Sensory and Auditory Processing Disorder Therapy

People who have sensory processing disorder or sensory processing issues struggle to process and organize the information they receive through their senses. This means they can be either overly sensitive or under-sensitive to sensory input, or both.

Sensory processing disorder can have a significant impact on learning. Children can start to avoid specific tasks or dislike being in particular environments.

There are two key types of sensory processing disorders:

Auditory processing disorder

Children who have this condition can’t process sounds correctly because their ears and brain aren’t coordinating properly. In a quiet environment, children who have auditory processing disorder are usually able to hear sounds more clearly but have trouble when there’s background noise.

Visual processing disorder

With visual processing disorder, your child can have perfect 20/20 vision, but not be able to tell a circle from a square. This is because the processing of visual information occurs in the brain rather than the eyes, so if there’s a cognitive impairment, it doesn’t matter how well your eyes work, your brain still sees something different.

Sensory processing disorders often exist alongside learning disabilities, ADHD, anxiety, or depression. 

Neurofeedback is a noninvasive therapy that corrects problems caused by imbalanced brain waves. Neurofeedback treatment at Abbey Neuropsychology Clinic involves targeting the processing centers in the brain. This helps to change your brain activity and strengthen the processing areas in your brain, and this, in turn, can address your symptoms.  

Many clients at Abbey Neuropsychology Clinic have had great success combining neurofeedback with the clinic’s educational therapy program. Often, children’s progress can slow down when they follow traditional forms of tutoring or even remedial programs.

By combining neurofeedback with educational therapy, it’s possible to target the foundational skills that need developing, while at the same time targeting specific areas in the brain to promote optimal activity.

These learning skills have to be taught using direct, clear, multisensory instruction. Relieving anxiety or increasing attention and focus through neurofeedback or brain training improves your ability to engage in educational therapy. 

Other therapies the team at Abbey Neuropsychology Clinic uses for sensory processing disorder include:

LearningRx®

LearningRx is a skill-based training program that uses challenging but fun brain games to improve cognitive skills. It can help with selective, divided, and sustained attention, long-term, working, or short-term memory, auditory processing, logic and reasoning, visual processing, cognitive shift, and processing speed.

Integrated Listening Systems (iLs)

Multisensory intervention iLs is based on the science of neuroplasticity. It uses a repeated, simultaneous, multisensory approach to help the brain grow, change, and create new pathways in response to stimulation and input. The iLs program integrates music, movement, and language to improve brain function.

Cogmed

Cogmed Working Memory Training® is a program that exercises your working memory. By strengthening your working memory, you can benefit from an improved ability to stay focused and ignore distractions, and your learning skills will improve. 

Vision training

Vision training is very beneficial for processing disorders. About 67% of neural connections are in the visual centers or related to visual information. Neurovisual training can help improve or even resolve newfound processing difficulties. The Abbey Neuropsychology Clinic team focuses on areas such as working memory, attention span, and processing speed to help strengthen your weaker areas.

To find out more about therapies for sensory processing disorder, call Abbey Neuropsychology Clinic today.