Therapeutic Listening® – Positive Behavior Supports Plus

Therapeutic Listening®

Vital Links Therapeutic Listening

Therapeutic Listening® can be used to address multiple sensory concerns with outcomes such as greater tolerance to noise, increased focus/attention, better moods, balanced energy levels, improved sleep, better handwriting, fewer tantrums, and less anxiety overall. Therapeutic Listening® is a sound-based assistive technology strategy that involves much more than just the ears. The auditory system is neurologically connected to all levels of brain function and, as a result, it has a significant impact on all sensory perception and organization. The functioning of our auditory system effects not only our overall sensory experience, but also our behavior.

Therapeutic Listening® involves listening to specially modified music on enhanced headphones as part of a therapeutically directed program. The program is easily adapted to the specific needs of the individual. The choice of music, listening time, and individualized activity program vary depending on the treatment goals and needs.

For additional information, please see: www.VitalLinks.com

"Our daughter is 35 years old and had a traumatic brain injury at 8 months old. She had always been a happy person who loved naps and required a lot of sleep, about 10 hrs/night. She is intellectually equivalent to a 6-7 year old. About a year ago she developed severe sleep issues, panic attacks, and anxiety with rain, thunderstorms and wind for no apparent reason. We did the best we could for about three months, seeing her primary physician, a psychiatrist and trying various different kinds of medication to no avail. We then tried a behavioral specialist for three months with a little success. There were nights that no one in the house was getting more than 3 hours sleep due to our daughter’s hysterical crying, trembling, and erratic breathing. She could not express what was wrong. We were never able to figure out what triggered this sudden behavior change. It was so sad and stressful for all of us. We were desperate for help when we were referred to Laura by a staff member at our daughter’s day program.

We met Laura in May and she completed a Therapeutic Listening® assessment with our daughter. She began her Therapeutic Listening program on 5/25/20. She made improvement almost immediately and continued to improve every week as the therapy continued. There were not only improvements with her sleep, panic attacks and anxiety with storms, and she made gains in all areas of her life. Her fine motor skills improved (writing, being able to spread peanut butter on a sandwich without tearing the bread to pieces), her speech improved, her gate and balance improved, her attention span improved, her mood and happiness returned, and her ability to learn and try new things reached a level she never had before. Laura also had an amazing connection with our daughter, even through Zoom meetings, she listened to her and would agree to try any recommendation that Laura would give her. She would understand what Laura was explaining to her better than when I tried to explain the same thing!

It is now January 2021 and our daughter is about to conclude her therapeutic listening therapy. She has moved into a group home and has transitioned beautifully. She is sleeping in her own room staying in her own bed, interacting with staff and residents, being independent and calling home when she wants to tell us what she had done that day. She is talking like an adult and has just amazed us. This has been the biggest blessing we could have asked for to see her succeed, all due to Laura’s assistance and Therapeutic Listening. We cannot put into words how thankful we are and recommend Laura to any parent, day support program, group home or facility that needs help with someone that has any type of behavior issue. Thank you Laura!"

LC, mother

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