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Auditory Sensory Integration Issues

Auditory sensory integration (ASI) enables us to make sense of sounds in the environment and to respond appropriately. It involves both the organs of hearing within the ears and the hearing centers in the brain, which process the information. Some children with learning disorders, autism spectrum disorders, ADHD, dyslexia and other disorders may also have ASI dysfunction.

  1. Auditory Processing

    • If a child is slow to respond to what she hears, gets instructions wrong, struggles to learn by listening and has trouble with phonetic spelling, she may have an auditory processing disorder. Children with poor auditory processing struggle to concentrate, as they find listening difficult. They may also seem "slow" to learn because they cannot make sense of what they hear. A frustrated and discouraged child may become a child with a behavioral problem.

    Auditory Perception

    • Auditory perception consists of the ability to distinguish between speech sounds. A child with poor ASI will struggle to understand instructions. He may have poor spelling; if he mishears words, he will often misspell them. Speech may also be affected, as scientist Dr A. A. Tomatis noted that the voice can only replicate what we hear from the ear.

    Auditory Defensiveness

    • Auditory defensiveness consists of extreme sensitivity to sound. Sounds that feel normal to most people are painful to those who have auditory defensiveness and can result in anxiety, fear and avoidance of social situations that are too noisy. Children with auditory defensiveness may panic when someone switches on a vacuum cleaner or drill and may lash out with anger at the source of unexpected loud sounds.

    ASI and the Vestibular System

    • The vestibular system, part of the inner ear, has the job of telling the body whether it is moving and in which direction it is moving. It also plays a vital role in balance reactions. The vestibular system organs and hearing organs lie close together in the inner ear, and their nerve signals travel to the brain along the same nerve. Improving sensory integration of the vestibular system can have an impact on the auditory system, and vice versa.

    How to Treat Auditory Sensory Integration Difficulties

    • Tomatis Listening Therapy and Berard Auditory Integration Training are the most well-known solutions to auditory sensory integration disorders in recent years as of 2011. These sound stimulation treatments claim to lead to improved listening skills, improved school performance, decreased sensitivity to noise and decreased anxiety. Consult carefully with trusted health professionals before taking a course of treatment.

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