Auditory Processing
What is auditory processing?
Auditory processing can be described as ‘what we do with what we hear’, as proposed by Dr. Jack Katz of Buffalo, New York. For many children and adults, whose hearing would be tested as normal, the processing of what they hear by the brain can go wrong.
The cause of auditory processing difficulties
The cause of these difficulties may arise from neurodevelopmental delay, stemming from difficulties with the pregnancy, birth process, or early years. One specific example can be the prevalence of glue ear, or other acute ear infections, during the time when the auditory system is still developing. Certain auditory processing difficulties can also be part of a learning disorder such as dyslexia, dyspraxia, ASD.
The effect of auditory processing difficulties
The symptoms can be wide-ranging, but may typically include:
What can we do to help? The JIAS programme
The good news is the brain is plastic so there is a second chance to receive the right auditory stimuli and to change the auditory processing pathways. The Johansen Individualised Auditory Stimulation programme (JIAS) works on the basis that the processing networks in the brain are the same for music and for language, in terms of perception of pitch, rhythm, timing, speed and pattern. This means music can be used to retrain the neural pathways. The Johansen music tracks are designed to stimulate specific frequency ranges, and can be customised to the client’s own audiogram and laterality preference. The therapy makes it easier to pay effective attention to sound.
How it works
An assessment takes place to consider the child’s development history, and to complete various checklists regarding the child’s attention and listening. If possible, an audiogram is taken to see how the child’s hearing compares with the optimum.
If considered appropriate, a Johansen programme will be recommended, and depending on the age of the child and their audiogram a suitable music track will be given.
The music track is played through the Sonorias app, which must first be downloaded. The child should listen to the 10-15 minute track through suitable, compatible headphones every day.
A review takes place roughly every 8 weeks (depending on age) to monitor the impact of the programme, and a different music track may be given. On average 5 tracks are used during the course of the programme, taking a total of around nine months.
For more information, please see the Johansen website.
Auditory Processing Costs
| Service | Price |
|---|---|
| Auditory Assessment –includes audiogram, dichotic listening test and short report | £150 |
| Customised programme – For ages 5+ where a reliable audiogram may be obtained: includes 5 customised music tracks and reviews, 5 audiograms | £625 |
| Standard programme – For ages 2.5-5 or where a reliable audiogram cannot be obtained; includes 3-5 music tracks and reviews | £360 |
It has been remarkable to see the impact that doing the Johansen programme with Katy has had on my daughter. She has gone from not being able to concentrate on anything if there was any background noise/music whatsoever, to being able to read happily whilst people are chatting around her, and she can enjoy listening to music whilst doing her schoolwork and still concentrate well. It has been such a help to her and a really joy to see how much easier it has made things for her, and a joy for me to not have to repeat myself so many times! I also really appreciated how tangible the results were, I was able to see straight away on the audiogram how much the programme was affecting her auditory processing that Katy would mark out each time we visited. I’m really pleased that we decided to use this programme and Katy made the whole experience very relaxed and straightforward.
Katy is amazing! She is everything you hope for as a parent when searching for help for your child. Full of integrity, kind, funny and super helpful. No matter what your problem, Katy will give you reasonable expectations of what she can and can’t help with. Pricing reflects her desire to help, not rip parents off. Highly recommend to anyone looking into the benefits of treating retained reflex therapy, I also found the information given on The Johansen Individualised Auditory Stimulation programme super interesting and helpful. We are full of gratitude.
