Dilys
Treharne of the Department of Human Communication
Sciences at the University of Sheffield
conducted a pilot study to investigate
the efficacy of TLP when
used for clients with auditory processing
difficulties. After reassessing the children
at the end of the eight week program
and then eight weeks later, she wrote
in the Winter, 2002 issue of Speech & Language
Therapy in Practice, "The results were
beyond my expectations: all showed an
improvement greater than one would expect
from maturation."
Of the many improvements
noted, Treharne found the
greatest change in selective
attention, also known as
auditory figure-ground.
Those with the severest
difficulties made the greatest
improvement. The most important
thing that the study showed
was that the improvements
made were not only maintained
but progress did not stop
after the initial eight
week program. Even those
without other interventions
generally continued to
make gains for up to 10
months when they usually
reached a plateau. At this
point many took another
course of TLP.
"The
Listening Program is
now my first step in
auditory training," says
Treharne, "as it seems
to activate listening
skills that have been
repressed or never developed,
thus priming the system
for more specifically
targeted therapy programs."
Neural
Plasticity Is the Key
The theoretical basis of any sensory stimulation program must include
neural plasticity. Neurons will branch out and establish new synaptic
connections when stimulated and research has shown that this occurs
throughout our entire lives.
Neuroscientist Lise Elliot
says in her book What's
Going On In There?, "Anyone
who has ever studied nerve
cells can tell you how
plastic they are. The brain
itself is literally molded
by experience: every sight,
sound and thought leaves
an imprint on specific
neural circuits modifying
the way future sights,
sounds, and thoughts will
be registered. Brain hardware
is not fixed, but living,
dynamic tissue that is
constantly updating itself
to meet the sensory, motor,
emotional, and intellectual
demands at hand."
Listening to the CDs
in The
Listening Program literally
exercises and tones tiny
muscles in the middle ear
called the tensor tympani
and stapedius muscles.
Exercising these two muscles
improves their tone, thus
making them more responsive
to their task of directing
the middle ear bones and
eardrum. This helps them
to amplify soft sounds
and protect the inner ear
from damaging harsh or
loud noise.
TLP was
designed to help balance
and restore our ability
to listen to and process
sounds across the full
auditory spectrum, from
20 to 20,000 Hz. The brain
receives especially rich
auditory stimulation, and
because of its ability
to change with stimulation,
its ability to process
sound improves.
Creating
the Listening Program
TLP was
created by Advanced Brain
Technologies, LLC (ABT)
in 1998. ABT grew out
of the National Academy
for Child Development,
whose extensive and diverse
client base, including
thousands on the autistic
spectrum, served as a
testing ground for its
development. ABT's objective
was to create a program
that was easy to use,
effective yet mild enough
for home use, proven
to have lasting results,
and inexpensive for families
compared to a facility
based program.
The Academy and its founder,
Robert J. Doman, Jr. had
used several other auditory
stimulation programs over
the course of three decades,
and had found them to have
varying degrees of effectiveness.
Many were beyond reach
for families and if home
based, often difficult
to administer.
So the ABT team decided
to develop a complete program
of CDs with gradually increasing
stimulation as a base for
people to process sounds
more efficiently. The music
was recorded through a
special production process
that would allow for the
development of new techniques
to maximize the effectiveness
of the program while maintaining
an aesthetic that would
make the program enjoyable
to listen to. Music and
instruments were selected
that would work best with
the required treatments
and sometimes new arrangements
of the music were written
to suit the requirements
of the program. Specialized
CDs were also created to
address more specific issues
such as language enhancement
and sensory integration.
They are used along with
the base program and allow
for further individualization
of TLP.
The design and presentation
of The
Listening Program were
of prime importance so
that it would be accessible
to any parent or individual.
A guidebook providing informative
background information,
detailed listening schedules,
and program support information
was created along with
a journal for the listener
or parent to record their
experiences.
A unique design was created
for TLP listening
sessions. It includes warm-up,
exercise, and cool down
segments of the music.
In this way when a child
or adult puts on the headphones,
they hear quite normal
sounds and music at the
beginning and the end.
This provides an orienting
and grounding experience
at the start and end of
each listening session.
Parents often report that
children love to listen
and will initiate the listening
sessions themselves.
Case Study: Six Year
Old Robert and TLP
An Occupational Therapist who is an Authorized Provider of TLP told
us about Robert, a six year old boy who had recently been diagnosed
with Autistic Spectrum Disorder. Language delays, behavior problems
and abnormal social skills had been noted by his parents from around
age two. Robert had auditory hypersensitivities, severe expressive
and receptive language delays, coupled with echolalia, topic fixations
and numerous other difficulties related to auditory processing
and sensory integration dysfunction.
"Robert began his personalized Listening
Program with the
Sensory Integration CD
and then continued through
the 8 week Base Schedule,
ending with the Speech
and Language Specialized
CD for this first time
through the program.
Near the end of his third
week listening to the
Sensory Integration CD
his mother tearfully
reported to the therapist,
'I feel like I am talking
to someone, not to a
wall!' More changes began
to be evident with his
increased physical play
and interaction. After
week 6, Robert was able
to attend school assemblies.
Previously the noise
and confusion had been
too much for him. His
reading comprehension
was improving and his
voice had more inflection.
"With the addition of
the Speech and Language
CD, both the family and
school continued to report
improvement in terms of
increased spontaneous speech,
improved comprehension,
and improved social skills.
Robert was also starting
to develop a sense of humor!
After 5 months, Robert's
father reported, 'Much
improved social interactions.
Talks better. Quicker responses
to verbal commands. Follows
directions better.' Robert's
family was thrilled with
the progress he had made."
Robert's therapist reported
that she was thrilled too. "I
have been an OT for 15
years," she wrote, "and
have not seen a child progress
so rapidly."
Listening to music is
an activity that can be
enjoyed by every age group
in nearly every circumstance.
This makes The
Listening Program a
fun and easy program for
families to integrate into
their daily schedules.
The result, helping to
normalize responses to
sensory input and improving
the ability to listen,
is often the jump-start
children need to function
more effectively in all
aspects of daily life.
We are grateful that it
has made a difference in
the lives of so many.
While
in no way a cure
for autism, when
used in combination
with a therapeutic
program tailored
to individual needs,
The 
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