JOHANSEN SOUND THERAPY
AND AUDITORY PROCESSING DIFFICULTIES
Auditory processing disorders can
affect development of speech, language and communication as well as reading and
spelling, resulting in problems with talking and understanding and/or dyslexia/specific
learning difficulties. Children may inherit a language
processing problem. A child may also develop hearing habits which are
inefficient for language intake as a result of repeated bouts of hearing loss
or reduced hearing levels in one or both ears in early childhood, due for
example to 'glue ear' or regular ear infections. However, there are many children for whom there is no obvious reason for their
difficulty. While we are still a long way from understanding the cause
of many speech and language problems, we are more able to understand the
underlying difficulties that a child with these problems may be having.
Many children with language difficulties have problems with the processing
of language. Their ability to take in, to organise, to store, to
retrieve, to add to existing information and to express what they want to say
as and when required is weak. This problem may manifest itself most noticeably
in spoken language, in understanding what is being said
or in reading and writing. It may in turn affect learning at school in various
ways and as such can have serious consequences for the child. Researchers
believe that this deficit in language processing may be
intricately connected with the way in which children perceive sounds.
The language centres are situated predominantly in the left hemisphere of the
brain for nearly all right handed individuals as well
as for the majority of those who are left handed. The quickest and most
efficient way for language information to reach the processing area in the left
hemisphere is dominantly via the right ear. The left ear provides a supporting
role. Inconsistent or left ear preference can adversely affect the learning of
language and its organisation within the brain. As a result sounds within
words, words themselves or even whole sentences may be jumbled or in the wrong
sequence. This in turn may affect the understanding and production of both
speech and writing. Where language is poorly organised a child will have to
work hard to unravel what is said to him and may be
unable to sustain the level of concentration required to do so, thus affecting
learning.
Johansen Sound Therapy, which involves
listening to specially recorded music CDs or tapes for 10 minutes per day has been found to benefit those individuals who have
auditory processing difficulties as described above. This in turn can help
improve their spoken and/or written language.