Advocates suggest that sound therapy is an effective method for treating children suffering from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). By learning to better focus auditory attention, children should theoretically improve their ability to exert conscious control over attention more effectively. While some research suggests that sound therapy may help improve attentional abilities in ADHD children, the current body of research does not provide conclusive evidence.
What is Sound Therapy?
Sound therapy is a type of auditory therapy in which the patient responds to tones and frequencies over headphones. The goal of the therapy is to improve the patient's ability to consciously attend to sounds and to discriminate between various tones and frequencies. Training the patient to attend more closely to his hearing processes will help train his brain to be more consciously aware of how attention is being allocated. In theory, this improved ability to focus attention consciously should help eliminate the symptoms of ADHD.
Sound Therapy Used to Treat ADHD
Audio Integration Training (AIT) is the primary variety of sound therapy that purports to serve as a beneficial treatment for ADHD. AIT is based on the Tomatis Method of hearing amelioration and consists of 10 to 20 half-hour training sessions over a span of two weeks. Costs for a set of AIT sessions range from $1000 to $2000. Since AIT is an educational therapy, rather than a medical intervention, it is not eligible for coverage under health insurance plans.
Research on Audio Integration Training and ADHD
Four independently conducted academic studies indicate that children with ADHD demonstrate an improved ability to focus auditory attention after a 10-week AIT regimen (as detailed at aitinstitute.org; see References below). However, none of these studies provide conclusive evidence of the effectiveness of AIT due to methodological issues, such as insufficient sample size and lack of appropriate control groups. Further research is needed before any substantial claims can be made about the effectiveness of AIT for improving the symptoms of ADHD.
Tags: Sound Therapy, ability focus, ADHD Sound, ADHD Sound Therapy, Audio Integration, Audio Integration Training, auditory attention