Is Modi'in too far for a daily commute for you?

Modi'in is centrally located between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, and is a short drive from many popular towns. However, it may still be too far from you to make the daily realistic.

Don't worry -- there are options!

You can arrange a therapy cycle in your area. For a minimum of 4 clients (maximum of 8), I will travel to your area. There is an additional fee to cover my travel expenses (lodging, food, travel), but since this is spread amongst the whole group, it is less expensive than your own travel expenses if you choose to stay in Modi'in for two weeks. It also allows you to have the therapy during the school year without your child having to miss out on school or you having to take vacation time from work.

If you'd like to arrange a therapy cycle, I can come to your area and give a presentation (in English) on AIT and who it benefits. This should be scheduled approximately 6-8 weeks prior to the targeted cycle date. Inviting teachers, principals, sayats, speech therapists, occupational therapists, and any other professionals, in addition to parents of children with autism, ADD, ADHD and Dyslexia will increase your chance of building a group of 4-8 clients quickly.

I will help you with this as much as possible.

Alternatively, if you want to come to Modi'in, turn it into a vacation. There are some self-catering rooms in Modi'in (simple bedroom/kitchenette arrangements) that are very affordable, year-round. During August and September, there are often whole houses for rent.

For out-of-towners, I can adjust your schedule so that you have a long stretch between sessions. For example, instead of being treated at 8:30 and 13:30 every day, we can schedule you for 8:30 and 17:30 for some or all of the days. This way you can take a day trip somewhere.

Where? How about the beach? Or Old City. Or Ben Shemen Forest. Or take a tour at Neot Kedumim Biblical Forest. Or Luna Park. Or Action Park. Or the Monkey Park. Or Jerusalem Zoo. Or visit an old friend who lives just that bit too far to see regularly. Or, just go to one of Modi'in's beautiful parks and play on the swings and slides.

There's loads to do within a short drive, bus trip, or train ride of Modi'in. Bring the whole family and have fun!

AIT can result in a great variety of improvements

Every person's benefits vary from everyone else's. This depends partly on the client's starting point. For example, does he speak or not? Is he distractable or not? Is his eye contact good, moderate, or poor? However, here is a list of things that are commonly seen resulting from AIT. Your child (or you) may experience some or many of these changes, or maybe experience something else that's not on the list.

• improved social behaviour
• increased attention
• reduced sensitivity to sound
• follows instructions better
• improved eye contact
• decreased irritability
• happier
• calms himself more quickly
• improved speech skills
• decreased echolalia
• clearer articulation
• improved sleeping habits
• more willing to interact with others
• improved auditory comprehension
• increased length of utterance
• increased independence
• decreased impulsivity

If there is a specific change that you hope to gain and you don't see it on the list, email me at denapage@gmail.com and I'll tell you if it's something that AIT might achieve.

About Auditory Integration Therapy - a brief history

Auditory Integration Therapy is not a new therapy. Many therapies don't become "mainstream" until they've been around for decades, because it takes that long for the research to prove it works, and for people to begin to hear about it, spread the word, and try it for themselves.

AIT has been around since the 1950's, when Alfred Tomatis developed the original system to treat hearing irregularities common to children with autism. That original therapy (still in use today) used recorded music and the recorded voice of the mother, since Dr. Tomatis felt that the hearing had not developed properly when the infant was in the womb. His patients listen to this music through headphones for two hours per day, for a minimum of three weeks at a time, and they repeat this treatment frequently. Some of the theory behind this original therapy was sound, while other parts were not. So one of Tomatis's students, Guy Berard, took the basic therapy and improved upon it.

Dr. Berard spent 20 years researching and refining his work, and developed a "perfect" protocol. His therapy technique involves listening to music that jumps around through all the frequencies over a range of decibels for one-half hour, twice a day, for ten days. This therapy forces the ear to work harder than it does normally, exercising the inner ear, so that it becomes more efficient at processing sound quickly.

In the late 1970's, Annabel Stehli's daughter, Georgie, recovered from extremely hypersensitive hearing following treatment with Dr. Berard. Annabel then began her life's work to spread the word about Auditory Integration Therapy. Because Georgie had been diagnosed with autism, AIT's introduction was made to the autism world.

It is now recognised that AIT can help a wide range of people with a variety of hearing-related problems. It helps people with autism, Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), Attention Deficit/Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD), dyslexia, some people with anxiety disorders (where there is a connection to hypersensitive hearing) and some forms of depression. It also helps people who are struggling with language development -- either learning a 2nd language or the otherwise typically developing "late talker".

Recent developments in auditory integration therapies have brought about home-based versions of AIT. While these seem to be effective to some extent, the results are not as successful as Berard's AIT, nor is there research proving effectiveness yet. More on this in "How AIT works."