For Listening, Language and Learning
Listening is the ability to use one’s hearing intentionally and attentively
and in a way that is acceptable on an emotional level
for the purpose of learning and communicating.
Listening Master
Tomatis Method
It is a system founded in the 1950’s by Alfred Tomatis, (1920 – 2001), a French Ear, nose, and throat physician. He was a specialist in problems with hearing and language. Dr. Tomatis founded, and was the president of, the field of Audio – Psycho - Phonology at the School of Anthropology in Paris. Amongst many awards, he was awarded distinctively by the Paris Academy of Sciences and the Paris Academy of Medicine for creating the “Tomatis® Effect”, which was to be expressed by 3 laws:
We use the Tomatis Method to address a problem that most people have, and that is, that they do not listen properly. Hearing and Listening are two different processes.
Hearing is a passive process just having the sounds taken in by the ear. Listening, however, is an active process and involves the brain to interpret and understand what is being heard.
The Tomatis Effect Explained
What we do
We provide an assessment of listening strengths and weaknesses for the mother and her child. Following a consultation or assessment, therapy will begin in the form of intensive listening sessions, done with an electronic device, Using digitalised music and special headphones with bone and air conduction. The initial consultation and assessment will determine appropriate goals and recommend a program to achieve them.
Our practitioner Wileen has a honours degree in Educational Psychology and is a learning disabled specialist. She was the owner of a private school for the last 15 years and have experience working with disabled children. She is a qualified level 2 Solisten/Tomatis practitioner. She does the initial consultation and assessment of the child and/or adult.
The Concept of Listening
Listening is not hearing
Hearing is the ability to discriminate different frequency ranges as they are tested by audiologists. In our listening centre we do not work with hearing. Most of the time people would return from a visit to an audiologist with a perfect hearing score and still have auditory processing problems.
Listening is a ability
Listening is the ability to use one’s hearing intentionally and attentively and in a way that is acceptable on an emotional level, for the purpose of learning and communicating.
Listening is an action
The implementation applies the ability to select an acoustic message among others, to inhibit sounds which are not relevant, to constantly readjust the content and the form of this message, and to immediately evaluate the result of this control.
It is a high level cognitive function
In no case is it to be assimilated to a passive recording of sound, which would simply depend on the proper working of the auditory apparatus.
Disruption
Listening may be disturbed when the interpretation, on a mental or emotional level, of the sensorial information on which it is constructed is flawed. In this case, one speaks of distortions in listening. These distortions will then be the source of difficulties and discomforts as much for the child as for the adult, and can concern all situations of daily life.
Development Delays
Listening can be affected by developmental delays (too frequent occurrences of ear infection in early formative years being one red flag), auditory processing and communicative disorders, and emotional disturbances as well.