Thank you for your question! Therapeutic Listening is a complex treatment and there really isn't a lot of research on it. Please let me know if I have answered your question adequately.
Question: Good luck with TL(Therapeutic Listening)! I've heard and read about how great an impact it can have. We tried it with our four year old and we unfortunately fell into the under reported unsuccessful category which you alluded to briefly. I'm curious about what you know about the downside affects. We are having a difficult time pinning our OT down on the potential for adverse affects.
Answer: I am assuming you were wondering about research on the adverse effects rather than word of mouth. According to a paper published by the Autism Research Institute (B. Rimland and S Edelson 1991), the Berard and Tomatis Auditory Training programs are not harmful. Therapeutic Listening is based on these approaches. They also report that some people experience "mild-not severe-side effects during and after the training sessions, including irritability, mood swings, hyperactivity, and fatigue". This is based on parent report rather than actual data.
On a personal note, both Stefanie and I have children who have participated in Therapeutic Listening. Both of our sons had the experience of throwing up once while listening to the music. It can have a surprisingly intense effect on some kids. For both children, this was a one time thing. In addition to the above side effects mentioned, I have had parents report changes in eating and sleeping habits. Children with sensory issues often have eating, sleeping issues and mood swings before beginning Therapeutic Listening. It is sometimes hard to tell what is actually caused by the music.
Wednesday
Our experience with Therapeutic Listening!
A week or so ago I told you all about Therapeutic Listening and that children with SPD, among other things, can benefit from it. I also told you how it can make your child sick if not done properly. TL is very strong and should not be fooled around with. Well now I have my own proof to that.
Last week Little Man was at his weekly OT appointment. After about a half hour he and his therapist came out and she told me he had thrown up. He was white and when I say white I mean he was as white as rice! You could tell he didn't feel well. His therapist, who I really like, said that she thought it was because he was in the swing while doing the TL and was in it too long. I felt so bad for him and so did she. But after about 20 minutes, some water on his face, some water to drink and some down time he was back to his normal hyper self.
This past Monday Little Miss had an awful day! She was throwing tantrums, having major meltdowns and was very clingy, screaming and crying, etc. and so on. Nothing I did made any difference so I decided to sit her at the table with her TL headphones on and give her a sensory activity to do along with it. After about 10 minutes she was done. The strange thing was she was worse then she was before. I finally had to put her in her crib because I was afraid she was going to hurt herself (she bangs her head against things when she gets in one of these meltdowns.) After about 5 minutes I got her out of her crib and sat her down for dinner. She ate and ate and ate! All together she had about 4 kid sized plates of pasta, applesauce and cauliflower. She was an empty pit that wasn't getting full. She has been behind in communication but has been getting better with ST, OT and DT so she is saying some new words and new signs.
I spoke with her OT about it yesterday and she said that is was probably because she was so hungry and didn't know how to tell me and the music made her stomach hurt. Well then I just of course felt terrible! So now we are working on the "eat" sign! So my whole point is that even if your therapist helps you with TL and tells you what to do you need to be very observant of your child so that if they begin to feel sick you notice and stop the music. Having a child with sensory issues and having them not feel well equals major meltdowns!
This is my first hand experience with TL and my kids being overwhelmed by it. Please be careful when you do TL with your child(ren). Don't ever attempt TL on your own without the supervision and advice of your therapist!
For those of you that already do TL with your child(ren) here is a small list of things you can let your child do while listening to the music to give added input.
Sensory play activities to pair with headphones and music:
~ Washing cars in a basin or bowl
~ washing babies in a basin or bowl
~ yogurt or pudding paint on paper, mat or themselves
~ magnets on a pan
~ sorting balls, cereal, etc in muffin tins
~ markers, crayons and paper
~ bingo dabbers
~ puzzles
~ necklaces made out of cereal
~ hide small beads in some playdoh and let your child go through and pick them out and sort them however you want.
Do you have any more suggestions that we can add to this list? Please leave your suggestions in a comment!
