Hi J.,
There are many different listening therapies for you to consider. Tomatis and AIT are therapies that are done in the clinic, cost the most, but because of the professional oversight, have the best results. However, I have heard from others that have used this therapy that it probably needs to be repeated over the years.
Because of that, I have very successfully used at-home listening therapies, where the family purchases the equipment, the therapist gives them the protocol to follow, and if necessary, the therapy can be repeated as needed with no additional cost.
The three at-home therapies that have been around a long time and therfore have had pretty good results are Therapeutic Listening (www.vitallinks.net), Samonas (www.samonas.com) and The Listening Program (www.thelisteningprogram.com). These site have lots more information for you including a provider locator.
Underlying the ADHD and sensory problem is unintegrated primitive reflexes, and specifically the Spinal Galant reflex. Primitive reflexes are reflexes that a child is born with, but that should become integrated (and therefore not showing as a reflex). For example, a three month old baby, when put on his stomach, holds his head up, and you think - my isn't he strong! No, he has no muscles yet; the TLR reflex causes him to hold his head up, and in repeating that action every day, builds the muscles necessary to hold his head up. Along with the muscle building comes brain development in the form of being able to sequence and telling time. An older child who has difficulty telling time or telling a straight forward story may also have poor posture, due to a retained TLR.
Back to Spinal Galant: the symptoms related to a retained Spinal Galant reflex are:
• Fidgeting
• Bedwetting
• Poor concentration
• Poor short term memory
• Sensory integration problems
• Near focusing problems
• Difficulty with reading
A person does not have to display all the symptoms, but at least two or three to probably still have an issue here. After integrating the reflex, a child will open the pathways to the higher levels of the cognitive brain so that the therapies work best and permanently. Without this step, children with sensory issues need to continue with therapy much longer than needed.
So, what to do? The child needs to recreate the stage of development that should have integrated the reflex, by doing about 10 minutes of simple exercises a day for about a month.
Where to go for the exercises? Some Occupational Therapists know this work. Since I gave professional development in NJ a few times last year, there should be some in your area. You need to specifically ask if they know the exercises to integrate the reflexes. Most of them know the exercises to test; a few have beeen trained in the solution.
Professionals are best because they can oversee the process. If you cannot find one, there are two DVD programs you can find on the internet to help: www.movetolearn.com.au and www.pyramidofpotential.com.
Write me back if you have any questions. Otherwise, best of luck!!!
K. Johnson, MS Ed