First Developed:
AIT was developed in France in the early 1970s by Dr. Guy Berard. It was put into practice in the United States in 1992.
Overall Philosophy:
Treatment is based on the idea that some children with autism have hypersensitivity (sounds seem much louder than normal) and/or hyposensitivity (sounds seem much softer than normal) to certain sounds, and/or may not be able to hear other sounds well at all.
Popularity:
Unknown
Time required for treatment:
AIT is practiced in centers around the world. The child usually goes to the center for two 30-minute sessions a day for 10 consecutive days. One approach of this method involves treatment of approximately 150 hours over several months.
Treatment cost:
Cost of the treatment can be high.
Who directs the treatment?
AIT involves several components, including some audiological work, behavior analysis and management, educational issues, and after-care counseling for the client and family. The most satisfactory results can be obtained when a multidisciplinary team approach is used for the administration of the AIT program. The Society for Auditory Integration Techniques (SAIT) recommends a multidisciplinary team, which could include (but is not limited to) specialists in the fields of audiology, psychology, special education and speech/language.
Where does the treatment take place?
AIT involves taking two or three audiograms, so it partially takes place in a clinical setting. AIT is available in the United States, but not in many locations.
Training material needed:
None. However books on AIT are available on the website below.
How is successs defined?
AIT works to normalize the hearing of both ears in an autistic child.
Biggest Success Story:
Some parents report increased calmness, reduced aggression and a sharp reduction in problem behaviors.
“My 7-year-old son Jesse was diagnosed with autism at the age of 3. He was nonverbal and had many sensory issues, which included not being able to stand the feel of getting his hair cut, could not stand the feel of getting his blood pressure taken at the doctor's office and many sounds hurt his ears. We first went to The Counseling Center and met with Sarah when Jesse was 4. I thought that having to listen to the music through the headphones would be a problem for Jesse, but we put a video on and turned the volume off of the TV while he listened to the CDs and he actually liked it. Even before he finished with all 20 CDs we began to notice a big difference in him. He wasn't holding his ears when he was near running water, he actually sat by himself for a haircut and laughed because it tickled, and he willingly sat and got his blood pressure taken. We noticed more positive results with Jesse's hearing sensitivities and sensory issues in the weeks that followed.
We contacted Sarah once again just very recently and went through another round of AIT because last year Jesse inadvertently listened to music through headphones and over time I began to notice him holding his ears a lot. Once again it helped with his hearing sensitivities, but this time we are continuing to be amazed at how his language is developing. I believe that AIT, along with Jesse's ABA program at school, has been one of the most effective therapies in helping Jesse to be all that he can be. “
Website:
http://www.auditoryintegration.net/
Main concern:
Some parents report increased hyperactivity after using this method with their autistic child.