Last week Little Man was at his weekly OT appointment. After about a half hour he and his therapist came out and she told me he had thrown up. He was white and when I say white I mean he was as white as rice! You could tell he didn't feel well. His therapist, who I really like, said that she thought it was because he was in the swing while doing the TL and was in it too long. I felt so bad for him and so did she. But after about 20 minutes, some water on his face, some water to drink and some down time he was back to his normal hyper self.
This past Monday Little Miss had an awful day! She was throwing tantrums, having major meltdowns and was very clingy, screaming and crying, etc. and so on. Nothing I did made any difference so I decided to sit her at the table with her TL headphones on and give her a sensory activity to do along with it. After about 10 minutes she was done. The strange thing was she was worse then she was before. I finally had to put her in her crib because I was afraid she was going to hurt herself (she bangs her head against things when she gets in one of these meltdowns.) After about 5 minutes I got her out of her crib and sat her down for dinner. She ate and ate and ate! All together she had about 4 kid sized plates of pasta, applesauce and cauliflower. She was an empty pit that wasn't getting full. She has been behind in communication but has been getting better with ST, OT and DT so she is saying some new words and new signs.
I spoke with her OT about it yesterday and she said that is was probably because she was so hungry and didn't know how to tell me and the music made her stomach hurt. Well then I just of course felt terrible! So now we are working on the "eat" sign! So my whole point is that even if your therapist helps you with TL and tells you what to do you need to be very observant of your child so that if they begin to feel sick you notice and stop the music. Having a child with sensory issues and having them not feel well equals major meltdowns!
This is my first hand experience with TL and my kids being overwhelmed by it. Please be careful when you do TL with your child(ren). Don't ever attempt TL on your own without the supervision and advice of your therapist!
For those of you that already do TL with your child(ren) here is a small list of things you can let your child do while listening to the music to give added input.
Sensory play activities to pair with headphones and music:
~ Washing cars in a basin or bowl
~ washing babies in a basin or bowl
~ yogurt or pudding paint on paper, mat or themselves
~ magnets on a pan
~ sorting balls, cereal, etc in muffin tins
~ markers, crayons and paper
~ bingo dabbers
~ puzzles
~ necklaces made out of cereal
~ hide small beads in some playdoh and let your child go through and pick them out and sort them however you want.
Do you have any more suggestions that we can add to this list? Please leave your suggestions in a comment!
Tuesday
Energetic Kids
Those of you with kids with behavioral disorders probably know the worst punishment you can bestow on your kids and yourself is to take away their physical play time. We try VERY hard to make taking away playing outside and running around Zach's last punishment because if he doesn't get to work off that extra energy it creates more behavioral problems.
Some of the activities I keep on hand for the kids for outside are long and shallow Rubbermaid bins, one with rice, and one filled with beans, a sand and water table, water balloons for the hot days, plenty of differently shaped and textured balls, frisbees, and plenty of sidewalk chalk.You don't have to spend a fortune, just get the kids outside and let them run some of their extra energy off.
Some of the activities I keep on hand for the kids for outside are long and shallow Rubbermaid bins, one with rice, and one filled with beans, a sand and water table, water balloons for the hot days, plenty of differently shaped and textured balls, frisbees, and plenty of sidewalk chalk.You don't have to spend a fortune, just get the kids outside and let them run some of their extra energy off.
Friday
New Addition
Alright everyone! We now have a navigation bar but please bear with me as I get it all together! I'll let you all know when it's complete! :) YAY!!!
Monday
Therapeutic Listening
If you have a child with SPD or any sensory issues then you probably already know about Therapeutic Listening and what it offers. But in case you don't know what I'm talking about then let me explain a little.
Therapeutic Listening is basically a therapy of music. The specially designed music works with your child on vestibular, sensory, auditory, etc. and is very powerful. The music goes really high pitched and low pitched. It's like a roller coaster of sounds and can make you dizzy or even sick if you listen to it too long and/or don't need it. To learn more please click here. Although TL is great, it is expensive and is not recommended for every child or every need. It is not something to mess around with and should only be done with the support and supervision of your Occupational or Developmental Therapist that is trained to work with it.
