Sensory Diet could be key Therapeutic listening uses modified music which takes out certain aspects of the notes/music/sounds.  You can find more here: http://www.vitallinks.net/ http://www.vitalsounds.com/ The notion is that it is "adaptive" or "modified" music specific to the child's auditory processing.  The CDs have music that has been altered removing certain frequencies (and I believe enhancing others) and the philosophy is that the modified music will help with the sensory processing issues. Some people swear that they can see significant changes immediately with their children. We have used the Jamz CDs.  Sometimes I felt as though we were seeing an impact. The recommendation is that the child uses headphones (and some of the sites say special headphones, but really...I am not sure why unless you plan on going whole hog and having the child wear the headphones all day)..  This will allow for the greatest separation of sound.  Next best is in a car with speakers on either side.  Eventually we found that BB loved the tunes and played them on the box we have in his playroom. I will warn you this though...check out your own reaction to the CDs first before trying them when you drive.  It has been noted that for a person without the specific sensory issues they can cause disorientation or nausea and this happened to me once or twice. Cam posted the links. What I have found is that he shows subtle differences in things such as increased affect, language, social interaction. We are addressing areas right now that have to do with his core. (Body awareness, clumsiness, strength, etc. ) It's kind of like it opens him up and then it's easier to work on these things. I had to fill out a lengthy form about him and then they select the CDs based on his needs. We used about 12 or so CDs so far. They have a flow chart and move through each area and adjust things as needed. One of the CD's really seem to bring out sensory seeking behavior. He was generally underresponisve and boom he was everywhere. We change CDs about every 2 weeks and occasionally take a break. The reason the headphones are special is because they allow sounds in, not like noise cancellation. The idea is that it is background music. It's training the ears to hear different layers of things and process it. We still talk and play while he is listening. Most headphones cancel out background noise. Is it a miracle cure, no. But, I feel it works well with what we are doing. It also addresses a lot of the sensory issues IMO. And, my son loves it and requests it. You are supposed to listen to the CD for 30 minutes (20 is acceptable) twice a day. We were lucky in that our county has a "hidden" program which they don't tell you about. If you buy the headphones (to keep) and 1 CD to donate, they will monitor the program and bring you the needed CDs. Then, a great pal from this board donated her headphones and equipment to us. So, I thought it was worth a try and have been very happy with it. Many OTs are trained to adminster the program. I will agree it can make you dizzy to listen to and that concerned me. But, it doesn't make my son dizzy and it seems to help regulate him. Hope that helps a little. That's great! I find the sensory motor play to have the same effect on my son. He also has much better behavoir after sensory motor play. Our Floortime consultant is also certified to do Therapeutic Listening, which we do and it has a similar effect for my son. We also do a lot of our sensory play while he is listening to his music on his headphones. Anyway, that is great. Good luck on the begining of your new VB program. I'm anxious to hear how it goes after he gets going. It is a big chunk of money, but I would do it again in a heartbeat. I would encourage your VB/ABA therapist to incorporate sensory play into his sessions. It will increase his motivation and he will associate VB with fun. We often used sensory activities as rewards in his sessions. And, we had our Floortime Consultant train our VB/ABA tutors in Floortime and they do that for about 1/2 of each session at this point. Keep up the good work and teach others who are with him during the day the sensory play that works well for him. You are a great Mommy! Flip could you share a little bit more about the Theraputic listening ? OUr VB therapist is already getting doing this - ( incorporating Sensory activity as rewards ) - In fact I am going to convert our Guest room into a sensory room for when its too cold to go outside Hey thanks you both for the great ideas Well after our Floorime consultation last month where the consultant had basically told us that we should focus completely and totally on implementing a sensory diet - we had been doing it in bits and pieces Well yesterday we started his VB program( we are soon going to be poor _ as it will probably be costing us $1200 per month - Gulp)  and he was stressed out - VB seems to be much more challenging to him - they were insisiting he vocalizes - very different than his state sponsored ABA where they are doing lots of matching objects ( using his visual skills that is a strength not his verbal skills which are a challenge ) So yesterday evening I wanted it to be all fun for him so we did only sensory motor play for about 1.5 hours Lying outside in the hammock with him - pointing out the leabes and the sky and singing Swinging - big swing and then small swing with all the songs he loves Swinging him around in the rug ( R lies on rug - Nana and I hold different sides of the rug picking him up and swaying him while singing songs ) Bath time with tons of water activity Massage and Mozart Dragging him through the house on a rug Joint compressions Songs with fingerplay and actions Swinging him in an inside hammock while rubbing his back Well not only did he ( and I ) have a great time - he also seemed much more engaged and alert in the evening I am travelling a lot this month but whenever I am home I plan to do a lot of Sensory Motor Play         This is WONDERFUL news Kajoli and it sounds like it would be so nice too! I am very happy for you guys in finding something that is having some impact!
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