The Listening Programme

[Eveiebaby]

Has anybody had any experience of using this with their DC. I have looked through the archive and found lots of useful info but just wondering if anybody has recently used this programme - Thanks

We're on week 5 at the moment. What did you want to know?

Thanks for replying Bertha - I just typed out a long reply and then NM's went down Grrrrrr but I will keep it brief this time!

Have you seen any positive/negative effects on your child and are you doing in privately or through the NHS.

Bit of background on my DD - she has problems with listening and attention in the classroom. I think she does have trouble concentrating in background noise as on a 1 to 1 basis in a quiet area she is fine. Also, she had a hearing test a few weeks back which she passed although the audiologist did say she had "very good" hearing. She does seem to hear every little sound but audiologist said there is nothing that can be done.

DD is 5.10 and has been diagnosed ASD. We did AIT a couple of summers ago and seen improvements so I am quite keen to try another listening therapy and the Listening Programme seems like it may help her.

Ds1 has APD; specifically he has difficulties with temporal processing, which translates as "people talk too fast for him, so his brain can't interpret the words, and he misses bits". We paid for an assessment for APD and the 10-week stint of the listening programme was free with that.

It's hard to tell if things are improving or not - his hearing is always so random anyway - days when I think he is fine and days when I'm sure he isn't. But he has been coming home from school and telling us things that he has learnt that day, which is a first for us (he is 7 and in Y2).

He has also started to question us if we say something that sounds odd to him - usually he has misheard, but up till now he wouldn't realise that he'd misheard. Yesterday I said "bless you!" when he sneezed and he thought I said "curse you!" like the baddies do on cartoons but instead of getting upset, he worked out that that probably wasn't what I said, and asked. Yay!

He also seems to be hearing when I shout from another room ("dinner time!" or something!). So perhaps he isn't tuning out noise as much.

Thank you both for your posts. Bertha - it's great that your DS is telling you about things he has learnt at school - Trouble - I am hoping the Listening Programme may help DD with her acute hearing. She does get SALT at school but it's based on group social communication as this is what she struggles with - her receptive language is within normal range and expressive just below average (well 9th percentile - which to me seems very low a lot lower than "just below average" .

I was talking with a Provider of The Listening Programme and she said with AIT you can get good immediate effects as it is an intensive therapy but those effects tend to lessen after a period of time, whereas, with TLP it is done over a longer period of time so the results are longer lasting. I'm not sure if this theory is just a sales pitch!

Anyway thanks again your posts have been very helpful.

Eveiebaby - is your daughter part of a listening and attention group in school or does the SALT tarhets only social communication?

DS also did the AIT last year but recently his concentration has improved a lot as since September he has had attention and listening froups run once a week. I can give you lots of ideas on how to also do it at home.

I was also looking into the listening programme as it was recommended by BIBIC but with all the other alternative therapies have postponed this.

I recently befriended a SALT (trained in ABA that works with ASD primarily) who said all listening therapies only work to some extend and dont work for all and you see some immediate effects which wear out after a while. I know Indigo has had graphs done for her DC and its amazing what was achieved. I havent noticed my DS regressing with auditory processing, seems to be improving a lot lately. She suggested that the best way to imrpove auditory processing is by training the ears, incrementing the instructions when the child achieves 2 word level, then 3 word level, then 4 etc...Gross motor exercises instructions ie clap hands, jump then hug daddy. You start with 2 instructions and build on it. Use everyday things....give me 4 forks, 3 spoons and 2 plates its a great one as they have numbers to remember as well as objects.

Trouble - yes 17th percentile rings a bell ( it is all coming back to me now - thanks) I think if DD had scored just one more point on the expressive test it would have equalled the 17th percentile - within the normal range - that is why SALT is not too concerned and will not recommend any more than one SALT contact per half term as social interaction with peers, without adult direction is DD's major problem.

Blueshark - DD attends a social communication group twice a week which is run by her LSA. I don't know anything else about it other than this which is what DD has told me - the names of the three other children in the group and that they talk or play games. The SALT has given me a list of targets for DD which are being worked on but to be fair to the school and SALT I haven't questioned anything.
Any tips of attention and listening would be fab!