We are starting TL with Little Miss and today did a little extra. We (April & I) put her at the table with her headphones on and some sensory activities to play with. Doing both at the same time gives extra input and can really help their mood, behavior, spacial awareness and so on. Little Man does TL in a swing at his therapy sessions once a week too. Swinging while doing TL is another great way to give your child extra input.
We started with a very low CD for her called Rhythm & Rhymes. It is great for Little Miss because they're actually songs she will listen to and at some point start singing along with the music because they are toddler songs that every kid listens to and enjoys but redone in a way that works with certain issues. Little Miss did great with it today. She sat at the table, listened and played with a water activity and then some whip cream on a place mat. Those two activities are great for sensory play. After about 10 or 15 minutes she decided she was done and gave them back to me. Here are a couple pics of her this morning.
If your child has sensory issues and you're interested in learning more about Therapeutic Listening ask your OT or DT about it! Most therapists that are trained in it will have items that you can borrow. Like Little Miss' therapists; April (DT) gave us the headphones, travel pouch and a couple cds to start with. And Little Miss' OT gave us a kids therapeutic cd to work with. But please do not attempt to start Therapeutic Listening on your own. ALWAYS consult with your child's therapist(s) before starting any therapy.
I would also love some feedback from those of you that are or have used it with your kids. Did they like it? Did it help? Would you recommend it? What are your overall thoughts on it?
Sunday
Edible Playdoh Recipe
If your kids are like my little one then they put *everything* in their mouths! And yes, I do mean everything!!! :roll: Playdoh is a great sensory item for kids to play with and if it's edible even better! Your kids can play with it at snack time and when they're done it is their snack! So here is a recipe for edible playdoh. FUN! :)
Edible Playdoh Recipe:
3 1/2 cups peanut butter
4 cups powdered sugar
3 1/2 cups corn syrup or honey
4 cups powdered milk
chocolate chips (optional)
Mix the ingredients. Divide into 15 to 20 portions and refrigerate in plastic bags. After washing their hands, have children mold and shape the dough on waxed paper. Provide chocolate chips to be used as decorations if desired. Play with it and let them eat it!
I am going to add another great sensory recipe this week so make sure to check back!
A Bright Spot
Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there. We've actually had a good weekend so far with my Zach. Having a child with Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) or any mood or behavior disorder can be challenging. It can make you forget the good days when you're having a string of the bad days. The last month or so has been a string of bad days and very bad days. This weekend Zach as done a 180 and it's been great. For him, he's been perfect. By no means is he a perfect child, no would I expect any child to be perfect. It's by making mistakes that they learn and grow. What has been so wonderful about the last couple of days is that Zach has gotten back to using his manners, remembering some of our basic house rules, and being kind to his 2 year old brother. Zach has been acting like the almost 8 year old he is, and less like his toddler brother. This is really what our goal is in this whole process. To get Zach to behave close to his age rather than several years behind.
Saturday
Things are lookin up!
Sorry that I haven't posted for a while, things have been super busy! I hope you are all doing fantastic! Even though things have been busy lately things are starting to improve with Little Miss! She has started saying new words, imitating more, having less meltdowns and is being more tolerant of her brother. She just started Occupational Therapy two weeks ago and so far is doing fabulous during the sessions and already loves her therapists. Things are finally looking up! YAY!!!
