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The Power of Sound:
A Therapy Worth Listening To?
By Kristie Lockwood

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Sound Therapies Help Child Find Success

Like many parents, Meg Stasinos was desperate to find help for her daughter, Sydney. When Sydney was about 3 years old, Stasinos began interventions for her child who had language processing, social and motor skills deficits. But, despite trying special diets, speech and language as well as other intensive therapies, nothing seemed to help Sydney make significant progress.

All that began to change when Atlanta neuropsychologist David Cantor referred Sydney to Aurora Strategies as a potential candidate for sound therapy. Aurora Strategies speech and language pathologist Kellie Hetzel prescribed The Listening Program last fall for then 5-year-old Sydney.

“Within a couple of weeks of starting the program, we noticed a change in Sydney. She was talking more and her sentences were more structured,” Stasinos says. “The teachers were writing saying they saw amazing changes in her.”

Sydney’s protocol while on The Listening Program consisted of her listening to the CDs two times per day for 15 minutes each session. The program for Sydney lasted eight weeks, and according to Stasinos, she enjoyed her listening sessions. Although Stasinos informed Sydney’s teachers of the therapy, other people the 5-year-old saw every day noticed changes although they knew nothing about the intervention.

“About half way into the program, her bus driver mentioned to me that she didn’t even know that Sydney could talk,” Stasinos says. “[The bus driver] said that Sydney was now having conversations with her and even laughing and telling her jokes.”

After completing The Listening Program, Hetzel prescribed Fast ForWord for Sydney. She went through the program on her home computer five days per week for one hour and 40 minute sessions. Despite Sydney’s young age and attention issues, she persevered through the program because the games were fun and she received positive feedback as she progressed. Sydney emerged with significant improvement at the end, Stasinos says. Pre-and post-testing showed gains in several areas including language discrimination and phonics, but for Stasinos, the “day-to-day” observational improvements were even more important.

“After Fast ForWord, Sydney seemed to have a better understanding of other children’s language. She started interacting more with kids her own age as she began to understand their conversations better,” Stasinos says. “As a parent, I am concerned about her academics but I am more excited when I see growth in her social interactions.”

Sound Therapy Sources on the Web

The following Web sites provide a starting place for parents considering various forms of listening or sound therapy:

Kristi Lockwood is co-editor of Kids Enabled.

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