[senco-forum]Developinglistening skillsinsecondarypupils-Eddie'sCD

Hi Jill,

I think it is The Listening Program/ TLP that you have read about.  This link 
explains about the theory behind it. It was created by Alfred Tomatis  and is 
often referred to as the Tomatis Method.  
http://www.allthingswell.com/alfred_tomatis.cfm . As you can see it appears  to be marketed much as a cure-all 
for many conditions.

This explains more on how it works on APD.

http://www.thelisteningclinic.com/CSHA03_1.php

This is what the articles in favour of such programs do not tell  you...

If someone acquires APD from damage such as glue ear, brain injury, stroke  
etc, programs like these can help to remediate that person's brain into  once 
again being able to function as it was originally, to a certain extent at  
least, in the way in which it worked before the injury/damage. TLP  is very  
useful in this area; it is recommended that the TLP program  be repeated annually 
as if to "reboot" the sluggish processors  which can later forget again how to 
work properly. So as you can see  it is a help to many, but one that has no 
permanent gain without regular  "reminders".

It has however been found that this and other programs show even more  
limited improvement in those with the inherited and congenital forms of APD -  
either in their genes or damage while developing in the womb. In someone born  with 
APD, this is due to neurological damage (it is believed that "APD is a 
deficit in  neural transmission between the 8th Cranial Nerve and the auditory  
cortex in the temporal lobe" )and the programs will have limited effect  because 
the improvement made will have less effect as that  individual's brain does not 
naturally work that way; you cannot restore  what was never there. In 
addition these programs can in some people totally  undo the brain's naturally 
developed coping strategies and thinking patterns,  especially in adults or older 
children where such strategies have had time to be  developed, which can 
disorientate them for days or longer, making sound  processing a nightmare of noise. 
It is also unsuitable for those with  hyperacusis/sound sensitivity so they 
have developed a version of TLP for those  with such sensitivity and 
practitioners must make sure the right program is  used, or such disorientation can be 
worsened. I would advise anyone wishing to  use such programs to do so only 
under the expert guidance of  trained and reputable providers.

This is why those with APD, both inherited and acquired,  need to  deveop 
coping strategies to work around what is lost... such as a person born  without 
an arm can never regrow that arm, but they can learn to live with it and  adapt 
around it. Unfortunately there is, as yet, no prosthetic device that can  
replace the damaged auditory pathways...although maybe in generations to  come we 
can hope this might be possible, as in the case of cochlear implants for  
hearing loss.  

I hope this helps.

Best wishes,
Aly

Chair Auditory Processing Disorder in  the UK/APDUK
www.lacewingmultimedia.com/APD.htm 
www.apduk.org