My daughter was diagnosed with autism and Central Auditory Processing Deficits (CAPD), a hearing loss in the brain. After her diagnosis of autism with CAPD, we searched for help to overcome the effects of hearing loss in the brain with autism. We schooled her at home to overcome some of her difficulties. Sadly, even with my background in teaching I struggled to teach her. The beginning of each school day started off in a fight, because she so disliked school work. While teaching her, she often acted irritated and also seemed to quickly fatigue. How do you overcome fatigue?

Every little noise distracted her. So every day I removed our bird from the room, because she could not tolerate its high pitch sounds. She would cover her ears when exposed to loud noises like a baby crying in the store or a dog barking.

Interestingly, Cheri asked the very first time we met if she avoided social interactions and shopping. Yes, she preferred to stay home by herself. Even the sound of my voice seemed to irritate and anger her. Cheri called all these behaviors sound intolerance and recommended hearing tests to assess her sensitivity levels to learn if she could overcome these sound intolerances. I listened with astonishment as she explained that many autism behaviors are due to the brain’s inability to protect itself from harmful levels of sounds. And, that her hearing system was in charge of coordinating head, neck, and eye movements. So, her hearing loss was affecting her reading, writing, and motor coordination. Wow!

Auditory Integration Training

My daughter spent almost a whole school year completing Brain Integration Training with two Auditory Integration Training programs. As time passed, I became pleased with the changes in our daughter’s behaviors. She began to overcome her sound intolerance. Her hearing loss with autism behavioral characteristics diminished into the background. Now, there is more joy in our home. I can now share with confidence that Auditory Integration Training helps overcome the effects of hearing loss with sound intolerance.

She also took Efalex, an omega supplement, to improve her brain’s ability to respond to therapy. We noticed that instead of becoming angry and leaving, she could more easily talk. After just one month of taking Efalex, we also saw improvements in her focus. As I write this testimonial for Cheri, I still feel amazed by these improvements in listening, learning, socializing, and mood.

• My daughter now wakes me up excited about the school day ahead.
• She does not respond negatively to loud noises or my voice; I no longer have to remove the bird from the room.
• She stays focused on working with me long before she needs a break. That is a big improvement right there!
• She asks questions to check for understanding
• She has even made a few light-hearted comments, which made her father and I laugh.
• She is using more difficult vocabulary and idioms in her daily conversations. It excites me but, at the same time, it shocks me to hear her use such big words in her speech.
• Her intonation in her voice has improved so much that other people noticed the change. It is wonderful to hear how she is feeling; I no longer hear the low, monotone sound!
• Reading comprehension continues to improve along with expressive writing.

Overcoming Social Anxiety

I wondered,”Are children diagnosed with autism anxious socially because of unknown hearing loss difficulties with sound intolerance?” Would improvements in sound intolerance help her overcome social anxiety?

I appreciated Mrs. Moore’s weekly Brain Integration Training classes, which provided weekly opportunities for my daughter to interact with others who had similar difficulties. Most of those students had no diagnosis or a learning disability. However, they all struggled to listen and read with comprehension, with sound intolerance, and to write without fatigue. It also gave me an opportunity to ask questions, received encouragement to stay the course, and visit with a sweet lady who also had a daughter in her class. Her daughter was also overcoming sound intolerance and becoming more social. Wow! Our daughters were becoming good friends. Such a blessing to see my daughter with hearing loss and a diagnosis of autism start to bloom and enjoy life.

Maintaining Progress After Auditory Integration Training

Even more importantly, Cheri continued to work hard to make sure my daughter continued to make progress after stopping auditory integration training. She encouraged us to complete IGE, a DNA food allergy panel. I simply wanted to replace some of her gluten full foods with gluten free foods. However, Cheri warned us that she could also be allergic to a gluten free grain. I am so glad we completed the testing! She was very allergic to oats and chicken eggs. I was astonished to learn that eggs contribute to so much inflammation in the hearing system that her sound intolerance would have gradually returned causing regression. Thank you, Cheri!

Overall, I am very pleased with her improvements since she started working with Mrs. Moore. It is a joy to watch her choose to go out to meet people instead of staying home by herself. Now when we have company, she stays in the same room and socializes. I have been unwell for a few months. My daughter is blessing me with her wonderful care and love. I am convinced this is only the beginning of the benefits she will experience in the future.

Signed: The Whole Family Thanks You!

Update: 2 Years Later–
Wow! Two years after completing auditory integration training, my daughter attends a public high school. She is mainstreamed in some of her academic (hard) classes. Soon, she will attend a vocational training program.