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by Christine
Toledo, OTR/L, Berard AIT Practitioner
Like many
parents of children with learning disabilities and autism, our introduction to
the Berard AIT, came
through the learning, communication, behavioral challenges, and activities of
daily living deficits, that our two sons exhibited and the subsequent noise and
distraction and constant interruption that was the cadence and rhythm of our
daily lives.
Both had very
minimal communication skills, and in keeping with autistic behavior:
rocked themselves back and forth for stimulation, flapped hands and shook heads
from side to side to express their emotions, tapped and lead us by our hand in
an attempt to communicate needs. When communication was attempted by both; one
had a staccato, rapid, screechy, and high pitched voice, while the other one had
a non-stop, never-ending barrage of repeated words, in a volume that was stuck
on HIGH! As parents, we loved them, but often wished there was an off button.
At thirteen
years old, with great deficits in communication skills, pre-kindergarten reading
skills, and 4 year old Activities of Daily Living Skills (ADL's), we were faced
with a reckoning; we either pull ourselves together and have an attack plan or
we start looking for an institution for them before they’re eighteen. Just so we
can look forward to have a decent conversation without the noise, distraction
and interruption at eighteen years and one day.
It was either
sink or swim crossroads for our family. And it was not easy.
Like other
families, there was discord on how to teach, reward, and discipline the kids.
There was discord on how much brain plasticity can take place at such an
advanced age for retraining. There was discord on how much more retraining the
ear can take after compensatory mechanism have been set in place for 13 years
from hearing sensitivities and absent frequencies.
But there was
also hope. Hope that with a well organized proactive response to the
individuals’ needs, deficits and strength, positive changes can happen. By
viewing individuals with ASD as a "House with Many Windows of Intervention"
integrated approaches of nutrition, behavioral, Occupational Therapy,
Occupational Therapy with
Sensory Integration were STRICTLY applied. And
positive changes did happen.
At sixteen years
old, with minimal cuing, both kids exhibit independence in their ADL's.
One can lower
the volume of the voice to tolerable levels, read comfortably at 4th
grade level, make grades of 90’s in 10th grade English as well as
Honor Roll in Math.
Another can
communicate in two to three word phrases at a lower pitch, with less staccato.
This once asocial, withdrawn kid, who tuned out the world and did not respond to
his name being called, has developed a strong sense of empathy towards other
people without cuing. He exhibits initiative to help others on his own, like
pulling out a chair so his grandmother can sit at the dining table, and picking
up and returning a toy that a toddler dropped. In both children, the rocking,
hand flapping, and head shaking behavior have been extinguished.
The remarkable
changes in our sons made us spring into action after reading
Hearing Equals Behavior
by Dr. Guy Berard and
Dancing in the Rain by Annabelle Stehli.
Berard Auditory Integration Training has proven to
be an invaluable tool in the recovery of individuals with learning disabilities
and in the ASD.
As a family, we
no longer fear the future. We embrace the learning, communication and behavioral
challenges, knowing that as a family, we can overcome.
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