Home The Spectrum Center, Bethesda, New York, Chicago. New York, NY. 307 East 53 St., NY, NY 10022 Phone: (212) 223-2928 Bethesda, MD. 4715 Cordell Avenue, 4th Floor, Bethesda, Maryland 20814 E-Mail: info@spectrumcenter.com Phone: (301) 657-0988

As an Occupational Therapist, I have been involved in the treatment of individuals with Autism for the past thirty years; almost half that time, as director of the Spectrum Center, employing the Tomatis Method of auditory training. During this time I have tried to understand the role the “ear” plays in the treatment of developmental disorders including Autism ad PDD-NOS, in what I’ve come to call the “Auditory Connection”. In more simple terms, “why does listening to music create the changes I observe on a daily basis?”

For more information please see The use of the Tomatis Method for children with Autism and PDD

Functions of the Ear:

1) Sensory Regulator and Sensory Integrator
The ear is much more than a mechanism of hearing; rather firstly it is a major sensory regulator and integrator. The ear regulates our behavior by giving us the appropriate level of arousal to attend and learn from our environment. The ear takes sensory information from our sense of where we are in space (vestibular), our sense of body position (proprioception), our sense of touch (tactile), and our sense of vision, putting these all together to tell us about our world and how we operate in it. One of the first things we observe change in children is their ability to regulate their level of attention and activity. This is called sensory regulation.

A child with an under-aroused sensory system, may be difficult to reach, seem to tune things out and need a very “big message” in order to get his/her attention. This same child may engage in self-stimulatory behavior such as spinning them-selves or watching things spin, as an attempt to wake up their sleepy system. A child with an over-aroused system may be very hyperactive and impulsive. They may have many sensory defensive behaviors such as sensitivities to touch, sound, light, and movement. They may have sleep disorders, either difficulty falling or staying asleep. It is in these areas that parents first report change. Parents often report that their children are sleeping better, more cooperative with self-care activities such as haircuts, trying new foods, more affectionate, more aware of and interactive with their environment.

For more information please see Sensory Integration Disorder in children with Autism and PDD and Sensory Defensiveness in children with Autism and PDD
 

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