I have a parent of a student I teach who is considering enrolling her child in “Auditory Integration Training” via use of an Earducator. The student does have a learning disability in reading but does not have a diagnosed central auditory processing disorder nor ADHD. What is the research regarding the efficacy of this program?? From what I’ve been able to find, it appears more appropriate (though not totally substantiated yet by research) for students with autism, ADHD or CAP? Help!
Re: Auditory Integration Therapy
I wouldn’t think it would be useful to a kid unless they had auditory processing problems. There are lots of other reasons why kids have trouble reading. We did The Listening Program, the mildest of the sound therapy programs with good results. I did some research on sound therapy, and like Dea says, there isn’t really much research substantiating it. I spoke to an audiologist who did AIT and Somonas who told me she had better results and fewer side effects with Somonas. Her population was kids with central auditory processing problems (CAPD). AIT does seem to be mainly used with autistic kids.
Beth
but there is NO good research supporting it. We did Tomatis, not AIT and we did it thru an MD doctor neurologist not an ‘earducator’? My dd was only 5 when we went thru the whole program. Basically what it does is stimulate parts of your brain that are non-active - so that the learning process is easier. (It does this by sending controlled sound frequencies thru your ear that exercises the vestibular system.) You STILL have to go thru the learning process! You will not exit the program knowing how to read.
It brought down roadblocks for my dd. She was a different kid - but not cured.