Testimonials from thus using tomatis

TESTIMONIES Fanny SILBER, Music Therapist, TOMATIS Practitioner Level 1, Israel « As a music therapist, I was aware of and interested in the Tomatis method as I read few of Alfred Tomatis's books. Also, I happened to meet a young Israeli mother whose child made enormous progresses in different fields after having followed the Tomatis program. So I decided to find out more about the method and took the level 1 formation course in September 2011. The course was very interesting and as a musician myself, I got even more convinced that music can be a key to help treating many problems that children and adults might encounter throughout their life.

However, it's important for the persons who would like to participate to the course, to have some kind of professional experience which will make it easier as the course lasts only three days. Being away from my country for a year I have not started yet to practice but I am waiting anxiously to do so. I know that the Tomatis center works with many schools around the world and I am anxious to read about scientific studies that hopefully will be made and will justify the efficiency of the method. »

Sandra VAN ROOYEN, TOMATIS Practitioner Level 1, Ireland « Firstly I would like to say that I completed the training for Solisten Practitioner, level 1 in Paris in February 2011. I found the lectures on Anatomy and Physiology very informative. I would have liked to have had a few hours more of training in the practical use and programming of the device. However, once I started usung Solisten ELMA in my practice , I was very happy and realised that it just takes patience.

I work mainly with children and teenagers who have learning difficulties or emotional or behavioural difficulties. I have only seen positive changes to my clients. Every one of them has benefited in some way. Children with Dyslexia have all improved their reading ages after completing the course. Concentration and memory issues improved a lot with a 17 year old highly intelligent student who also has Dyslexia, Her comprehension and concentrationspan has improved and her grades are all much higher now.

An 8 year old student with Dyspraxia was always very agitated, very un co-ordinated and never picked for teams. He also found it hard to sequence matters. After the course his mother did a testimonial at one of my presentations and said that he enjoys Art more and can ride a bike now and is now been picked for teams by his peers in the school yard which is great. The best thing is that his self esteem had really

improved. He also used to have a Special Needs Assistant at school for toiletting help and dressing himself. After completing Solisten he asked not to have the assistant anymore as he was able to go to the bathroom and dress himself independently. At home he is also dressing himself which he could not do before he did the Solisten.

A 29 year old man with Asperger Syndrome and Epillepsy did the Basic an E1B programme and also did a testimonial for me . He said that after completing Solisten ELMA he could tolerate social events with alot of talking and chat more, is less frustrated and his mother reported that there were no more aggresive outbursts between him and his father any more. He also feels much more positive about completing his studies.

A 5 year old boy was not diagnosed with Autism or ADHD but was very hyper active, rocked constantly and cried alot, could not sit still at all and could not write or paint. After completion of ELMA and alot of work with him and his family he is sitting still at school, painting, and talking in full snetences . The rocking has also decreased .

In the case of teenagers with low self esteem and confidence issues I have seen such dramatic positive changes that I actually cried once when the mother told me how much the programme had changed her child's life. Âť

Tharien AUCAMP, Occupational Therapist, TOMATIS Practitioner Level 1, South Africa "Just want to share this news with you. I had an adult CVA patient on the Solisten Program. He is doing so well since starting the Solisten he is back at work (he is a radiologist), he can drive put up drips etc. It made a huge difference in his participation restrictions. The fisio was amazed in his motor control progress. She is now only seeing him once a week after we started with the Solisten.

Then I have a SEVERE tactile defensive little girl (5 years old) that is currently on the Solisten Program. She was very resistant to the brushing protocol and the only thing I thought of to use was the Solisten. Her SIPT diagnosis is praxis on verbal command and somatodyspraxic. She almost never has clothes on and does not wash her hair. She has poor planning and battles to talk and socialise with other children, her cognitive ability is superior but it doesn't look like it. She started on the Solisten and the changes are amazing, her mom is astonished and overwhelmed. Her speech has improved within the first 4 sessions and her spatial awareness is amazing. Her play has even gone up a level and she is now imagining things that she was not able to do before. She actually looks smart now. Thank You for bringing this MAGIC to South-Africa I am addicted!"

