A developmental model is a
bottom up
approach to
intervention.
It works on
the
foundations;
not the out
come
skills. In
sensory-based
intervention
we assume that
those
foundations
are of
neurological
organizational.
They cannot be
taught; rather
they
are potentials
that can be
elicited. This
neurological
capacity is
called
praxis and it
is the
foundation for
all imitative
and later
original
action. When
praxis fails,
we call it
Apraxia or
Dyspraxia. We
can
treat apraxia
or Dyspraxia
with the Tomatis
method
and the Spectrum
Center Method
of
Vestibular
Re-Integration.
Praxis is
critical to
understanding
changes or
improvement in
a person with
Developmental
Regression.
T
he theories of
Dr. Tomatis
and
observations
of theory in
practice
provided me
with a better
foundation for
understanding
of the link
between
praxis,
communication,
and language
than just
Sensory
Integration
theory alone.
Ayres
in her
research found
a relationship
between
improved
vestibular
functioning
and language.
She found
improvement in
auditory
processing as
well as a link
between
depressed
nystagmus and
expressive
language. When
one improved
so did the
other.
She felt that
the
therapeutic
use of sensory
integrative
procedures
could have
their greatest
effect on
language test
scores. She
largely
spoke of the
vestibular and
auditory
systems as
separate
however.
I
remember in a
course 1978
that Josephine
Moore
gave about the
vestibular
system that
the vestibular
and auditory
system, though
separated for
teaching
purposes were
really one
system
'the
vestibular
cochlea
system' and it
was important
that we think
of
them that way.
Dr. Tomatis
most certainly
considers them
as one.
This
in my mind is
where Tomatis
added a great
deal. Tomatis
saw them much
more as one
system, the
vestibular/cochlear
system, and
that sound
influenced
both the
vestibule
portion as
well as
the cochlear.
Testing
T
omatis sees
the ear as an
integrator. He
saw the
vestibular
(balancing)
and Cochlear
(decoding of
sound)
functions of
the ear joined
in a
single system.
The vestibule
analyzes
larger
movements,
those within
the body, and
the cochlea
evolved as an
addition to
analyze
smaller
acoustical
type
movements.
Anatomically
he
describes three
systems of
integration.
Firstly the
vestibular
integrator acts
to integrate
all the muscles
of the body,
noting that all
muscles depend
on the
vestibule for
their tone.
Secondly was the
visual
integrator where
the
eye references
through the ear.
Thirdly the
cochlear or
linguistic
integrator which
interprets
sounds and
allows for
language to
develop.
We listen with
our whole bodies
And
lastly it is
impossible to
talk of the
Vestibular
system
separately from
the Cerebellum.
When Dr. Tomatis
talk
of the
vestibular
system he is
universally
talking of the
projections
to the
cerebellum,
especially the
archeo-cerebellum.
Participation
S
ound as an
entry into the
Nervous System
Ayres used
movement as
her portal
into the
nervous system
while Tomatis
used sound. My
observations
are that I did
a lot of
sensory
integration
before
becoming
trained in the
Tomatis
method, but I
never saw the
extent of the
impact on
language that
I see with the
addition of
sound
stimulation.
So with the
addition of
sound I felt
that I was
better
able to affect
the cochlear
integrator.
On
the
other hand I
see changes in
postural
functions with
the use of
sound that I
could not get
with
movement-based
approaches
alone. And
that was very
interesting to
me. I
particularly
saw changes in
the area of
muscle tone -
the posture
really
improved.
Mostly
I
saw changes in
what I have
been referring
to as the
symbolic
functions, in
the area of
non-verbal
communication.
This is what I
call
Communicative
Praxis.Theoretically
I
find the
Tomatis method
very
consistent
with what I
was already
doing,
I just felt
that it added
a piece or
added a
dimension. And
I
especially
feel that the
combination of
the two is
particularly
powerful.
I
really feel
that with the
Tomatis
Method I am as
much
influencing
the vestibular
system as the
cochlear
and I expect
to see changes
in both
functions.'The
nervous system
grew
out of the
ear.'
Benefits
W
hile Ayres
came to the
vestibular
system through
her study of
learning
disabilities
and reading
related visual
spatial
disorders.
Tomatis came
to the
vestibular
system from
his desire to
understand the
processes of
communication.
He found the
vestibular
system when
looking
for the first
phylogenetic
organ of
communication.
He
saw the
vestibular
system as the
first system
of
communication
phylogentically.
The
primitive
vestibular
system and its
relationship
to gravity,
was
the first
relating from
inner life to
outer life.
Jean
Ayres in her
description of
the primacy of
the vestibular
system in the
evolution
and
development of
the human
nervous system
put it this
way:
'
The child's
relationship
to gravity is
more primal
than their
relationship
to
mother'
Loretta
Bender said
in 1956 that
'The
vestibular
system enabled
the developing
organism to
distinguish
between self
and non-self'
This is
important to
the Tomatis
concept of
communication.
We need a
self and a
non-self in
order to have
an
interaction. I
can see this
distinction
start to
evolve in the
autistic
children as
the respond to
therapy. Prior
to that their
relationship
is primarily
symbiotic. The
body schema
improves along
with the motor
planning, and
they start to
have more of a
sense of
mastery and
autonomy. They
see themselves
as
separate.
Benefits
T
he vestibular
system is
anatomically
joined with
cochlear
system, and
the systems
lie closely
together
throughout the
nervous
system. This
allows for
many close
neuronal
associations
with auditory
processing
and language.
Decreased
vestibular
processing can
impact on the
area of
speech and
language
development,
particularly
auditory
processing.
Research has
found that
therapy to
improve the
function of
the
vestibular
system can
also result in
improved
language
development.
Auditory
processing
disorders are
often related
to disorders
in processing
within the
vestibular
system. In
actuality,
auditory
perception is
dependent on
good
interaction
between the
vestibular -
cochlear
apparatus,
which then
sends sensory
information up
to the higher
processing
center of the
brain. When
there is
inadequate
sensory
information
from the
vestibular
cochlear
system it is
more difficult
to
develop
appropriate
auditory
processing. To
develop normal
receptive
the foundation
of normal
sensory input
from the
vestibular -
cochlea
system is
important.
The
auditory
system needs a
stable base
provided by
the vestibular
sy
stem in order
to process
information.
In order to de
velop language
it is
necessary to
process
complex
information
through
the auditory
sy
stem. The
auditory
system is
required to
separate the
speech stream
into
meaningful
single units
of auditory
objects. Much
as the visual
system, which
has to
reference what
it sees
through the
vestibular
system, the
auditory
system also
must perform a
similar
reference.
Without the
stability from
the vestibular
system, it is
difficult for
the auditory
system to
accurately
interpret the
sound stream
well.
Valerie
Dejean
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