Johansen therapy
Johansen individualised auditory stimulation (IAS) therapy is a way of developing and improving an individual’s listening, it can be useful for both children and adults and guides the individual to focus on what they hear. The therapy involves listening to specially designed music that helps organise and identify auditory information. Johansen IAS therapy is particularly beneficial and effective for children with auditory processing disorder.
What is auditory processing disorder?
Auditory processing disorder is when an individual has difficulty processing and organising information they hear. The disorder is not due to hearing loss or impairment but is solely due to the neural pathways responsible for hearing being disorganised. Auditory processing disorder may be different for different individuals, depending on the severity of the disorder and where in the brain they are affected. Common characteristics of auditory processing disorder include; inability to hear auditory messages, difficulty distinguishing between similar sounds, inability to filter background noise effectively, and difficulty recalling and understanding what they just heard.
Auditory processing disorder can lead to delayed speech, language and communication development if children are not given the right support. Johansen IAS therapy can help children with auditory processing disorder, manage some of the difficulties they may experience.
How does Johansen individualised auditory stimulation (IAS) therapy work?
Johansen IAS therapy is a form of music therapy designed to stimulate specific nerve pathways in the brain. It involves the child listening to a CD tailored to their needs and abilities. The programme can be home or school based with reviews in clinic to monitor the progress of the child and whether their CD needs adapting to the progress they are making. Johansen IAS therapy is not time consuming and can fit into the child’s everyday lives as the programme only requires 5-10 minutes listening a day.
All of the music on the CD’s are specifically designed to reorganise the way we process auditory information, the music is supposed to help children discriminate between sounds and re-organise information effectively.
What are the benefits of Johansen (IAS) therapy?
Johansen IAS therapy can have many benefits for a child with auditory processing disorder or general attention and listening difficulties. The Johansen IAS therapy programmes aims to help children follow instructions, remember information, learn new information, cope with background noise and stay focussed. This will benefit the child’s concentration and their understanding of information as it is dealt with in quicker and more efficient manner.
