A look at how autistic children shut down their hearing mechanism and thus shut out relationships, and how retoning and retraining their ear can help open them up to communication and relationships.

1. Autism and Sound Therapy
What causes Autism? earliest auditory experience and enables
emotional contact to be made, with the mother
Autism is a mystifying condition which causes first and then towards others.
children to become emotionally isolated from
the world around them. A definite cause is not How to use Sound Therapy
known, but a contributing factor is believed to The child should be encouraged to listen to the
be a distortion in the reception of sensory albums every day for a period of 30 to 60
information. minutes, or more if desired. Both the music and
Many children with autism exhibit extreme story albums are suitable for children with
sensitivity to noise. Some frequencies are autism.
actually painful for them to hear. Ear specialist For children who can speak, the Let's Recite
Dr Tomatis suggests that in order to shut out album (in the Younger Children's and Family
painful sounds or other unwanted stimuli, the programs) gives the child the opportunity to
child closes down the hearing mechanism so repeat what is said, encouraging participation
that certain sounds cannot penetrate the and vocal expression of the new range of
consciousness. frequencies being heard.
On a physiological level, this closing off of the
ear is achieved by a relaxation of the muscles What Sound Therapy achieves
of the middle ear. Over time, these muscles Children with autism have responded to
lose their tonicity. Sounds are then imprecisely Sound Therapy by showing a greater
perceived and, as a result, incorrectly analysed. interest in making contact and
Tomatis believes that the reluctance to communicating with the people around
communicate in children with autism results them. Interactions with their family members
from the closing off of their being to auditory have become more affectionate and
input. Although they may understand what is appropriate. This is often increased eye
being said to them, they have tuned out many contact and the children have a longer
of the frequencies in the sound and have thus attention span. They may initiate contact
tuned out the emotional content of the message. rather than waiting to be approached.
How Sound Therapy may help For children without language, vocalisation has
Sound Therapy may offer a child with autism increased, initially as screams and then as
the opportunity to re-open the listening babbling.
capacity. The fluctuating sounds produced by Children who can speak may develop a more
the Electronic Ear gradually exercise and tone appropriate use of language, for instance
the ear muscles, teaching the ear to respond to beginning to use more personal pronouns (“I”,
and recognise the full range of frequencies. As “you”) or first names, and using words to
this happens, communication takes on new express their feelings. They may begin to laugh
meanings, and the child begins to respond and cry at appropriate times.
where before he or she was unreachable.
Once children have begun to emerge from their
Tomatis discovered that because of the way the emotional isolation, they have shown
foetal ear develops, the first sounds heard in increasing responsiveness to what they are
utero are high frequency being taught and to the people who care for
sounds. The child hears not them.
only the mother's heartbeat
and visceral noises but also ______________________________________
her voice. Reawakening the For more information, it is recommended that you read
“Why Aren't I Learning?” by Rafaele Joudry and/or
child's ability to hear high “Sound Therapy: Music to Recharge Your Brain” by
frequencies recreates this Patricia Joudry and Rafaele Joudry, available from
www.soundtherapyperth.com/products/
For more information visit www.soundtherapyperth.com