Tomato, Tomatis...

Lucas's tolerance is pretty amazing!

It is really important that I make it clear that this post is written as Lucas's mother and not an OT. From the very begining of our journey I have found myself divided: what I thought I knew, and what I now know.

A few years ago, I looked at the auditory processing outcomes of traditional models of treatment for children and adolescents with T21 and I decided we were going to find something else, and further we couldn't afford to wait. It had to be something that was natural, could not harm Lucas, and most importantly had the ability to actually change the way his brain was perceiving sound.

I read a story about Alfred Tomatis, a French otolaryngologist, and how he had worked with opera singers whose muscles of the inner ear (which need to vibrate very quickly to detect high frequencies) had become "flabby" over time from the frequent and intense sound they were receiving. He completed programs with them which gated different sets of frequencies through head phones to retrain their "listening" ability. Although the concept is incredibly complex and scientific, that was the basics for me.

You had me at "flabby." If the opera singer lost the ability to hear the higher frequencies and consequently couldn't hit them with her voice, how would my son's speech and processing develop if he never perceived them to begin with? Was it likely the muscles of his inner ears were flabby when the rest of his body was low tone?

I was elated to realize there was a great Tomatis clinic 20 minutes from my house, and Lucas completed all three "Loops" when he was 18 months old. At the time, he was babbling in monotone and very quietly. Upon completion, we noted a sing-songy quality to his babbling and jargoning quickly followed. Lucas began saying his reading words out loud and we also had noted Lucas indicating the need to void after the loop that concentrated on basal sounds (which tunes the child in to their body).

Whether I speak as a mother or an OT, the bottom line is that there is only one way into a brain - our senses. If walking and balance is the outcome of poor or incomplete neurological integration, then what will "practicing" walking and playing balance games do? I used to think it would somehow help the brain organize - I now know it simply helps the patient practice his maladaptive skills. The same can be said for attempting to improve handwriting by practicing handwriting, speech by speech drills, and processing by...well, what do we do for kids who have difficulty processing?

Depending on the type and severity of processing delay there are many programs and techniques available, in Lucas's case auditory processing seems to be our Holy Grail. It is the reason the child can learn complex things quickly at home, but doesn't even seem to realize the teacher is talking to him at his reading group. At home, Lucas can carry on a 6-7 turn conversation, yet can't even respond to a "hello" at the noisy market.

When you talk to me, I can focus on your voice and ignore the whir of the lights, the humming of the refrigerator, and the music on the radio. Sometimes children with "auditory processing difficulties" feel the two sets of stimuli competing with each other. After Lucas's listening test (NOT hearing test, his hearing is very acute), it is clear that he isn't even experiencing the competition of stimuli, he ignores the higher frequencies (speech) when a lower frequency (environmental) is present.

How in the world could I ever put him in a classroom until this is sorted out? Even worse, I filled out 2 sets of the Vineland (a standardized questionnaire) for him; one as a caretaker and home-schooler, and one based on his performance in a "classroom," his reading group. Some of Lucas's academic skills were pushing the 7-8 year old level, while his basic classroom skills were at the 2-3 year level!

With all of this in mind I set up an 8 day Tomatis "bump" for Lucas. The head phones have the ear piece obviously for the higher frequencies and a bone conduction piece for the lower. The sound is very low and I have brought his reading and knowledge programs with me to do with him each day at the clinic while he is listening. 

Tomorrow is his last day and I most certainly am keeping careful notes on changes I see in him. I can say that this morning he went to the market with me, pushed the cart, got everything on his list and had a nice conversation with the lady who runs the store. 

If you are so inclined to learn more about Tomatis, it is easy to research and if you are local I have a wonderful contact for you.

Trouble, Trouble, and Trouble on Easter!

 
Alfred A. Tomatis was an internationally known otolaryngologist, and inventor. He received his Doctorate in Medicine from the Paris School of Medicine.(1)

His alternative medicine theories of hearing and listening are known as the Tomatis method or Audio-Psycho-Phonology (APP). Tomatis' approach began as an effort to help professional singers in his native Nice based on his idea that errant hearing is the root cause of a variety of ailments. His Listening Test and later his Electronic Ear therapy were designed to alleviate these problems.(2)

1. Sollier, Pierre (2005). Listening for Wellness.

 2. Tomatis, Alfred A. (1991). The Conscious Ear: My Life of Transformation through Listening. Paris: Station Hill Press.