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| Hearing We use our ears to hear voices, music, alarms and sirens, as well as "noise" around us generated by electronic equipment, nature, etc. When our brains are able to properly receive and organize the data they receive through our ears, we are able to sense danger, process information and instructions, and feel pleasure through music or sounds of nature. A person whose senses are well-integrated can sit in the middle of a noisy party with music, talking, glasses and silverware clinking, and dogs barking, and still be able to carry on a conversation with the person sitting across the table. This person’s brain simply filters out the unnecessary information, and focuses on the words the individual speaker is saying. In contrast, a person with sensory integration dysfunction may hear all of the above sounds at the same level, in effect being bombarded by each of the sounds. This person will be unlikely to follow the conversation directed at them by the person across the table. Imagine a similar child in a classroom, surrounded by pencils being sharpened, children talking, music playing, feet shuffling, and chairs being scraped across the tile floor. This child may not be able to complete the math or reading assignments correctly with all of the other stimuli overloading his brain. In fact, this child may even exhibit behavioral problems resulting from his frustration and inability to screen out unnecessary sensory input. The teacher may notice the child "clowning around," staring into space, or flapping his hands. This child may become terrified of the fire alarm, perceiving that sound as painful. Another child may struggle when the room is quiet, because that child is not receiving enough input through his hearing. This child may begin tapping his pencil, humming, kicking his desk, or otherwise producing his own noise. All children are different in their needs, but the teacher should be sensitive to the child with sensory integration dysfunction, taking time to determine whether that child needs a quiet area to study, a set of headphones to block out extra sounds, or perhaps a stereo headset to provide quiet music. Symptoms of Listening Problems
Therapeutic Listening Therapeutic Listening is a sensory technique targeting the vestibular and auditory systems through specially designed music and equipment. Provided by certified therapists, this tool can be a wonderful adjunct to traditional therapies and can positively affect many areas related to sensory-integrative dysfunctions. Through our own experiences with music, we know how different types of music affect us, from nature sounds to classical music, to rock and roll. Music itself, as a type of sensory input, is often used by therapists to assist with the sensory integrative needs of children. Therapeutic Listening is similar to this approach, however, it is a much more specialized technique. It is ultimately hoped that this technique will help promote change in the skill of "active listening," a skill requiring significant coordination of the vestibular and auditory systems. For more information on Therapeutic Listening, visit the website www.vitallinks.com. The Listening Program The Listening Program ® is a Music-Based Auditory Stimulation method that is used to train the auditory skills needed to effectively listen, learn, and communicate. This method has helped thousands of children with auditory processing problems, dyslexia, learning disabilities, attention deficit disorders, autism, and those with sensory integration and motor skills difficulties. It has helped adults fight depression, learn foreign languages faster, develop better communication skills, and improve creativity and on the job performance. Finally, many clients report psychological gains: improved self-confidence, higher levels of energy and motivation, greater clarify of mind, and a sense of well-being. The Listening Program ® was designed to help balance, strengthen, and/or restore our ability to listen to and process sounds across the full auditory spectrum, from 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz. Using The Listening Program ® literally exercises and tones tiny muscles in the ear and helps build stronger multi-sensory pathways in the brain. The brain receives especially rich auditory stimulation, and its ability to process sound improves. The Program is available exclusively through trained and qualified health, therapeutic, and educational professionals, but can be used as home. The closest local provider is in San Jose, CA at All Things Well Music (see also Music Therapy) My children have always loved music and when they were younger, we would regularly attend "Music Together" classes. These classes are fun, easy, and a great way to meet other moms. We'd also often use soothing music when they were infants to lull them back to sleep. Now, every night we still use a lullaby CD at bedtime. These were (and still are) our tried and true favorites. Scroll to the bottom for more listening ideas and see our Books & CDs page for singalong fun! Seeing Our eyes provide us with input regarding such things as color, light, movement, locations, body language, and facial expressions. This information, when properly received and analyzed by our brains, allows us to find our way around, read, interpret body language and facial expressions, anticipate movement, and sense danger. A child who is under-reactive to sight stimuli might flick her fingers in front of her face, or hold a book close to her eyes. On the other hand, a child who is overly sensitive or overly reactive to visual input might be frightened in a crowded mall, or become either withdrawn or hyperactive in a room with bright lights and an abundance of color or movement. People with sensory integration dysfunction may not respond appropriately to others’ facial expressions, due to their inability to properly organize visual input. A large classroom which is visually stimulating, with colored posters, stacks of books, bright lights and windows, rows of desks, and many children, can be very distracting to the person with sensory integration disorder, and may require that special accommodations be made for that person. Symptoms of a Vision Problem
There is a crucial difference between “sight” and “vision”. Though we are born with sight, vision is actually learned. Sight occurs in the eyes, but vision is the ongoing interplay between the eyes and the brain. Incredible as it sounds, each eye receives about a billion messages every waking second. These images are then sent to the brain, which, in turn, processes them into pictures in our “mind’s eye”. How well your eyes work together to help the brain interpret these messages ultimately determines not only whether your vision is good or bad, but also whether or not you can concentrate. Since 75% to 90% of all a child learns comes to him via the visual pathways, it stands to reason that if there is any interference in those pathways, a child will not develop to his maximum potential. About sixteen percent of all children suffer from inadequate visual skills Vision therapy is a non-surgical course for treating many common visual deficits, such as poor tracking, double vision, inadequate focusing abilities and lazy eye. The course of treatment varies greatly from one individual to the next, but typically includes a series of eye exercises that strengthen the eyes and visual system. Visual Perception can be stimulated by the following activities: puzzles, tracing, dot-to-dot, activities distinguishing letter’s and numbers that appear similar (like 2/5, b /d, p / q), hidden pictures, stringing beads, and sorting nuts and bolts. Visual memory games like "Concentration," and building blocks like Legos, also help visual perception. Vision Therapy and the Autistic Child Success Story. Here is an excellent website that explains Vision and Learning and another that answers questions about and explains Vision Therapy. |
Hearing & Sight
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| Toys, Products, and Ideas for Sensory Stimulation |
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| San Francisco Music Box Company |
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