Integrated Listening System

Disclaimer: The following information is compiled by Relationships First and reflects the opinions of Relationships First. It is not our intent to speak for nor represent Integrated Listening Systems.

How iLs Works

At first glance, it appears as if our ears, our eyes, and inner ear (balance) work independently — and that they have their own discreet neurological pathways that coordinate, or manage, each individual function. This couldn’t be farther from the truth. Each of these three systems talks to and receives information from the other two systems at all times. The elaborate communication system between these three major senses must be coordinated smoothly and efficiently for optimal functioning to occur. This communication is achieved through what is called an integrated system: auditory, visual, and vestibular (balance).

Combining Movement, Listening, and Visual Stimulation

The 3 systems are vital to our ability to learn, pay attention, process information, and coordinate movement. As these 3 systems are so interrelated, “exercising” them simultaneously is a holistic approach which requires the brain to become better at integrating multi-sensory information. We are essentially re-training the brain to become more efficient and effective and, in the process, strengthening neural connections to improve performance.

Repetition Builds New Brain Pathways

As newborns we gradually progressed from involuntary reflexive movements to more voluntary coordinated movements which, as we repeated them, became automatic. Research has shown that the cerebellum (lower back side of the brain, near the brain stem) plays an important role in this “automation” process, and when it is not doing its job well we have difficulty building patterns for further development in learning and coordination. iLs programs stimulate cerebellar activity to strengthen neural connections and, in the process, improve our ability to make skills such as reading, writing, spelling etc. automatic.

The Central Role of the Vestibular System

The vestibule, located in the inner ear, maintains balance and spatial orientation, allows adjustment of body posture, and stabilizes the eyes during head movements. It also supports the eye tracking ability required for learning.

Psychoacoustic Techniques

All of the iLs music processing techniques are safe and have been tested over many years of application to both children and adults. Bone conduction: When we speak, we hear our voice through both air and bone conduction. Lower frequencies in particular lend themselves to conduction by bone. These frequencies seem to have a very positive effect on our vestibular function.

Frequency Filtration: By filtering, or letting only certain frequencies through, we are able to selectively train parts of a client’s auditory spectrum, improving learning-related abilities such as pitch discrimination (selectivity), sound decoding, and auditory memory. Gating: The muscles of the inner ear have, as one of their functions, the job of screening out unwanted sounds. iLs gating separates music into two channels, alternating (or “gating”) them, with one channel boosting high frequencies and the other channel boosting low frequencies as the music volume increases and decreases. This causes the muscles in the middle ear to continuously tighten and relax, a process that strengthens them. As the muscles become stronger so does our ability for focused listening and paying attention.

The iLS Focus Protocols

The iLS FOCUS contains 5 protocols that target areas of the brain responsible for sensory-motor processing, reading, auditory processing, language, concentration, attention, focus, optimizing performance, and the needs of people on the autistic spectrum. Each protocol contains 30 to 60 one hour sessions.

Results

Sensory integration in combination with auditory processing therapy is a relatively new field. Informal studies, however, have yielded remarkable and exciting results, however, and practitioner response is enthusiastic.

In a study titled, Early Intervention: A Longitudinal Study of Reading and Reading Related Achievement of Students in Kindergarten Through Second Grade Enrolled in the Alpha Program, Dr. Anne Calhoun, Professor of Language, Literacy, and Socio-cultural Studies, UNM/Albuquerque, obtained data based on the results of the pre- and post-PPVT-III and Qualitative Reading Inventory Assessments administered to 32 students participating in a program called ALPHA during 2006, compared to a control group of 32 similarly developing peers in grades K-2. The ALPHA Program combines iLs with musical, visual, verbal, spatial/kinesthetic, and logical modes of learning.

After the 3-month program, statistically significant gains in vocabulary and cognitive skills were made:

• The test group gained on the average two grade levels in reading fluency and comprehension.
• The test group were able to respond correctly, on average, to 90% of the reading comprehension questions, as opposed to 25% among their control group peers.
• The test group made one-third the number of miscues in decoding in comparison to their control group peers.
• Test group students read at twice the rate of their control group peers.
• There were statistically significant gains in receptive vocabulary and cognitive skills, according to a standardized measure, the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-III
• The test group could recall seven times more specific story-related information than their control group peers.

Read more information about this study from Sierra Dove.

6 students completed 4 months of training using a Tomatis-based listening program combined with a vestibular/visual stimulation program. Detailed individual case studies were compiled by Bobbi Van Houten, RN, at Hope Charter School in Florida. She administered informal pre- and post-assessments in reading, and found that the average gain in reading ability was 2.2 years. On a school-wide standardized evaluation of academic performance (NWEA MAP), the average percentile gain in reading for these 6 students, after 4 months of therapy, was 36 points (e.g., a student advanced from the 40%ile to the 76%ile).

See this chart for the results of this study.

“As a pediatric occupational therapist who has been practicing for over 25 years, I am continually amazed at the effectiveness of DLS equipment with children on the autistic spectrum, who have sensory integration disorders, language-based and non-verbal learning disabilities as well as other developmental delays. This equipment facilitates growth and development in the areas of motor skills, language/communication and social skills at a greater rate than any modality I have used.” Diane Levinson, OTR/L