This episode is geared toward parents who are already doing the Therapeutic Listening (ThL) program at home, and want to make sure they have crossed all their T’s and dotted and their I’s. Episode Number 25 from last week was dedicated to defining this program, how it works, and the benefits for your child.

General Guidelines for Implementing the Therapeutic Listening Program:

  • This protocol is designed to be used at home during physical activity, for 20-30 minutes each listening time, 2x per day, 7 days per week. There must be a minimum of 3 hours of time separating each listening session (i.e.- first session is done by 9:30am, so the next earliest time it can be done on the same day would be 12:30pm). It’s best to do the listening first thing in the morning before school and then in the late afternoon/early evening (not immediately after school or directly before bed). The CDs need to be changed every 2 weeks, in order to have variety and to receive optimal benefits (as the brain becomes bored and doesn’t take in/benefit from the sound information when it’s so predictable).
  • Adults need to place the headphones on their own head before each listening session to check the headphone volume and make sure the sound is coming out of each ear phone (otherwise the cord is likely damaged, or pulled out of the headphones or CD player).
  • Turn the CD player on by pressing the “Play” arrow.
  • Check the volume, which should be medium to low. You should not be able to hear the music coming out of the headphones on the child’s head when you are 3-4 feet away. You should also be able to talk to others without having to raise your voice or take the headphones off to hear.
  • Make sure the sound is coming out of each head phone. If not, check the connection of the cord to the headphones (this can be tricky as it may be pulled out slightly and not noticed initially), then check the connection to the CD player.
  • Press the mode button until you have “Rand” for Random or “Shuf” for Shuffle set. Then press the “forward” button to change the track, so the listener is not always listening to track #1 first.
  • Press the “Hold” button on the side or back of the CD player to “hold” the shuffle mode and keep the player “on” as kids may bump the player while in motion, turning the player off or changing the settings accidentally (or not so accidentally).
  • Place the CD player in the neoprene fanny pack with the cord sticking out of the side, so it’s not bent (otherwise it will be damaged). Put all the extra cord in the fanny pack to get it out of the way.
  • Clip the fanny pack to your child’s waist, and adjust it to be snug, so it doesn’t fall off or bump around when the child is in action (walking, jumping, bouncing, climbing, etc…).
  • Put the headphones on the child’s head with the cord on the left. The headphones are marked “R” and “L”, but if you remember “cord on the left” then you will know it’s on backwards from across a room, and you can be quick to switch it. This is very important as the music is specially designed to go in a certain ear and up to a certain part of the brain for the desired effects. If the headphones are on the wrong ears, the sound information will not get to its intended destination! Oops!
  • Set your timer based on the recommended protocol (never more than 30 minutes at one time). It’s best to have a portable timer. A clip-on kitchen timer is great to clip to your pants pocket so you can make sure your child never listens more than the allotted time.
  • Encourage your child to be active, as the music is stimulating, and muscle work can help to clear up traffic jams and make sure the sound information gets to the correct part of the brain for processing.
  • If your child is not physically active during the listening times, make sure you know why the therapist is recommending or allowing this, as this is not the intention of this music, nor is it the norm.
  • If you child’s behaviors are worse during the listening session or the next few hours after the session, you will need to contact the prescribing therapist, and make adjustments. It’s likely the child needs less time, more physical activity to balance out the intensity of the music, a different CD, and/or a break if congestion, allergies, or an ear infection is present. You can restart the listening after your child has been on medication for an active ear infection for 24 hours. Restart after a flu or illness, when symptoms and the fever have subsided. It’s okay to continue if the child has a cold or allergies, if the program is tolerated under these conditions.
  • Keep the Bass Boost turned off at all times, the music is already perfectly recorded, so we don’t want to alter it by increasing the bass.
  • If the player is not working after the cord connections are checked, wiggle the cord by the headphones and then by the CD player. If the sound clearly cuts in and out when you wiggle it at either end of the cord, then you need a new cord. These headphones have a warranty for a new cord that you can look in to, otherwise you will need to buy a new one quickly in town (last I heard they are available at Radio Shack for $10). If the headphones are still not working, gently shake them when held in your hands. If you hear one ear piece loudly rattling, then it’s broken. You will have to mail them to the manufacturer and wait a few weeks for them to be fixed or for a replacement. This will really put a kink in your listening program, so be very careful with this equipment.
  • Don’t allow the headphones to be used for regular music or by other siblings, as they are too expensive to be using for any other purpose.
  • Place all equipment in a mini backpack or a small bag and use this as a designated bag. Don’t allow food, drinks or toys to be put in the same bag for obvious reasons.

Activities That Should Be Discouraged:

  • Sedentary activities
  • Activities that make the child unavailable such as TV, videos, video games, computer use, homework, sleeping, and/or toys used in a perseverative way (i.e.- lining them up).

Children Under 2 Years of Age:

  • They can benefit from this program, but their inner ear is not fully developed yet, so they cannot listen to the CDs with headphones.
  • They can listen to the therapeutic CDs using speakers that are equidistant from each other and the child’s ears. The speakers and the child’s ears should form a triangle, which means these speakers need to be quite close to the child’s ears (no more than 3-5 feet away).
  • Use a small space such as a bathtub, bathroom or walk in closet (where you and the child can both fit comfortably).

Contraindications:

  • Schizophrenia
  • Auditory-evoked seizures (meaning it’s known through neurological testing, that your child’s seizures are caused specifically by sounds).

Please keep up on your protocol, be organized and prepared! If you have questions or any challenges, please talk with your child’s therapist. This is an amazing program that can result in huge gains if you can follow through with it. It’s one of the most economical ways to make great developmental gains in therapy, so jump in and you too will get to reap the benefits!

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