Welcome to
the April ADHD ezine.
This month our theme
is parenting ADHD children
and what you can do
successfully, to help your child, deal with the stimuli around them.
We received an email
asking about Auditory Integration Training
and we have enlisted
the help of a teacher and a doctor
to explain this exciting
development to you,
and they suggest how
you can use AIT to further enhance the life of your ADHD child.
There is an article
that is sure to get a reaction on the ADHD forum
~ a Doctor saying
ADD is a myth and explaining why!
and finally, a wonderful
piece of writing from an ADHD Mum and her advice in coping with professionals.
Sound of a Miracle : A Childs Triumph over Autism by Annabel Stehli |
I first heard about it when reading the book, "Sound of a Miracle", by Annabelle Stelhi. Since then another book has come out, "Dancing in the Rain", which contains short stories about children with a variety of disorders treated by AIT.My question is, have you ever heard of this, and do you have any information regarding this treatment. I am very interested and would like any input. Thanks Patti " |
Dancing in the Rain : Stories of Exceptional Progress by Parents of Children With Special Needs |
AIT was developed in France in the 1960's
by Dr Guy Berard, an ear, nose and throat specialist, in order
to stop his own hearing loss and tinnitus suffered after a bomb explosion.
Dr Berard suggests that problem behaviours can be directly related to hearing; that when hearing changes, behaviours can alter as well. The book he wrote about his therapy is entitled 'Hearing Equals Behaviour' He would also suggest that it is very difficult to produce sounds or language that one cannot hear, or that are heard in a distorted fashion. |
Dr. Wayne J. Kirby, D.A.
University of North Carolina at Asheville
This article is based on a research paper that was presented on January
27, 2000 to
The Congress of the
International Association of Bérard Practitioners
in Antwerp, Belgium
Purpose of Study:
Testing of Participants:
AIT Listening Sessions:
Hypothesis:
Results after 3 Months:
Experimental (AIT) Group: Showed statistically significant improvement in all areas when their pre- and three-month-post-experiment scores were compared with regard to impulsivity, inattention and total errors. The experimental group also showed improved performance when compared to the control group.
Conclusions and Recommendations:
I believe that AIT, using appropriately modified classical music, can significantly enhance the educational potential of children with ADHD. I would recommend that future studies include larger groups of experimental and control subjects. I would also recommend studying a larger population of children beginning when they are in the six to seven year old age range, and following them until they are ten or eleven years old. This approach would enable an evaluation of long-term effects of AIT. While there is a good deal of anecdotal evidence that suggests AIT is helpful to adults with ADHD, future double-blind studies are also needed for this population. I believe that the results of this pilot study will provide the groundwork for future research.
The graph on the left shows the improved scores of the experimental group. Note how the median number of total errors decreases from 37 errors before AIT to 5 errors three months following AIT. About the Author: Dr. Wayne J. Kirby is Professor of Music at the University of North Carolina at Asheville. His research efforts have focused on the effects of sound and music on the human brain. Dr. Kirby holds a bachelor’s degree from The Juilliard School, a master’s degree from Yale University, and a doctorate from New York University. He has presented
and published numerous papers on subjects relating to music technology
and music perception, including a recently published paper on AIT entitled
“Brain Disorder, Auditory Hyperacusis and the Promise of Music Technology.”
Dr. Kirby was personally trained and authorized by Dr. Guy Bérard
to teach and certify professionals in the Bérard Method of AIT.
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Availability of AIT-ADHD CDs:
AUDITORY INTEGRATION TRAINING by Sharda Ramlackhan, M.A
Auditory Integration Training or AIT - is a Behavior Modification Training. It is a method of correcting the root cause of many learning disabilities. Hypersensitivity, distortions, and delays in the auditory signals contribute to inefficient learning. AIT is a method of retraining the ear to listen and to process sounds in a more normal manner, without distortions and delays. How we listen and process sounds affects our alertness, attention span, concentration, information processing, and the way we express ourselves, both verbally and in writing. When the listening process is not working properly, it can interfere with our entire system and its ability to function.