We've been doing a little more but also a little less with her. We still do the yoga ball therapy, water therapy among other things but we've also started doing the trampoline with her. She doesn't really know how to jump yet but she's trying. It looks more like she's doing the wave with her feet not coming off the ground but rather just going on her toes while her arms fly up in the air. lol So cute! And another thing I've been doing more to get her to talk is whenever I do something for her or give her something I give her the words that she would use if she was talking more. I'll tell her, 'Thank you mama' or 'no thank you' whenever it is appropriate, that way she knows when to use them and she is hearing it a lot more so hopefully will start saying the words better. Instead of saying, 'thank you mama' she says, 'mama, mama'. lol But she is saying, 'no thank you.' it just comes out as, 'nodankooo'. Again, sooo cute! I love hearing her little voice when it's not screaming! We are also starting Theraputic Listening with her starting mainly this coming week, so I'll let you all know how it goes.
We have done so many things to try and help Little Miss and now we are waiting to take her in for a major evaluation. They are going to check her for all different sensory issues (which she has already had done but I think this one is a bit more thorough or something) and they will also evaluate her for autism among other disorders. Her appt is coming up next month so please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.
One thing that I have to say really helps is her Miracle Belt! It is a weighted belt that she puts on for about 1/2 hour twice a day. It helps give her extra input by applying pressure and she loves it. We call it her 'pretty' and she thinks of it as playing dress up and will bring it to me to put on her and then stand there and stare at it and make a cute little, 'ohhh' sound. lol I am thinking about contacting someone to do a giveaway on a Miracle Belt since it is something that I am fascinated with. Would anyone be interested?
I am going to post a recipe later on for some really fun sensory play-doh type goop and some other stuff so make sure to check back later this week. And don't forget to leave me a comment letting me know whether or not you would be interested in trying to win a Miracle Belt! Thanks! I hope everyone has a fantastic Mother's Day this weekend! (((hugs))) to you all!
We've been doing a little more but also a little less with her. We still do the yoga ball therapy, water therapy among other things but we've also started doing the trampoline with her. She doesn't really know how to jump yet but she's trying. It looks more like she's doing the wave with her feet not coming off the ground but rather just going on her toes while her arms fly up in the air. lol So cute! And another thing I've been doing more to get her to talk is whenever I do something for her or give her something I give her the words that she would use if she was talking more. I'll tell her, 'Thank you mama' or 'no thank you' whenever it is appropriate, that way she knows when to use them and she is hearing it a lot more so hopefully will start saying the words better. Instead of saying, 'thank you mama' she says, 'mama, mama'. lol But she is saying, 'no thank you.' it just comes out as, 'nodankooo'. Again, sooo cute! I love hearing her little voice when it's not screaming! We are also starting Theraputic Listening with her starting mainly this coming week, so I'll let you all know how it goes.
We have done so many things to try and help Little Miss and now we are waiting to take her in for a major evaluation. They are going to check her for all different sensory issues (which she has already had done but I think this one is a bit more thorough or something) and they will also evaluate her for autism among other disorders. Her appt is coming up next month so please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.
One thing that I have to say really helps is her Miracle Belt! It is a weighted belt that she puts on for about 1/2 hour twice a day. It helps give her extra input by applying pressure and she loves it. We call it her 'pretty' and she thinks of it as playing dress up and will bring it to me to put on her and then stand there and stare at it and make a cute little, 'ohhh' sound. lol I am thinking about contacting someone to do a giveaway on a Miracle Belt since it is something that I am fascinated with. Would anyone be interested?
I am going to post a recipe later on for some really fun sensory play-doh type goop and some other stuff so make sure to check back later this week. And don't forget to leave me a comment letting me know whether or not you would be interested in trying to win a Miracle Belt! Thanks! I hope everyone has a fantastic Mother's Day this weekend! (((hugs))) to you all!
Friday
Massaging Action Teether WINNER!!!
Our winner for the Massaging Action Teether is:
True Random Number Generator
Min: 1
Max: 35
Result: 16
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Icefairy #16
icefairy said...
My favorite is Naturally Playful Clubhouse Climber #2
April 27, 2009
Congratulations Icefairy! You have just 48 hours to respond to my confirmation email or a new winner will be drawn!
Look forward to more reviews and giveaways coming up soon! And keep spreading the word about the SPD Life. We are getting more authors to post about different disorders and all the chaos that comes with them! ;)
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