Sound Therapy for Autism

Back when Lauren was 6 years old, we signed her up for Samonas Sound Therapy.

This was administered by Mr Ingo Steinbach at his centre in Singapore. Over two weeks, Lauren would go daily to the centre for a half hour listening session. While listening, Ingo would immerse Lauren in play activities like puzzles, fine motor skills activities.

Lauren during a Samonas session, Singapore 2008.

From the first session, we could see fine improvements in Lauren. She was more calm, she could walk calmly, with better posture and balance and without twitching or feeling a need to skip after every few steps.

Overall, Lauren was also visibly better engaged. She was more focused. She had better eye contact. She was listening better. It was as if Samonas sound therapy was helping to consolidate all her other therapies ie. speech & language therapy, occupational therapy, drama classes. 

We completed three rounds of intensive Samonas sound therapy and then continued to follow through the therapy at home. Kevin would give Lauren a morning proprioceptive massage - he would massage all her joints from the big muscle joints in her arms and knees to the little muscle joints in her fingers and toes - while Lauren received her sound therapy through head phones. Ingo had taught us how to administer it ourselves, and we could also contact him on any questions we had.

According to Sensory Processing Disorder (Australia), proprioception is the process by which the body can vary muscle contraction in immediate response to incoming information regarding external forces, by utilizing stretch receptors in the muscles to keep track of the joint position in the body. 

In simpler terms, proprioception is the ability to sense where your limbs are and control them, without having to literally look at them.

Lauren received Samonas sound therapy for 3 to 4 years. It took a lot of patience, perseverance because as with any therapy there are no miracle cures, just plenty of consistency and monitoring to ensure there is an overall progression and of course many trips to Singapore!

There was also a lot of joy in watching Lauren slowly discovering language and helping her explore and express her own curiosity about the world around her.

No regrets.

Uncle Ingo and Lauren during one of her visit to Samonas Centre in Singapore

Live Life Wanting to Learn and You'll Live with No Regrets.


A little more about Samonas

Samonas is a personal (as opposed to in a group) listening programme. It is an auditory intervention programme using music and sounds from nature that have been engineered to support the development of specific functions and skills in an individual. Samonas is most effective when used together with other intervention therapies such as speech and / or occupational therapy, and not as a replacement of those therapies.

Samonas was created after 20 years of research by Mr Ingo Steinbach, a German sound engineer with a background in music, physics and electronics. The Samonas programme is available in Singapore and USA.

Learn more about the Samonas Listening Programme at their websites. Ingo is in the midst of consolidating these three sites into one, but until then, you can get more information here. All contact information is also at the websites: www.samonas.com, http://developmentalListening.org and http://academicListening.org

You can also message Ingo directly at https://www.facebook.com/ingosamonas.

I have also included this link where you can easily retrieve the Samonas contact details: http://www.samonas.com/B05/B05a.html

If you found this information helpful, please share it with your friends. We have!

Thinking Outside The Box

Lauren with Fadia, her sitting partner in Primary 3.
Decked in National Costumes for National Day Celebrations.

We were driving home.


I asked Lauren about her day.


I got the usual reply, "Good!".


So I started asking more specific questions.


I found out it was her sitting partner's birthday today. And that they had cake at recess. Ok...


I asked more... And she told me the kids were playing "Old Maid" in class. But they didn't ask her to join in.


"What did you do?" I asked.


"I wrote my story Mom".


You didn't watch them play?


"I did!".


Huh?


I was confused, so I asked


"Did you watch them play or did you write your story?"


....Silence....


I could sense Lauren thinking her answer.


She finally said "I wrote my story AND I watched them play."

If you know Lauren, you will know that she always answers within the given parameters. This is the first time she has answered beyond the given set of choices. (Lauren was 9 years old, and it was November 2011).


Awesome!


Be Grateful for Every Little Success.

Helping Lauren Change Negative Thoughts to Positive Thoughts

Lauren’s latest visit to Dr Johann had her working on the table below.

Chart to Identify Unhelpful & Helpful Thoughts

The purpose of this exercise: How to change negative thoughts to positive thoughts.
This came about because Lauren has a big (gigantous) fear and dislike of water. She thinks she will drown in the pool. She tells us it is dirty. She hates the feeling of being splashed even with sprinkles of water. So she shuns swimming as much as possible.


Kevin and I, on the other hand are trying to get Lauren to understand that she must learn to swim, because it is a life-saving skill. She does not need to love it, but she should try to live with it.