Hearing and listening are
two quite different from each other. You may have excellent hearing
acuity (i.e., hearing within normal range), but have an inaccurate perception
of what is being said, faulty teaming of the ears occurs when both ears
are not working together, this can interfere with the ability to work and
play efficiently and comfortably, and may even cause physical discomfort
and pain. This imbalance in hearing between the ears may lead to
a host of behavior and learning problems
An intense program of sound stimulation varying in pitch and intensity (using music and headphones), activates the middle and inner ear which then transmits sound to the brain via the auditory nerve. The sound stimulation improves aural flexibility and enhances the transmission of sound to the brain.. |
In the auditory system, going from the eardrum to the brain cells, concise zones exit corresponding to low-pitched and to high-pitched tones. These parts are not anatomically similar on the eardrum, on the cochlea, and perhaps in the brain itself. If one or the other of these areas of the auditory system is stimulated by certain programmed alternating sounds, the same identical result as that obtained by mobilization of the elbow is achieved.
When an individual is hypersensitive to an intensity
or frequency, the auditory system can shut down. The individual avoids
certain sounds, places and situations. This person may cover his/her
ears, "tune out," or display unusual or socially inappropriate behavior.
Similarly, individuals who hear poorly at certain frequencies or hear constant
ringing in their ears, can begin to display withdrawn, aggressive or different
behavior in order to deal with their hearing disorder.
These are areas and cells of the brain stimulated by different frequencies and/or intensities. If these sounds are not entering the system appropriately, the brain cells will not be stimulated properly. This will affect the processing of sensory input. The same words spoken by someone with a high pitched voice will sound different when spoken in a low pitched voice. Children, in particular, can become confused, and performance may vary depending on the pitch of the voice. |
All of these auditory problems contribute to cognitive fatigue and variable performance that is so common among children with learning disabilities. These children use much energy trying to decode or translate the scrambled and distorted messages they receive. The performance will depend upon the amount of energy, interest, and motivation they have at a given time. Other variables such as voice quality, pitch, and rate of speech delivery of the speaker, background noises, and visual cues also impact the performances of these children.
Because of the strong contribution of hearing to receptive and expressive abilities, those individuals who exhibit language/learning disabilities, attention deficit disorder (ADD), dyslexia, pervasive developmental delays (PDD), autism and tinnitus (ringing in the ears) may be excellent candidates for AIT.
AIT is a technique to enhance the efficiency and normalize the auditory reception system (ear and brain) by reducing hypersensitivity and reducing hearing peaks and troughs as measured on an audiogram. This will improve the sensory input/output and feedback system. Indirectly this will also improve listening, attending, cognitive abilities, behavior and social skills.
Sharda Ramlackhan, M.A.
is a parent of a 14 year old boy with Autism. She has been a practitioner
in the field for the past 8 years. Sharda has traveled extensively
all over the world administering AIT to the children and helping parents. She is available to visit New Zealand.
She has also generously sponsored this month's ADHD ezine and we thank
her for her support.
If you need further information on AIT, you may reach Sharda. Visit EARS website: www.web-wisdom.com/ears & www.autismusa.com or write to ShardaEARS@aol.com |
Parents' Positive Tips For Dealing With Professionals, by an ADHD Mum, Click here
Conduct Disorder.com featured Bop it Extreme this month.They say,"
"Kids love the original Bop It, an electronic toy that challenges response time to pull, twist, and bop different parts of the toy.The extreme version adds two more tasks, more sounds, and a taunting, smart-aleck announcer who directs the game. As you get better, the game moves faster until you miss a beat and lose, accompanied by a fair amount of noise and ridicule from the toy. People who don't think they'd ever want to play Extreme Bop It won't be able to put it down; it instills a compulsive need to bop till you drop. It can be played in a group and makes a good party game--even for serious adults." Ok...We're not sure what is up with this "Bop It," but it has 51 reviews and they are all raving about this little toy! Click here to check it out! |
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So that's us until next month, when we will again
be looking at adult ADHD, If we don't hear from you before then, see you
in May
Warm Regards
Tricia and Mike Legg
Editors ADHD ezines
PS. Many thanks to the support from our sponsors,
the AIT experts, Dr.
Wayne J. Kirby and Sharda
Ramlackhan, MA,We would appreciate your visiting their webpages if
at all possible and referring others to them as well, who may be helped
by AIT.
Teachers!
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accommodation to Teachers Travel Web new members
if you mention
ADHD ezines!