Back to school. Back to reality.
Starting school for the very first time? Returning with classmates after the holidays? Transitioning to a new school altogether? The new school year promised so much excitement.
Now it’s half term and there’s a chance to reflect, it is evident that not all children find this new start easy, or exciting. Many find it very difficult.
Perhaps your child’s past challenges have resurfaced once again? Or maybe the unfamiliar routines and responsibilities of these first few weeks have resulted in your child not being able to cope?
Whatever the situation, it’s tough seeing your independent, inquisitive child, become introvert or even inconsolable.
Your child may or may not be aware of their specific difficulties with reading, writing, spelling or maths.
If attention deficit (with or without hyperactivity) is the concern, you fear that the fast pace and busy environment in the classroom is a barrier that seems impossible to overcome.
Perhaps your child has coped fine in the past, even excelled at school. Yet now they cannot come to terms with the demands of managing timetables and additional homework.
The new school year inevitably impacts home life. Low mood, lack of confidence, headaches and tummy pain, anxiety, panic attacks. Dislike of school and in some cases, school refusal. Homework becomes a battle and even the once enjoyable act of reading becomes the enemy.
Many families experience little support from school. This is particularly the case if your child manages to hold in their frustrations until after home time. Some teachers offer fantastic advice and support, but equally you may be met with the familiar comment that your child seems ‘absolutely fine’.
How The Sound Teacher can help.
Disruption in sound processing is strongly linked to an individual’s coping strategies; a listening assessment can help pinpoint specific ‘blocks’ to learning, working memory and self-regulation.
Figure 1: Satisfactory listening versus compromised listening
Auditory laterality. If the Left ear leads there is an instant negative effect on the control of voice quality:
Tone of voice (harsh tone, flat tone or misinterpreting others)
Rhythm (hesitancy and stuttering)
Volume (too loud, too quiet)
The Left ear also has a slower processing speed (due to nerve physiology) so speech sounds can get missed, mixed up or reversed (think dyslexia).
Improving sound processing can:
boost cognitive, memory and emotional functions
enhance posture, balance and control (including motor skills)
help integrate primitive reflexes (including ‘fight or flight’ reactions)
refine visual processing and listening in noisy backgrounds
What happens next? Careful analysis of the listening profile allows The Sound Teacher to customise a sound therapy programme to target the root causes of many school-based challenges.