So, for many years, we have been trying to get Lauren to swim – with and without her swimming cap, with and without her float. One time, she tried swimming without the float, and she felt herself sinking. That freaked her out even more!


And then there is the vomiting after the swimming. Intense emotions of triumph that she has managed to swim without her cap and float, coupled with even more intense anxiety…results in Lauren rushing to the toilet to vomit after her swims.


But she has agreed she will continue trying. She is a real trooper. Such resilience. And I must remind myself to continue to encourage her and be more patient.


So, our task is to identify negative thoughts, for example,

NEGATIVE THOUGHTS
I might drown if I swim at the deep end without my float.
My book will be destroyed if my friend touches it.
The movie I am watching will be gone if my brother uses the laptop

Thought Process Leading to Emotional, Physical and Behaviour Changes

POSITIVE THOUGHTS

We discuss with Lauren the process that leads her to positive thoughts like,

“You can practise swimming without your float at the shallow end first, so you know you won’t sink without the float.”
“Think about how you can operate the laptop and find the spot where you last stopped at the movie.”


This exercise hopefully helps Lauren (and all of us who are more pessimistic in nature) to build new pathways in her brain. From default negative thoughts to thought-out positive thinking.


Cup Half Full or Half Empty. How do you see your life?

Look Mom...No Eyelashes!

I remember a time two years ago, when Lauren was 10 years old. It was March 2013.

I was just putting Lauren to bed. It had been a good day. Lauren had just recovered from 3 days of fever caused by a throat infection. Her fever was finally down and she had a fun day at home - watching tv, doing some paces (school revisions) and playing with her dolls. 

After bedtime prayers, she closes her eyes for me to kiss her on her cheek. 

It is then I notice...her eyelashes looked...CROOKED!

She had cut them!!! 

I freak out. 

She freaks out because I am freaked out. 

After loads of scolding (read: loud voices from an almost hysterical mother) and crying, Lauren promises not to do it, again, ever! 

She worries that she won't look pretty anymore. And more importantly, she also knows that she could have really hurt her eyes. 

Her Father and I tell her that they will most likely grow back, but it will take time. Apparently over 3 months, according to google. 

Sigh, Lauren's eyelashes were the prettiest. Long...with curls.

Four days later, I ask her what she was thinking when she decided to cut them? 

You know what she said? 

"I was trying to be Rapunzel. She cut her long hair. But Rapunzel said, "Don't worry. I shall continue to be strong in my spirit!"

Lauren goes on, "Mom, I'll be strong in my spirit too, even with my cut eyelashes!".

Be Strong, in Spirit.

First Playdate Ever!

It was almost the end of Lauren and Luke’s first summer holidays in Australia.

Lots of firsts in beautiful Sunshine Coast, because Lauren had her first playdate (ever!) right then – Yes! We managed to arrange one. January 15, 2015. What a date!

Her movie date was with a lovely friend from her old 5J class, with a wonderfully understanding mother. Thanks Erica!

Lauren & Brooke, 15 January 2015

Brooke came over to watch the new Disney movie called “Big Hero 6”.

Of course Lauren had already had a preview of the movie and had to be reminded many times to not let the cat/s out of the bag, and narrate Brooke through the whole movie.

Enjoying Big Hero 6 together

Anyways, the date was a decent success.

Brooke and Lauren ended up watching two movies, since their conversation time ended in about 5 minutes after the first movie. And Brooke's visit to Lauren's bedroom took just another 5 minutes.

Thankfully, they enjoyed their nachos with sour cream and salsa, and pizza and after which they said "Bye...see you at school"!

Friends are great gifts from God. 

No In-Betweens for An Aspie

The ASC brain is an on-off switch when it comes to emotions.

I am either happy or sad.

I am either very angry or not angry at all.

There are no in-betweens.

So how do we get them to try and recognize the “I am going to get angry” feeling?

Using a feelings temperature check and defining the different tangible changes their body feels can be one way.

For example, heart beats faster.

They start sweating.

Fists start clenching.

Feelings Thermometer: Helping ASCs Identify Emotional Signs

Once they start recognizing these signs, then they can use strategies to calm down.

Strategies that help them move their behaviour from primal instinct (fight or flight) to rational thought and rational behaviour.


Two strategies for Lauren, to help her calm down:

1. Count 1-100…backwards in multiples of two or four or six
Dr Johann advised that the more she has to use her brain to process something, the faster she can move from her primal instinct of explosive anger. This helps her use more of her pre-frontal cortex.


