Therapeutic Listening for the Gifted/Typical Child

Savannah

Savannah was an engaging, bright, and dynamic 12-year-old girl. She was a good student and active in sports and drama. However, she struggled with staying alert and attentive throughout the school day and often returned home only to fall apart over “seemingly nothing.” Her mother felt that these mood swings were more than the typical teenager. In addition, her mother was concerned about Savannah’s low energy level, frequent night waking, and sensitivity to certain types of clothing and sounds.

Savannah had difficulty with a variety of clothing textures. She would not wear anything made of silk, cotton waffle-weave, sequins, or wool. Additionally, she could not tolerate tight clothing. She would not wear any turtlenecks, tight collars or cuffs, full-length shirts, short skirts, or short shorts. Her socks needed to be free of wrinkles and twisted seams. She also preferred to wear boys’ pants, as they were cut looser than girls’ clothing. Due to the limitations in clothing choices, Savannah dressed quite differently from her peers.

Thunderstorms would leave Savannah almost immobilized with fear, and she could hear thunder 30 minutes before it actually arrived in the area. In addition to her intense fear of thunderstorms, Savannah feared high winds and tornadoes. She needed her parents to be at her side throughout the duration of a storm, whether it meant her parents stayed with her in her room or the whole family stayed together in the basement. She also had difficulty with other low-frequency sounds including blenders, food processors, cell phone vibrations, and fire truck sirens. Any of these sounds frightened her so much that she had to seek the comfort of one of her parents.

Although teens often have limited food preferences, Savannah’s diet consisted almost entirely of chocolate chip pancakes, mashed potatoes, cheeseburgers, tacos, grilled cheese sandwiches, eggs, and cereal. She hated the smell of garlic, and if her mother used even the smallest amount while cooking, Savannah refused to eat the dish.

Savannah had difficulty falling asleep and woke frequently during the night. She needed her mother to stay in her room until she fell asleep. She also needed music to play continuously through the night, or she would wake up immediately. Despite all the adaptations to help Savannah sleep, she still awoke frequently during the night. Her sleep-wake patterns and overall arousal level were also impacted by daylight savings time changes and the decreased sunlight during the winter. By age ten, Savannah avoided sleepovers or trips away from home due to her sound sensitivity and difficult sleep patterns.

Savannah was easily distractible, which made it difficult to do homework or be attentive throughout the school day. She had difficulty sitting still and often rocked in her chair in order to keep her arousal level up. She also used background noise, such as music or television, as a way to increase her arousal level and stay focused.

Despite being very active in soccer and drama, Savannah had underdeveloped core postural strength. Her ability to sustain a static position against gravity was significantly less than average for her age group, and she often leaned on objects or people, rather than actively maintaining an upright, neutral posture. In addition, Savannah was not able to move her eyes smoothly and efficiently during tasks such as reading or copying from the blackboard.

After Listening

In addition to Therapeutic Listening, Savannah’s occupational therapy consisted of core posture and breath activities. Within the first two weeks of starting her Therapeutic Listening program, Savannah was able to fall asleep with more ease. Eventually, she was able to fall asleep without her mother in her room or with the music. By the end of therapy, Savannah’s sleep-wake cycle was so well regulated that daylight savings time no longer bothered her, she was able to participate in sleepovers with friends, and even attended a week-long band camp and slept in a dorm. Getting good quality sleep also meant Savannah awoke easily in time for school, had more energy throughout the day, and had less frequent mood swings.

Within a few days of starting her listening, Savannah was more sparkly and alert. Her emotional outbursts became infrequent and her disposition was more positive towards school and her friends. Savannah’s social world and extracurricular activities expanded dramatically once her sensory modulation and regulation issues were resolved. She also became more expressive regarding her opinions, especially with her parents. If her mood started to spiral downward, she was gaining the self-awareness to pull herself back together.

Savannah also experienced less defensiveness to sounds, clothing, and food. She was able to make it through two tornado-warning sirens without difficulty. In addition, she was becoming more comfortable wearing girls’ clothes and began to pay more attention to her appearance. As a result, she no longer felt so odd in relation to her peers. Savannah’s oral defensiveness diminished, and she eventually became more willing to try new foods and even enjoyed some of them.

Savannah did her home program of core/breath activities independently, and her overall strength and endurance improved dramatically. This directly impacted her performance in soccer, and near the end of her therapy, she played her best soccer game ever. Savannah’s therapist reported she had age-appropriate postural and ocular skills with saccades and pursuits that were smooth and efficient, meaning her eyes were beginning to work more optimally.