Adapted from www.tomatis.com

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The Tomatis®  Method was developed by a French ear, nose and throat specialist, Dr Alfred Tomatis. He studied the relationship between the ear and the voice and developed a program that enables the individual to strengthen their analytical, concentration and communication skills.

Tomatis®  intervention can be done from about age two years (as long as the skull fontanels are closed) and there are no upper age limit. The child or adult wears headphones that has a bone vibrator device that sits at the top of the head and submits auditory input through bone conduction  just like a foetus hears its mother’s voice through bone and not through air). Auditory input also accessed the brain via air though the typical ear channels.

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It usually consists of daily or multiple weekly sessions of electronic music / listening therapy that is completed over 14 days. This can be done at a therapist’s practice, during normal therapy sessions or in the comfort of your own home. The TalksUp®  device is an easy to use portable device which can be used by clients at home after it has been specially programmed for use to target specific goals or developmental aspects. Tomatis®  professionals are health care or educator professionals across the globe and they have undergone extensive training to become qualified in the Tomatis®  Method.

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The Tomatis®  program contains a unique feature called electronic gating. Through the gating mechanism, the brain is stimulated to keep it alert and attentive and over the course of the completion of the sessions. The brain subsequently develops an automatic mechanism to detect changes in the environment which reinforces your ability to selectively attend to different stimuli. Watch this video to learn more:

https://youtu.be/FN2PuKci6bo?list=UUeL7pwCCTQ6-jVACUuX0kww

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The vestibular system (movement and balance sense), which is housed in the inner ear, and shares a nerve with the auditory system (hearing), has an immense effect on how our brains receive, filter and organise stimuli from our senses and decide how to respond best. Most importantly it helps keep the brain calm and alert to carry out different tasks. When the vestibular system doesn’t function properly it can impact how we receive and process stimuli, causing the system to become overloaded and shut down. In effect, we feel overwhelmed with sensory information, making it difficult to focus on one specific thing and therefore present as having attention deficits. In addition, vestibular system defects can also result in the brain not receiving enough stimulation in order to remain alert, resulting in the body seeking alternative sources of stimulation, one of which can be movement, which consequently presents as restlessness and fidgeting.