2. Breathing exercise
Breathe in, hold for 3 seconds. Then breathe out. Do this until she feels less upset.

Breathing Technique to Relax

Breathe In...Breathe Out...Breathe In...Breathe Out...Breathe In...Breathe Out...Feel Better?

Head in the Hole

Do you remember the times when you said something or did something so embarassing, you felt like sticking your head in the ground?

Head in the Hole by Kevin Sim copyright 2015

Once when Lauren had a group session in class, each student was asked to make a TRUE and FALSE statement. We aren't sure what the context was in making the sentences but one student (a boy) said, "I make out with my mom!". To which Lauren asked..."How?"...

Her group of friends laughed in response.

And Lauren burst into tears.

She told us later how she wanted to go to the school oval (school field), dig a hole and hide her head in there! She was utterly embarrassed because she didn't know what her friend meant when all the others did.

We explained to Lauren the meaning of what her classmate said "I want to make out with my mom" and we also assured Lauren that it was completely ok and the right thing to ask what she was not sure of. She felt better by the end of the day.

I sure wish I can help prepare Lauren for every situation. I know I cannot, but still...

Try your best and be happy with the outcome (no matter what).

How to have a conversation - Step by Step Guide for an ASC Child

Dr Johann has been guiding Lauren on how to have a good conversation with her friends.


Here are the steps we have recorded and are practising with Lauren on:


1. Help Lauren to paraphrase conversation points and end with "that's really cool!".

For example,..."so you like to play tennis and watch movies. That's really cool!".


2. Give compliments
Lauren learns to give compliments (appropriate ones, of course) to help make her friends comfortable and feel good.

For example,..."Hey Lanni, you look really pretty with those new ear-rings".


3. Finish conversations properly.
Lauren tends to leave her conversations hanging. Either her friends have not finished talking or she is done asking and then she just waltzes away!

So now she is to say..."Nice talking to you. See you later. Bye".


Reminders to continue practising:
Use comic strips to visually explain what other people are thinking of a certain behaviour of Lauren's.

Keep rehearsing and practising new social skills.

Use tv (since she loves watching TV) as a good reference for appropriate Model Me behaviours.

Remind Lauren to greet and give a warm smile, before jumping into a conversation. Say bye without her awkward, mini wave.


More updates again soon.

Teaching social skills is important in helping
Lauren navigate our complex social world

Practise. Practise. Practise because Practise Makes Perfect.

Big presentation! And Big Scene!!!

Lauren had to prepare for her school project on natural disasters (she had apparently forgotten to do it and we were informed on a Thursday, with just Friday-Sunday for her to research, complete the poster and memorize the talk). We helped a fair bit! Kevin did wonders with the visual poster and Lauren worked hard on how to present her work.

Me? 

I helped to make her sentences simpler and easier to present. And Lauren was so good - she took in our comments, was willing to present so many times just to get her words, her action all right.


On Monday, she presented her A2 poster and talk about the natural disaster to the whole class. She had to keep the audience interested for her 3-6 mins presentation. She scored an 'A' for it. A great morning for her.

Nov 2014: Lauren's "A" Project

Then came big break at school.


A couple of kids were playing handball and Lauren accidentally got hit by a bouncing ball.


She exploded!!!


She reacted by shouting that she was going to 'hurt' them (not sure what the actual words were) and threw her book and pen to the ground. Her pen broke as a result, which made things worse.


Sally, her Special Education -SEU - teacher heard her from the office and came to get her. Sally calmed her down. And another girl gave her pen - which was similar but not 100% the same - to Lauren to make her feel better.


How do we help Lauren when she has an explosive outburst?


Can we prevent it?


Lauren felt really bad. We know because she tells us what she should have not done and what she should have done.


After talking to Dr Johann about this, we are reminded that we must continue to run the scenarios and practise appropriate actions with Lauren, and practise them, and practise them and practise them until they become a habit.


We are also reminded that our frontal lobes, which control rational behaviour and reasoning, do not mature until we are about 25 years old! And we are also assured that new neural pathways can form for newly learned habits…


So while we have a long long journey ahead of us, and it won’t be a bed of roses, we can take time to smell the roses and know there is a light at the end of the tunnel.



Know that the enjoying the journey is as important as reaching the end.

The Start of Something Different

January 30, 2015
I have decided. It's time to do what I have been wanting to do for many years now. Write...with a purpose to help others.