was:OT: now: Janice suggestions following digit testing??

[Guest guest]

I would like your take on this:

I did the test on the website with digits on flashcards for auditory

and visual.

the results were the very opposite of what I thought he'd do.

For the auditory sequencing, he was able to do all of them.

For the visual he could not get past two digits and usually reversed

them when he said them. IF the card said " 3, 5 " . he said " 5,3 "

So I think that indicates that his visual memory is short or

something?? Not sure

The highest I went on the digit cards were 5 digits. He could

repeat all five if given to him verbally. When he was showed the

cards and had to repeat, forget it.He at the most got two digits and

he usually reversed them.He was not able to repeat the three or more

digits cards when shown them.

>

> You can roughly split processing in to 2 sub-types: auditory

processing and visual processing. MOST kids with SPD issues will

have either an auditory processsing disorder or a visual processing

issue. Auditory processing is the most common.

>

> My son HAD an auditory processing disorder which we have now CURED!

>

> #1) EAR HEALTH

>

> Firstly, you need to address the physical ear. Can your child

hear adequately and is his ear healthy? I never knew that my son

could not hear well until I took him off of milk/casien products.

Now I do know that casien results in congestion of his ears,

desensitization of his hands, lips and tongue. He is 12 and so can

tell me the difference! If there are on-going physical problems

with the ear, therapy will have results that go up and down but are

never truly resolved.... so this area must be addressed to get long

lasting results.

>

> #2) TONAL PROCESSING

>

> When a child has lost their abilities due to congestion, infection

or 'whatever' for some time, their brain goes into homeostasis and

so even when the ear is physically OK, you need to stimulate it and

get the systems running once more. We did this via the use of The

Listening Program by Advanced Brain Technologies. This was a good

choice for us as we own the cd's and use them daily (still). The

result was better tonal processing and Mark can now 'hear' all of

the various tones with appropriate sensitivity. His pitch is much

better and he no longer talks REALLY LOUDLY in inappropriate

situations and he also no longer suffers with hyper-sensitivity in

other situations. This was the best $550 I have ever spent.

Recently, they have come out with bone conduction programs which are

pricey but if I was purchasing it for my child TODAY, I would make

the investment. There are many different types of listening therapy

providers out there, choose one that best fits your needs and budget

and do it!

>

> #3) AUDITORY PROCESSING

>

> The next thing that we did to get Mark's auditory processing up to

speed was to use digit spans. We purchased a very cheap, crude

program called Brainbuilder again by Advanced Brain Technologies and

began doing these exercises. Well, he hated the program so I just

tossed it away and began doing the digit spans with him on my own.

It worked! Mark went from an auditory forward digit span of a 5

(level of a 5 year old) to an 8 (normal adult level) within a 4

month time frame. He is now a 9 and is considered above average in

auditory processing! (go figure...) So, what was once a severe

handicap is now a strength! Results to improving auditory

processing include... better receptive language, better expressive

language. For instance, Mark used to say " What?, What did you say?

Pardon? " all day long. He could not follow instructions (because he

could not remember them auditorily), could not remember the words to

our National Anthem, could not tell a story with a beginning, a

middle or an end. He used to take 'runs' at sentences such as " I

want to go, I want to go, I want to go... ummmm, to the store and

buy a new book " He simply could not remember anything coherently.

>

> ALL OF THIS IS NOW GONE!!!! and he is blessedly normal. I really

noticed the most incredible difference in his abilities when he went

from a digit span of 7 to 8. The results were absolutely

wonderful. The exercises are boring, tedious but cost nothing

(except that of a whiteboard and your valuable time). Until we got

Mark up to a digit span of 8, we did them about 3 times each day for

about 2 minutes per session. We do auditory forward and auditory

reverse. We also do visual forward but he really doesn't need them

as he started out with visual processing of a 9. He had been

compensating visually all of these years without me realizing it.

Now-a-days we just do them once a day so that I can try to advance

him forward and he can be ahead of the pack. He still suffers from

pretty severe dysgraphia and needs every advantage he can get at

school!

>

> The difference for him? He went from being a Special Education

Lifer (with little chance of improvement) to mainstream education

all within one year! His teachers are all amazed by his 'change'.

>

> I now take my son to the National Association for Child

Development www.nacd.org and they design a home therapy program for

us that really addresses all of his therapy needs. They are non-

profit so amazingly cheap in comparison to therapists and we have

gotten all of his therapy needs dealt with: visual, auditory, gross

motor, fine motor, academic, etc. I would never have known about

Mark's auditory issues without these fine group of people.

>

> While Marks auditory processing is now normal, one sip of milk,

one milkshake or one ice-cream can take it all away within hours.

His articulation begins to slide, the " whats " are back in his

language, he begins to lose his balance and tumbles, falls and trips

once more. Thus, I need to be vigilant about keeping him away from

all casien products. The results are devastating and damaging to

his senses.

>

> I am going to provide you with an article on processing from their

website. It is called:

>

> LEARNING HOW YOU LEARN

> Auditory and Visual Digit Spans - What Do They Mean?

> J. Doman Jr.

> http://www.nacd.org/more_information/journal/learninghow.html

>

> I highly recommend these simple exercises. Last year at this time

(September, 2006), my 12 year old was severely handicapped for his

age in auditory processing. By February of 2007, by doing all of

the above concurrently and daily without fail, he was NORMAL! I

cannot emphasize enough the difference to his quality of life, his

hopes for the future, his self-esteem, his friendships....

everything has prospered since we resolved this issue for him. He

used to be considered 'slow' but is now considered funny and witty.

He used to never be able to explain his point of view (unless it was

on a computer) and now he can battle his sister down to the ground

in a verbal argument. He can debate like a master. The result was

absolutely worth the tedium of the exercises.

>

> Here are some videos on NACD for those of you who require home

therapy programs (designed by really great people), at a low cost

(all non-profit) in conjunction to whatever biomed you are doing.

>

> http://www.nacd.org/tour/video.html

>

> http://www.nacd.org/tour/video2.html

>

> http://www.nacd.org/tour/video3.html

>

>

> Take care and good luck. Never give up and never believe anyone

when they tell you that your child is incurable! NOT TRUE!!! Our

children have unlimited potential and promise.

>

> Janice

>

>