Fwd: Information on Sound Stimulation Therapy (Tomatis) another form of AIT

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599 Markham Street, Toronto, Ontario, M6G 2L7, Canada

Tel: , Fax:

E-mail: listen@... Website: www.listeningcentre.com

The following is a general explanation of the services offered at The Listening Centre.

The Listening Centre is an independent clinic which uses a listening training program of sound stimulation and counseling which is based on the work of Dr. Alfred Tomatis, a French physician and Ear, Nose and Throat specialist, as a primary mode of intervention. There are about 200 facilities, which use similar listening training methods worldwide and 30 in North America. Tomatis found that human activities such as receptive and expressive communication, learning, social behavior, activity level, motor function and coordination are related to the ability to listen. A major distinction is made between hearing and listening. Hearing is the passive, involuntary function, which allows sound perception. Listening is an active voluntary function. Well developed or well trained listening allows us to focus on the sounds we need and to reject, or protect ourselves from the sounds we don’t.

Clients of all ages come to the Centre for various reasons. The Listening Centre is mostly known for its work with children and adults with Learning Disabilities (such as Dyslexia or Nonverbal Learning Disability), Auditory Processing Disorder and Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). It also provides services to children with Autistic Spectrum Disorders and other neurologically or genetically based developmental delays such as Cerebral Palsy or Down Syndrome. More than 60% of the people we help at The Listening Centre have a past history of ear infections.

Programs are also available for facilitating the acquisition of foreign languages or for more proficient use of the voice for teachers, singers or performing artists. Adults with a low energy level or feeling of “running out of steam†with their studies or their job are good candidates for a program at the Centre.

An intake at The Listening Centre starts with an Initial Assessment, which permits us to determine whether or not a person is a candidate for the listening training program. The changes and improvements to be expected and the approximate length of the program required to reach these goals, are also evaluated during this first interview. Most programs consist of two intensive phases of about 30 hours each, (2 hours/day for 15 days) with a 4 to 6 week break in between. Short reinforcement "boosts" may be recommended as a follow up.

Each child (or adult) receives an individually tailored sound program (music or voice) through headphones. The sound is modified through various electronic filters and gates before being transmitted to the ear in a pulsating way to achieve the listening training effect. The sound program is designed to reproduce the different stages of the development of listening, which can be broken down into two general phases.

The first, or ‘passive phase’ works primarily on receptive listening, which is the first stage of communication. While listening, the child can play, draw, paint or even sleep. Adults can do the same, or they can keep busy doing something not too demanding such as classifying family pictures in a photo album, or simply relaxing and having a good time. It is not necessary to concentrate on the sound stimulation.

During the second, or ‘active phase’, the emphasis is on expressive listening, or in other words, on the auditory control of the voice. During this phase, children and adults are invited to hum, sing, speak or read into a microphone while their voice is fed into their ears once it has been electronically modified. For children who are unable to participate in structured voice exercises, a microphone is placed in the room so that it picks up and emphasizes their attempts at vocalizing. Parents are welcome to benefit from complimentary listening training sessions while their child is doing the program. A Listening Consultant monitors the program and provides guidance to the child’s parents (or to the adult) over the course of the program.

We hope that this brief description gives you a better idea of what we do at The Listening Centre. Please feel free to contact us if you require further information. You can also gain further insight into the program by reading Madaule's book, When Listening Comes Alive. For those interested in autism, a television documentary, produced by the Discovery Channel called The Child That You Do Have, can be borrowed from the Centre. If you haven’t already done so, we invite you to visit The Listening Centre website at www.listeningcentre.com. Finally, if you live in the Toronto area, come and visit the Centre during one of our Open Houses, which are typically held on the first Thursday of the month at 7:30PM. As dates are subject to change, please call us to confirm your space.

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