Action Research Project
?The Listening Programme: Does it really work
At our school, we have 40 children on roll with a current statement of Autism. The occupational therapist and the Speech and Language Therapist attached to the school have reported that approximately 74% of all children with Autism have sensory processing difficulty. The ability to process the sensory information around us everyday is vital to our ability to function and to make decisions about how to react and behave in different situations. “Imagine what happens when one, or all, of your senses are intensified or are not present at all, often referred to as sensory integration dysfunction. This is the case for many individuals on the autistic spectrum” (The National Autistic Society 2007)
At Southmead School, The Listening Programme was introduced across the school for our children with the greatest sensory needs. The children were observed and monitored for a month by the Speech and Language Therapist, Interventions Manager and Class teacher while in class and at play. Two children from each key stage were chosen to take part in the programme as selected by the Speech and Language Therapist in consultation with the Inclusion Leaders, Intervention Managers and class teachers. The children who were chosen displayed the most difficulty with attention and concentration and greatly delayed use of functional speech. They both use the Picture Exchange Communication System as their main form of communicating with adults and peers. They both find it very difficult to settle to a task and are performing academically far below their classmates.
There were four boys in Key Stage One put forward for the programme. We decided to work with two for now as to be better able to decide on the effect of the programme. The two boys not selected were very similar in nature the two chosen. They are of similar age, in the same year groups, have difficulty in social situations and are functioning at well below the nationally expected levels academically.
Often children with Autism display behaviours which have are self stimulatory, like flapping or spinning. (National Autistic Society 2007). Such behaviours give the child a feeling of control over the overload of sensory information they are presented with everyday.
“When auditory perception is distorted—whether through illness, injury, developmental or other challenges—auditory processing problems can lead to academic, emotional, cognitive and social challenges, including problems with the following: “
• Attention and concentration
• Listening
• Speech and language
• Memory
• Communication
• Social skills
• Reading
• Sensory integration
• Self regulation
• Physical balance and coordination
• Vocal performance and musical ability
http://www.thelisteningprogram.com/Overview.asp
In the children identified as candidates for the listening programme, we observed deficits in all the areas listed above. Most noticeable were the areas of communication and social skills. The children in question have little or no function vocalisation skills. Three of them rely on the Picture Exchange Communication system as their main means of requesting wants and needs. The other child is unable to engage in a simple conversation or answer how or why questions related to a task.
“The Listening Program’s psycho acoustically modified music and patent-pending production techniques are designed to stimulate, or “exercise” the different functions of the auditory processing system. This enables the brain to better receive, process, store and utilize the valuable information provided through the varied soundscapes in our lives such as music, language and the environment in which we live.
The Listening Program’s psycho acoustically modified music and patent-pending production techniques are designed to stimulate, or “exercise,” the different functions of the auditory processing system. This enables the brain to better receive, process, store and utilize the valuable information provided through the varied soundscapes in our lives such as music, language and the environment in which we live.”
http://www.thelisteningprogram.com/How_TLP_Works.asp
“Certain classical music, like that of Mozart, Haydn and Vivaldi, has specific structure, producing sound waves in organized patterns. Within these patterns are vital elements including time, frequency and volume. When listening to music, the ear is receiving the musical sound waves—waves that arrive in different frequencies, measured in Hertz (Hz). These frequencies stimulate the brain, and thus affect different functions of the mind and body.”
http://www.thelisteningprogram.com/H...Connection.asp
“The Listening Program combines decades of clinical research in several fields, including neurology, physiology, psychoacoustics, auditory processing, music theory and more. The method builds on the work of respected leaders in these fields, such as ear, nose and throat (ENT) physician Alfred A. Tomatis, M.D. (1920-2001). Among other discoveries, Dr. Tomatis helped identify the relationship between certain sound frequencies and their effect on functions of the mind and body. A simplified explanation of Dr. Tomatis’ findings shows that certain bands, or zones, of sound frequencies affect different abilities:”
Zone One
Sensory Integration
(lower frequency sounds) • Balance
• Rhythm
• Coordination
• Muscle Tone
• Body Awareness • Sense of Direction
• Laterality
• Right/Left Discrimination
Zone Two
Speech and Language (mid and higher frequency sounds) • Memory
• Concentration
• Attention • Speech
• Language
• Vocal Control
Zone Three
High Spectrum
(higher frequency sounds) • Energy
• Intuition
• Ideas
• Ideals • Spirituality
• Creativity
• Auditory Cohesion
http://www.thelisteningprogram.com/H...Connection.asp
The Listening Programme is very easy to administer and manage. It is low cost and does not require a large space making it a very attractive intervention to use. The school has only had to buy in a set of individual CD players, specially designed head phones and the CD’s. It does require a trained provider to administer and our Speech Therapist has been trained on how to use and monitor the programme.
