How The Listening
Therapy helps Children Sufffering From Dyspraxia
Dyspraxia can be defined
as an impairment or immaturity of the organisation
of movement which, in most cases, is associated language,
perception and thought problems.
Children suffering from
dyspraxia may demonstrate the following types of difficulties:
-
Poor gross and fine
motor skills, awkward movement and clumsiness.
-
Speech delay.
-
Poor attention and
concentration
-
Poor social and
communication skills.
For the past 40 years,
the method of Doctor A. Tomatis, a French ENT specialist,
has successfully helped many children with dyspraxia
in Europe and North America. His initial research
with singers and people suffering from hearing loss
led him to a greater understanding of the role of
the ear, which is far from being limited to the hearing.
In fact the ears are vital for both physical and emotional
development, right from the embryonic stage.
The development of the
cars is characterised by its precocity, it starts
within the first few weeks of the foetus' life and
is functional at 4 1/2months of prenatal life.
There are two parts
in the inner ear which work together - the vestibular
apparatus and the cochlea.
The vestibular apparatus
monitors the interaction between the body and the
environment, whether static or dynamic. It is thanks
to the vestibular apparatus that
we can move with a sense of balance,
co-ordination and remain upright. Every single muscle
of the body informs and receives information from the
vestibular apparatus. During the first years of life
children manage to build up a correct ".body image" or "body
awareness" thanks to a good vestibular integration.
Another function of the vestibular
apparatus is to provide the necessary stimulation to
the cortex. In other words. the ears act
as generators supplying the brain with the energy it
requires to be active.
Once the vestibular apparatus is well
integrated, the cochlea is able to function in an optimum
way. The cochlea's role is to perceive and analyse the
sounds (thus language). However, it will take
a few years for the children to start listening and
concentrating properly. This will only be achieved when
the vestibular apparatus is maintaining a good motor
control i.e. balance, verticality and co-ordination.
In other words,, we need full motor integration to not
only hear but to start listening and communicating.
We now understand. why children suffering
from dyspraxia, have difficulties concentrating and
learning to socialise.
The Listening Therapy Treatment provides
a stimulation to the ears via the Electronic Listening
Device , which is a set of headphones and an electronic
device which filters sounds in such a way that the ears
are "forced" to function properly. It triggers
an intense stimulation of the vestibular apparatus and
helps the children to improve their balance and co-ordination,
as well as their gross and fine motor skills.
In parallel with the motor progress,
the ability to listen and therefore to speak and communicate
improves greatly.
The Listening Therapy helps the ears
to mature that have been delayed for various reasons
and helps the children to use more of their "locked
up" potential.
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