Sandra NOGUES, Psychologist, TOMATIS Practitioner Level 2, Spain ÂŤ In my opinion, the Solisten training I did Madrid was dense and the content usable at 100%. These were three intensive days, but there wasn't a moment I thought I was loosing my time. The trainers are profesional, psychologists and very competent. They know what they are talking about, and not only the theory, but also the study and the clinical experience. I would like to add that I was very much impressed by the precision with which they talked about the neurofisiological content of the effect of the method on the brain. For me the formation I received was excellent. I think it provides the essential elements to enable the health professional to integrate this technique in his knowlege and studies from a totally scientifical point of view. And to enable him to start using it in his usual praxis as a complementary technique to other interventions, psychological in my case. Âť

Ray-Anne COOK, Occupationnal Therapist, TOMATIS Practitioner Level 2, South Africa ÂŤ I have been very impressed with the Solisten training courses which I have attended in 2009. The content of the course is very relevant with the necessary theory and practical application. The lecturers are professional, know their subject and encourage interaction amongst the participants.The online mentoring sessions for the year after the course is invaluable and encourages the new Tomatis Practitioners to improve their clinical reasoning and confidence in the use of the Solisten product. What impresses me the most is that being ethical and having the interest of the client is brought across to the participants. I enjoy myself working with the Solisten device with my patients and seeing such impressive results. Âť

Kara TAVOLACCI, OTR, TOMATIS Consultant, USA ÂŤ My introduction to Tomatis was in 2001. I was attending graduate school for Occupational Therapy, at NYU and looking for part-time work; a job posting for a listening trainer at a Tomatis center piqued my interest even though I didn't know what a "listening trainer" or the "Tomatis" program was. I discussed the job posting with my roommate later that day and was surprised to discover that she was quite familiar with the program and assured me that it was a great job and that I would learn a lot. After applying, I was immediately hired and began placing what then seemed like strange headphones on children with varying diagnoses. The listening trainer's job was to, first and foremost, make sure the children kept their headphones on for the two-hour period. As well, and importantly, the trainer must try to engage the child while (s) he is listening, which could prove quite challenging if the child was on the autism spectrum.

But wouldn't you know these kids began to change. What I initially noticed was improved eye contact, more vocalizations, and calmer behavior. Children who had previously been exhibiting some resistance with the headphones were now seeking them out. And I could not deny that it was easier to engage these children. The significance of these changes became more apparent as I began to learn more about the method and more about Occupational Therapy. The children seemed to be tuning into the world more. Parents reported that their child seemed more aware, calmer, were sleeping better, eating more. Occasionally a parent would report successful potty training. All from listening to this Tomatis stuff.

I continued to work at the Tomatis center throughout my graduate school career. In order to get clinical experience, I began in 2004 working in a pediatric sensory clinic and a special needs preschool. It was a good learning experience and I saw some changes, but I was not getting those "wow" changes I had witnessed at the Tomatis center. Ultimately I felt that OT without the Tomatis piece was not getting at the root of the child's issues. I eventually phased out my work at both the sensory clinic and preschool and came on board full time at the Tomatis center and was fully trained to the Tomatis Method.

Many of the children who were coming at our center were on Autism spectrum from the severely affected to the mild cases. We also had some children with Cerebral Palsy, seizure disorders, learning disabilities, ADHD, ADD etc. In my former OT work, I would see changes as I've mentioned but at a slower rate than the Tomatis.

I don't believe you can 'make' a child want to engage with you. Yes, you can drill social skills by repeating phrases like "look at me" but it's not coming from within the child: it's rote and, therefore,

meaningless. That's what Tomatis seems to be changing: I've witnessed autistic children look at me more, communicating more and, importantly becoming more aware of their surroundings.

