Has anyone tried distance Auditory Integral Training/Therapy for their ASD DC ?

[Missisdoyle]

I just had a chat with a really nice man from the 'Sound learning centre', in London. He was very informative about AIT. Since my son has 'suspected' -Ed Psych's term (!) HFA (undiagnosed as yet,on waiting list), I am trying to investigate interventions that may benefit him. I have since found out that you can do a distance AIT through 'The Sensory Clinic', at a much healthier price - nearly half of what it costs in London. Has anyone tried this for their DCs ? I'd be very interested to hear, thanks.

[KOKOagainandagain]

What is he is on the waiting list for? It was some years ago that DS1 was seen but the only clinic in the UK that diagnosed APD used to be the APD clinic at GOSH. Referral is tertiary - from a hospital doctor - usually either an audiologist and comm paed.

The APDUK website is full of info.

Also search Dolfrog's posts on here (runs APDUK).

DS1 had Johannsen's (?sp) sound therapy on his statement but didn't actually receive it.

[KOKOagainandagain]

Oh, sorry - missed it. HFA.

DS1 also has HFA.

I always thought they were separate although often co-existing conditions. APD is diagnosed 'objectively' through testing by an audiologist with percentile ranks given for functioning.

[Missisdoyle]

Hi KeepOn', did you suspect your DS had APD before seeking help, or was it from doctor's observation ? Did your DS have a audiogram done ? How is he doing now ? (Sorry for the interrogation !)

I know that my DS has super sensitive hearing as he complains about dogs barking,streets away & planes disturbing his sleep (even with windows shut etc). He is terrified of hand dryers, lorries, bees, crowded areas & I am guessing that this could be down to his overly sensitive hearing. He also has trouble with his working memory & has what was once called Semantic Pragmatic Disorder.It would be wonderful if we could do something to alleviate his anxiety.

[KOKOagainandagain]

DS1 was initially referred to a behavioural optomologist when he was 7 and had various problems with tracking, hand eye coordination, convergence etc and he also had 3 retained reflexes including the moro reflex which is associated with anxiety resulting from out-of-the-blue triggered reflex responses and the corresponding rush of stress hormones and chemicals. The moro reflex usually ceases to function in the first few months of life. I have read it described using monkeys - imagine baby monkey on mother's back, sitting in a tree; mother hears a noise which maybe a predator and so moves quickly and without warning. The movement of the mother causes the baby's head to whip back; neck position triggers the moro response - both arms thrown out and back and then immediately brought forward with the hands in a grasping motion - and the baby survives because it grabs two handfuls of fur and stays on it's mother's back. Over time this can lead to high 'normal' levels of stress hormones and chemicals, anxiety when moro response might be triggered (i.e. looking up sharply from table at school), hypervigilance and hypersensitivity to noise with an increased startle response. Google/youtube it - you can test for retained reflexes yourself the exercises to suppress them are free and easy but have to be done for a long time.

DS1 was then diagnosed with SpLD, then APD, ADD, SPD and then ASD. His anxiety has increased in some ways (he is out of school) but he became very ticy and very prone to meltdowns when he was at school so in some ways he is less anxious.

It is difficult with so much going on to know why something is the case - such as why he needs several prompts to respond, why he forgets multi-level instructions etc.

I can't say that nothing (time consuming and/or expensive) that I did in the past had any beneficial effect. Maybe things could be worse.

DS1 had a normal audiogram (normal) and then was referred to the APD clinic for additional testing. APD diagnosis was useful to me in requesting small school/small classes because it made it clear that DS1 would never be able to 'hear' in a m/s size class - he scored particularly badly in terms of being able to distinguish sounds with any background noise. But the diagnosis made no difference in m/s primary and there is no NHS follow up. It is not a 'gateway' diagnosis.