Autism (ASD), Head Banging and Auditory Integration Training
Contact Us
Complete
On-line AIT Checklist
by
Dorinne Davis, MA, CCC-A, FAAA, RCTC, BARA,
New Jersey.
Reprinted by permission. 01-17-2006.
"By day 10, he was speaking in full sentences and his vocabulary
was up to around 50 words (his mother was counting). He was responding
emotionally to his mother. He was still bothered by fluorescent lights
but was better. His eye contact was significantly improved. He was interacting
with his brother better. He was happier and less fussy."
 "I have a wonderful
story to share about a head banging autistic
child. I was presenting at a Parents of Autistic
Children Support group a number of years ago. Prior to my presentation,
a mother came in and said, "I can't stay for the entire meeting.
I am coaching a soccer team. My child doesn't need sound therapy anyway."
Well, at the end of the presentation, the mother was still there and as
I said my last word, she jumped up and said, "I'm calling you tomorrow.
You are just what my child needs".
She brought her child
for an initial assessment and she started AIT shortly after that. Her
child would bang his head so severely that
he had to wear a helmet to protect his head. He only said 4-5 words and
was very disconnected with the world.
His mother decided to
'prove me wrong' by keeping a copious daily journal of everything he did
during the 10 days of Berard AIT.
By day 5, when I did his mid audiogram, he was beginning to speak in
3-4 word sentences, and was connecting emotionally with his mother.
She was beginning to admit that there was the possibility of some noticeable
changes. Dad wasn't going to say that yet.
By day 10, he was speaking
in full sentences and his vocabulary was up to around 50 words (his mother
was counting). He was responding emotionally to his mother. He was still
bothered by fluorescent lights but was better. His eye contact was significantly
improved. He was interacting with his brother better. He was happier and
less fussy.
His final audiogram
was significantly better and his mother and father couldn't help but say
that Berard AIT had importantly opened
up the world of sound for their child.
After
Berard AIT,
and subsequent other sound therapies that I suggested, this child has
become one of the most gifted intellectually children I ever had the fortune
to work with in my 35 years experience. Because of the protocol
of sound therapies I suggested, this child was fully mainstreamed by Kindergarten
with an Aide and with no Aide in First Grade. He also won the Temple Grandin
Award in 2001 for his Outstanding Accomplishments. His parents began a
speaking tour to share their story of overcoming autism
and attribute his success to Berard
AIT and subsequent sound-based therapies. They show a film clip of
him before and after his interventions, and one can't help but notice
the changes. His is one of our many success stories.
My final
comment: "The head banging all stopped after Berard
AIT."
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