OTs have provided auditory therapies such as this -I

believe it was mainly for those with some type of sensory

integration dysfunction DSI. Even though my son Tanner had DSI -it

was not for the DSI -and it was not an OT that recommended the

listening therapy for Tanner. Tanner's SLP when we lived in NJ -

Ortega CCC-SLP (who was highly recommended to me by Dr.

Agin when Tanner was first diagnosed with apraxia) was very

innovative in treating Tanner's apraxia with a " whole body "

approach -which is why Dr. Agin loves her so much. Too many SLPs

concentrate only on the mouth and facial area -some SLPs are more

aware that speech problems can relate to issues in other parts of

the body -and the brain responds to multiple stimuli. Many

educators are fully aware of the benefits of treating children with

LDs with a multi sensory approach

http://www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/reading/mssl_methods.html

<http://www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/reading/mssl_methods.html> -not

all SLPs are

yet.

Tanner's therapist tried the therapeutic listening for

Tanner to help stop some dysfluency he developed when he started

talking based on the theory that it would help with the right-left

brain activity.

My experience makes me recommend auditory therapies as part of the

treatment for our children with multisensory communication

impairments. I believe a multi -sensory approach will be proven to

be most effective for our children down the road -I just don't

believe in waiting, and was thrilled to have an open minded SLP like

working with Tanner.

Anecdotally -Tanner would have trouble speaking clear and getting

his words out -and then within a minute of putting the headphones on

his words would come clear and smooth -not sure why but since it

appeared to help we used it. He had a waist band to wear so he

could wear his CD player around when playing, during therapy -etc.

The only activities we were told not to let him do while wearing the

headphones were watching TV or playing on the computer. Tanner

doesn't use the therapeutic listening program much anymore, however

his speech is also much better now, and he's older and is more aware

of " what's cool " (at 6 and a half can you believe it?!!)

I just want all of you to know you will probably not read the above

anywhere else since this is not what the program is intended for. It

was just a theory of 's -but it worked amazingly well for

Tanner! was trained by Vital Links so I was able to order

the special headphones which had the " right " and " left " ear marked -

and the " correct " CDs for Tanner from Vital Links

http://www.vitalsounds.com/ <http://www.vitalsounds.com/> You can

not order

from this company

without the training code of the professional that took the course.

Supposedly using the wrong CDs can be harmful somehow. (any OTs

want to explain the danger of listening to the wrong CDs?)

Here are some cut and pastes from the various websites out there

from a quick search at google. No bad reflection on the many that I

left out -like I said there are tons of them -just do a quick search

at http://www.google.com <http://www.google.com> and you'll see!

" The Listening Program is comprised of psychoacoustically refined

soundtracks. Specially selected, re-arranged, re-recorded classical

music (featuring Mozart) and nature sounds have been processed in

post-production with sophisticated sonic technologies. The Listening

Program respectfully builds on the theories and clinical research of

Dr. Alfred Tomatis, and other sound pioneers. Developed by an

interdisciplinary team of educational, therapeutic, medical, music

and sound professionals, The Listening Program helps to train the

ear and brain to perceive a full spectrum of sound without

distortion... "

http://www.advancedbrain.com/tlp_intro.html

<http://www.advancedbrain.com/tlp_intro.html>

" The therapeutic use of music to stimulate brain processing has long

been scientifically supported. Since Dr. Alfred Tomatis pioneered

the therapeutic application of sounds to treat specific symptoms and

behaviors, there has been a veritable explosion in the types of

auditory interventions available, most of which are based on Dr.

Tomatis' early work.

We have therapists trained in Samonas Sound Therapy, Integrated

Listening Programs, and Listening Fitness Programs and can assist

parents in making an informed decision about which program best

meets the needs of their child. Listening programs are offered as

stand alone programs in conjunction with regular Sensory integration

sessions here at the clinic... "

http://music.nt4kids.com/ <http://music.nt4kids.com/>

" Therapeutic Listening uses sound stimulation in combination with

sensory integrative techniques. Strategies that are emphasized

include vestibular, postural and movement strategies. This treatment

technique involves listening to specifically modulated and filtered

music on compact discs through headphones... "

http://www.childrenstherapycorner.com/article/article1.html

<http://www.childrenstherapycorner.com/article/article1.html>

" This program is not a miracle cure. It is a tool used by

specifically trained Occupational or Physical Therapist, that when

combined with other therapy treatment approaches, can have a

significant impact on the client's functional abilities... "

http://www.helpingyourchild.com/therapeuticlistening.html

<http://www.helpingyourchild.com/therapeuticlistening.html>

Stuttering after apraxics start speaking as well as some info on

therapeutic listening.

/message/7318

< /message/7318>

Listening Therapeutic Programs

/message/6066

< /message/6066>

Goals for Stuttering/Dysfluency and apraxia

/message/19701

< /message/19701>

article by Sheila Frick, OTR, founder of both Vital

Links and Therapeutic Resources which I believe comprehensively

explains the various types of listening therapies

/message/21050

< /message/21050>

=====

[Guest guest]

Tomatis Listening Program was one of the first alternative treatments we did for

my son. And it brought the biggest WOW for us after 4 years of traditional

therapies.

My son started to say " Yes " and " No " appropriately. It improved his depth

perception and balance.

All the kids I know made some positive improvements after they went through the

program.

After you are done with the Passive and Active Phase you need to do Maintainence

and Booster session.

Unfortunately for us the the center at Dallas closed...so we were not able to do

the maintence and the booster sessions so far.

Hope this helps,

sowmya

>

> Hi. Has anyone used this method and found it helped with their child's speech?

It is covered under EI here but I am not sure if it truly helps with apraxia

specifically. Any insights would be greatly appreciated.

>

[Guest guest]

I've used SO many methods, including Tomatis, and saw no improvement. But we are

considering having our son try Tomatis again. Sometimes things click at

different ages for them! Hard to say. For a few years we've had him home with a

speech therapist working every morning for 4 hours, Mon-Fri. No words

whatsoever, but he is learning to spell with a laptop and learning to write as

well - VERY SLOW progress, I might add.

(ny 12)