Attention Deficit Disorder & Sound Therapy

The problem

Attention Deficit Disorder or Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder is a neuro-processing problem which affects attention and learning ability. It is believed to be caused by a deficiency in the transmission system which relays messages between cells in various parts of the brain. The majority of children with ADD/ADHD have auditory reception problems. Although they can hear, they have difficulty making sense of what they hear.

They cannot tune out unwanted input to focus on selected sounds. It is hard for them to concentrate on a topic for any length of time. Poor functioning of the frontal lobe means the child cannot think quickly enough to “put the brakes on” and control the impulse to act. This impulsiveness and hyperactivity also leads to behavioural problems and poor social skills.

How Sound Therapy may help

By stimulating the frontal lobe, Sound Therapy may restore the child’s ability to think quickly and put the brakes on before acting. This can help:

• Focus
• Listening ability
• Concentration
• Short term memory
• Reduce impulsiveness

By retraining the listening capacity Sound Therapy can help the child to focus on the desired sound. It then also helps to relay the sound directly to the language centre in the brain.

Auditory reception problems occur when the ear shuts down to certain frequencies of sound. The ear muscles become lazy and unresponsive. These muscles must be stimulated so the ear can tune in to the desired sound. Sound Therapy has been shown to provide this rehabilitation for the ear and re-organise the auditory transmission in the brain. This process reduces stress and tension in the whole nervous system. The child becomes able to attend to a chosen stimulus instead of being constantly distracted by every sound in the environment.

How to use it

Regular listening to Sound Therapy is essential to receive successful results. The child should listen every day if possible for between 30 and 60 minutes. Children can listen during sleep, homework or any quiet activity such as travelling in the car.

What it achieves

As listening discrimination is re-trained, memory and concentration improve. Learning can then be achieved with a great deal less effort. Sleep and appetite problems are resolved as the whole system becomes calmer and less erratic. The behavioural difficulties, such as impulsiveness and aggression are now brought down to a manageable level. The child will then be more able to pay attention in class, understand and follow instructions and be motivated to communicate and learn.

For more information, please refer to the book book Why Aren’t I Learning? by Rafaele Joudry.