Once a day for half an hour, the two children selected from Key Stage one to participate in the programme are taken to a quite room with a Learning Support Assistant to listen to one of the carefully chosen CD’s. They are taken at the same time everyday. The LSA has been shown how to use the programme by the school Speech Therapist. While listening to the CD the children are allowed to draw or colour.
The two boys have been taking part in the programme since early January and the Key Stage one team have notice an improvement in their use of functional and spontaneous speech. They still require the use of PEC’s but their verbalizations are becoming more frequent and relevant.
We have also noticed an improvement in their concentration span and attention to tasks. Their behaviour has improved and they are both calmer and less likely to distract their classmates during carpet times.
The table below outlines the improvements we have observed.
Child Inappropriate verbalizations per session before the programme Inappropriate verbalizations per session now Time spent on task per session before the programme Time spent on task per session
now Writing levels before the programme Writing levels now
Child 1 25 12 5-10 minutes 15-10 minutes P4 P6
Child 2 23 10 3-5 minutes 8-12 minutes P3 P4
(Southmead School, 2007/2008)
The table below outlines the results for the two boys not currently taking part in the listening programme.
Child Inappropriate verbalizations per session before the programme Inappropriate verbalizations per session now Time spent on task per session before the programme Time spent on task per session
now Writing levels before the programme Writing levels now
Child 1 35 27 10-12 minutes 12-15 minutes P7 P6
Child 2 28 23 8-10 minutes 10-15 minutes P6 P6
(Southmead School, 2007/2008)
During this time the programme has been running, we have not introduced any other new strategies for these children. Their daily timetable has stayed the same and we have continued to use the visual reward system involving tokens and rewards that had been in place previously. We have therefore concluded the improvements listed above must be related to the listening programme. The improvements in the levels of the children not involved in the programme have been attributed to a more consistent use of the visual rewards system but are not has great as those in the programme.
Schools are adopting more sensory integration programme like The Listening Programme as interventions. However “there is wide spread scepticism regarding its effectiveness” (Aetna, 2007, p 1). Kaplan et al have stated that the use of any sensory integration therapy treatments does not have any greater effect on a child’s progress than other more conventional methods. Hoehn and Baumeister (1994) go onto state that the use of sensory integration therapy is not only unproven to have any benefits but it is also an ineffective intervention for children with special needs.
“The American Speech-Language-Hearing-Association declared that auditory integration training is an experimental procedure because it has not yet satisfied standards of effectiveness that would justify the inclusion of this method as mainstream treatment for a variety of communication, behavioural, emotional and learning disorders” (Aetna, 2007).
Even the National Academy of Sciences (2001) came to the conclusion, even though they talk about the fact children with autism tend to display dysfunction in many areas of sensory processing, “there is insufficient evidence of the effectiveness of auditory integration therapy in autism” ( NAS, 2001) .
The study undertaken at Southmead School has been very small due to the nature of it being a mainstream school. It is very difficult to find large homogenous groups of children with autism due to its wide and very diverse spectrum of symptoms. However, based on the results we have observed, I would recommend other schools use The Listening Programme as a sensory integration treatment. It has been very easy to implement and has caused little or no disruption to our children’s need for structure and they have come to enjoy going and will often approach the Learning Assistant taking them and say “go listening now!”
The children that have taken part in the programme have made progress in the areas that were our main causes of concern. We believe the listening programme works and is the reason for improvement in their communication, social and attention skills.
References:
ABT – Advanced Brain Technologies, LLC (2008)
www.thelisteningprogramme.com
AETNA Clinical Policy Bulletin, Sensory and Auditory Integration Therapy (2007)
www.aetna.com/cpd/medical/data/200-299/0256.htm
Hoehn TP, Baumeister AA., (1994) “A critique of the application of sensory integration therapy
to children with learning disabilities.” Journal of Learning Disabilities, 27(6) pp 338-350
Kaplan BJ., et al (1993) “Rexamination of sensory integration treatment: A combination of
two efficacy studies,” Journal of Learning Disabilities, 26(5) pp 342-347
Lord C., McGee eds (2001) National Academy of Sciences (NAS), National Research
Council, Division of Behavioural and Social Sciences and Education, Committee on
Educational Interventions for Children with Autism. Educating Children with Autism,
National Academies Press: Washington DC
National Autistic Society, (2007)
http://www.nas.org.uk/nas/jsp/polopo...70&a=3776&view
Southmead School, (2008) Writing levels
