Therapeutic Listening for integration issues?

Karen,

Awhile back, I compared Therapeutic Listening to The Listening Program because TL training was coming to a city near me. TL is marketed to OT’s. The information I came up with is that TL is probably not as sophisticated as TLP. As you know, the research is questionable on listening therapies period. But if I wanted to try it knowing the risk, I’d go with TLP.

You may already have the link, but here is the best price I’ve found for TLP:

http://www.rmlearning.com/auditoryprocessing.htm

Janis

Karen,

I agree with Janis. TLP is the best parent administered program around. They also have a sensory integration CD that is supposed to be done before the regular program, although I haven’t used it. Interestingly enough, one of the changes I saw with my son when we did it was in fine motor sequencing. So it may just be integrative in general.

It isn’t difficult to do and my son did not object, except in the middle but that just lead to some rearranging of times. I had done it right before bedtime but after awhile he was too awake after doing it for that to work well. Then we did it before a bedtime story, which worked fine.

Beth

Beth, I’m glad you are here - I figured you’d be a good resource.

So my idea doesn’t sound crazy?

I just don’t have the time or energy to make him go back to vision therapy right now. Its such a big commitment. And even though his auditory processing skills have never been questioned, the kid does have a language disability.

I’m just looking for some incremental improvement in those areas. Whatdya think?

Karen,

My son does have auditory processing issues so our kids aren’t exactly alike. I do know though some therapists recommend TLP before IM so it isn’t just auditory processing. What I also saw was that it worked on the vestibular system. Before TLP, he had to stand on a balance board to do auditory processing exercises. Afterwards, there was no benefit to doing it on the board. So do I think it have some integrative characteristics and that makes other sorts of learning easier.

It is mild and doesn’t have side effects. I don’t think it is predictable what benefits you will get but that is true for much therapy, in my experience.

It can’t hurt and it might help. We did it as a “break” and it worked well that way.

Beth

Reread your message and saw the question about language. I never saw any change with TLP there. My son doesn’t use irregular tenses correctly and will use some words incorrectly (He wants to go to college ON the Bahamas!) Nothing has changed this—and he does just fine in structured speech therapy setting .

Vestibular benefits though might impact vision processing. Frankly, we have seen more progress with vision through improving vestibular functioning than working directly on vision.

Beth

Beth, that’s exactly what I was hoping you would say.

My comment about his langugage based disability is that although he looks oh so NLD on paper, in real life he has phonemic weakness, and probably some auditory discrimination issues that have never been addressed.

My feeling is that if, for a minimal investment, and no additional strain to his schedule I can have a positive impact I may go for it.

I do believe the improvements we’ve seen in him are a result of years of intervention. Even the ones that didn’t appear to yield much may have contributed. You never know.

Karen,

One last comment: I was talking to our NN provider about high frequency listening programs (TLP being one of them). She says that the results wear off over time. This fits the recommendations of TLP folks who talk about doing it more than once and DEA who has used a lot of listening therapy with her daughter who talks about refreshers. The thing is TLP seems to make other kinds of learning easier. TLP provides a sort of window of opportunity. So you might think about if there is some type of therapy you still do want your child to do that would benefit from having done TLP first. If there isn’t, I would still do it. After all, you may find him moving faster and easier in the reading circul. at his school.

Beth

Thanks, that is very helpful.