Integrated Listening Systems (iLs)
The elaborate communication system between
our ears, our eyes and inner ear
(balance) must be 'integrated" smoothly and efficiently for optimal
performance of our brain.
The ability of the brain to change is known as neuroplasticity
(also called brain plasticity, or brain malleability). It is the brain’s ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections throughout life.
For example, if one hemisphere of the brain is damaged, the intact hemisphere may take over some of its functions. The brain compensates for damage in effect
by reorganizing and forming new connections between intact neurons. In order to reconnect, the neurons need to be stimulated through activity.
The same is true for parts of the brain compensating for injury or disease.
iLs combines movement, listening and visual stimulation
The 3 systems are vital to our ability to learn, pay attention, process information, and coordinate movement. As these 3 systems are so interrelated, “exercising” them simultaneously is a holistic
approach which requires the brain to become better at integrating multi-sensory information. We are essentially re-training the brain to become more efficient and effective, and in the process strengthening neural
connections to improve performance.
iLs activities involve repetition
As newborns we gradually progressed from involuntary reflexive movements to more voluntary coordinated movements which, as we repeated them, became automatic. Research has shown that the cerebellum part of
the brain plays an important role in this “automation” process, and when it is not doing its job well we have difficulty building patterns for further development in learning and coordination.
iLs programs stimulate cerebellar activity to strengthen neural connections and, in the process, improve our ability to make skills such as reading, writing, spelling, etc automatic.
The cerebellum (lower back side of the brain, near the brain stem) can be likened to a powerful computer processor, transferring vast amounts of information to the movement, language, reasoning, sensory,
and emotion parts of the brain; it’s role is so important that it contains more nerve cells than the rest of the brain combined.
The importance of the vestibular system
The vestibule, located in the inner ear, has 3 main functions:
- Balance As the primary organ of equilibrium, it plays a major role in the subjective sensation of motion and spatial orientation
- Posture Vestibular input to areas of the nervous system elicit adjustments of muscle activity and body posture
- Eye Movement Vestibular input to the nervous system helps stabilize the eyes during head movements
Given these 3 functions, one can see how important the vestibular system is to our sense of balance, our posture and muscle development, and the eye tracking ability required for learning.
Clinical Foundation
The following points describe some of the areas in which iLs
programs can be most effective.
- attention difficulties: A well-modulated vestibular system is important for controlling the nervous system’s level of arousal.
An iLs program provides the stimulus craved by the under-attentive brain.
- auditory processing: The vestibular and cochlear systems are 2 of our 3 main systems for organizing sensory input (vision being the 3rd).
Together they form an interdependent system which allows us to detect and
analyse sound, control balance and movement (including eye movement), and integrate our touch, hearing, and vision.
iLs programs apply controlled stimulation of the vestibule and cochlea, thereby improving the integration and efficiency of sensory input to the brain.
- reading difficulty: Reading requires the ears and eyes to
work together synchronously. As your eyes move from letter to letter your ear
(cochlea) translates each letter into a sound. The vestibular system coordinates
the eye movements and aids the synchronicity of the eyes and ears. iLs programs
improve the neurological timing and vestibular function, reducing processing
delay and improving this synchronization.
- learning difficulties: Sound enters the ear as a myriad of frequencies and intensities. The cochlea, within the inner ear is in charge of discerning the various frequencies.
If the cochlea is not functioning well, we have poor “selectivity” and have a hard time telling the difference between a “P” and “B”, or “T” and “D”.
iLs programs are proven to increase selectivity ability, resulting in better classroom performance and increased confidence.
- self-esteem: One of the greatest areas of improvement we see with iLs clients is their self-esteem. When we are processing information better, performing better in school and at work,
we naturally feel better about ourselves. On a physiological level, it is worth noting that sound stimulation is received by more parts of the brain than any other sensory input.
This includes the limbic system, which plays a major role in our emotional well-being.
- alertness, focus, energy: Research has shown that if we deprive ourselves of sensory stimuli we are unable to function effectively.
A majority of our sensory stimulation is received via the vestibular/cochlear system. If that system is hindered, the results can be seen in our brain’s ability to function well.
Sound is, literally speaking, nutrition for the brain. On an anatomical level, the feeling of alertness resulting from a “healthy ear” occurs when sensory input coming through the vestibular-cochlear system is
channelled to a system at the base of the brain known as the ascending reticular activating system (ARAS). From the ARAS, the stimuli are relayed to the cerebral cortex.
With good auditory and vestibular input, the ARAS stimulates much of the cortex, having a profound effect on levels of “consciousness” and on one’s sense of feeling sharp versus hazy.
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