The use of music and other forms of organized sound as a therapeutic intervention for students with auditory processing disorder: providing the best auditory experience for children with learning differences.

摘要

This auto-ethnographical inquiry used vignettes and interviews to examine the therapeutic use of music and other forms of organized sound in the learning environment of individuals with Central Auditory Processing Disorders. It is an investigation of the traditions of healing with sound vibrations, from its earliest cultural roots in shamanism and ritual healing ceremony through its present evolutionary form of what is currently referred to as music and auditory integration therapy. The matter-altering power of sound-wave vibrations are invited to support traditional teaching methodologies in the learning environment of children with ADHD, ASD, and other learning differences as well as neuro-typical children who have difficulty attending due to issues caused by a disruptive, distorted, or inappropriate processing of sounds.;This qualitative research proposes that sound vibrations and music-based listening can be directed with given intention. Timbre, pitch, and volume can target specific areas of the body to bring about changes in problematic behavior, language acquisition, as well as improved productivity, learning, and development. Teachers, clinicians, administrators, parents, and care providers of differently abled and exceptional students were interviewed in order to determine their relationship to sound and how that response to the soundscape affects their practices. In their own voice, these interviewees tell a story of the use of music in response to a complex, often overpopulated soundscape. The criteria for selecting these individuals was that they had at least a 5-year relationship with children diagnosed as having special needs, and a longstanding relationship with a school system. Leaning heavily on the current scientific research in auditory integration therapy and the researcher's experiences in the field of music and special education, this dissertation seeks to move the therapeutic use of sound from the fringes of alternative treatments to a place in special education that is accessible to most anyone. KEYWORDS: Music therapy, listening, sound, healing, CAPD, ADHD, Autism, auditory processing, auto-ethnography.