One young boy, who was being treated by an OT who utilized a Floor Time approach, was aware of his therapist and sometimes others in the gym but clearly not completely tuned into his environment. He had been receiving OT for 2 ½ months before starting the Tomatis program. After his first 15 days of listening with Tomatis he was engaged in play with his therapist in a way he had not been previously. Upon hearing someone walk into the gym he immediately oriented, looking in the direction the sound had come from.

I am so happy to have found this tool to work with and be able to offer today this service to much more people through Solisten, the home based solution from Tomatis. »

Patricia P., Mother, USA « My son, Christopher is a 2.8 year old boy who was diagnosed with PDD-NOS, months before his second birthday. Christopher developed completely normal up until about 18 months. Looking back now, there may have been warning signs that there was a problem. For instance, Christopher was a very easy going baby. He never really cried or wanted anything. He did not walk until he was around fifteen months old. Once he began to walk he preferred to be carried. It was hard to recognize some of the signs at first because he made a lot of sounds and would occasionally label items in his immediate environment. He never used any gestures such as pointing or waving bye. When he did babble or use a word it was never directed toward anyone. He never tried to gain our attention, call for us or share a common interest.

Around 18 months, it became quite obvious that there was a definite problem. Christopher spent most of his time crying, not responding to his name and completely staring off into space. At this time, it was impossible to take him anywhere because he would completely flip out. He began tippy toeing, grinding his teeth, sticking his fingers in his ears. He became impossible to manage. I started the process of early intervention. He was evaluated and diagnosed with PDD-NOS. Although, I already knew that Christopher was on the spectrum it was still devastating when the psychologist spoke with me.

Christopher's therapists' had very simple goals to work on because he wasn't capable of doing much at that time. He was completely lost in his own world. I spent many hours researching and looking up different therapies and diets that would help improve the quality of his life. I know deep down inside that he was a bright child and was capable of learning something. I just wanted him to have a functional life. I began speaking with the Occupational therapist about varies strategies and techniques to him decrease his sensory issues. Unfortunately, it is impossible to try everything. After doing hours of research on Tomatis, I felt this was the way to go for Christopher. My occupational therapist, who is Tomatis trained, was able to explain the theory behind Tomatis. As a speech language pathologist, Tomatis training made a lot of sense for my son Christopher. I was will to try anything to help him. At this point, it really could not hurt.

When the Tomatis training first began, Christopher's behaviors and sensory issues were magnified. He was unable to sleep, began banging into walls, falling and flapping his hands to name a few symptoms. I really began to worry more about Christopher. Was this helping Christopher or hurting him? After the first round of Tomatis was completed, it took Christopher about two weeks to get back to his normal self. His occupational therapist explained that this behavior was normal after Tomatis. Basically, it was waking up certain areas of his brain and rewiring his entire sensory and language systems. Every cycle of Tomatis focused on different areas of brain function. As a matter of fact, Christopher actually seemed to be more verbal and had less sensory seeking behaviors. His eye contact had improved and he started to interact more with his four year old brother. After each cycle, Christopher showed tremendous

improvement. His social skills improved, he became curious about other people and children and his language grew tremendously. His occupational therapist, explained each time the different changes that would occur and why this would happen.

Before Tomatis began, I only hoped for a few things. I just wanted Christopher to learn a few important life skills so he would be able to take care of himself when I was no longer around. Today, my expectations and goals have completely changed. Christopher is a verbal child who is able to combine sentences. He is interested in other children and is capable of interaction. He is able to do everything that any other two year old is capable of doing. Most people are surprised when I tell them that Christopher has been diagnosed of PDDNOS. Christopher is a completely different child. My family members and friends can t believe how different he is in just nine months. The progress is amazing and unbelievable. I am going to continue to do boosters with Tomatis to help him to continue to develop. At the present time, Christopher is attending a preschool program without support. Christopher is going to have a bright future, thanks to his occupational therapist and Tomatis. Âť