Sound is everywhere, it’s as much a part of our lives as the air we breathe and the food we eat. Yet, many people become stressed or uncomfortable with sounds in their own home, school, work, and public places, and aren’t even aware of it.The cause, NOISE!

Negative sound exposure has a scientifically proven impact on health, sleep, attention, learning, communication, listening, hearing, stress and more. A 2011 report from the World Health Organization and the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre Burden of Disease From Environmental Noise states that “noise like this is second only to air pollution as an environmental cause of ill health.” There is no question noise is a major health concern, something my co-author Don Campbell and me wrote about extensively in our book Healing at the Speed of Sound®.  Each of us is impacted by noise, some more than others. But millions with autism spectrum disorders, sensory processing disorders and brain injury are not only impacted by noise, but often develop a negative emotional response to sound.

Dr. Jay Lucker, associate professor in the Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders at Howard University in Washington, DC recently co-authored an article with me for Autism Science Digest which explores sound sensitivities in a growing population of children and adults with autism that are known to commonly have hypersensitivities to sound. The article titled “Auditory Hypersensitivity and Autism Spectrum Disorders: An Emotional Response” is in the current issue 04, which is available at Barnes and Noble through July.

My company Advanced Brain Technologies today announced the launch of TLP Spectrum™; a new auditory program for at home use, to improve sound brain fitness and reduce sensory sensitivities in children and adults who are or who may become hypersensitive to sounds. This program is a gentle way to desensitize emotional reactions to sound.

TLP Spectrum consists of evidence-based instrumental music which contains proprietary sound technologies to exercise the brain, and filter out unwanted sounds, while keeping the listener relaxed during fifteen-minute listening sessions with headphones. The program is ideal for those most susceptible to sound sensitivity; including children and adults with autism spectrum disorders, sensory processing disorders, brain injury and developmental delays, as well as typically developing toddlers (my 2 year old son is on the program), preschoolers, and the elderly.

I’ll be presenting this article and introducing TLP Spectrum at the Autism One/ Generation Rescue Conference 2012 in Chicago next month. Hope to see you there!

Winnie Dunn, PhD, OTR, FAOTA  and Author of the Sensory Profile and Sensory Profile School Companion is a featured speaker. There will also be a special presentation by Lucy Jane Miller, PhD, OTR and Founder and Executive Director of  SPF Foundation.

Please visit the SPD Foundation for additional information.

This study was originally presented by John Esteves at the 2008 Advanced Brain Technologies International Conference in Midway, Utah, July 2008.  A summary is in the new book just published by Springer Vienna and New York,  edited by Roland Haas and Vera Brandes Music That Works: Contributions of Biology, Neurophysiology, Psychology, Sociology, Medicine and Musicology ISBN 978-3-211-75120-6  http://www.springer.com/springerwiennewyork/medicine/book/978-3-211-75120-6

 To read or download the full study please click here.

What’s an Sensory Processing Disorder? When the brain receives sensory signals that don’t get organized into appropriate responses. This creates challenges in all areas of life.  Through my work at Advanced Brain Technologies I interface with occupational therapists worldwide that treat children and adults with this condition on a daily basis. They generally have a good handle on how to provide effective treatment, often using The Listening Program® as part of a comprehensive treatment approach.  Yet, there is no diagnostic recognition for SPD, so insurance generally does not reimburse for treatment, meaning  many go without.     

The SPD Foundation is advocating inclusion of Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) in the DSM-V (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual), which will be published in 2012. The DSM classifies all childhood and adult mental health and developmental disorders. Currently, SPD is not covered by the DSM categories, and its absence limits awareness of the disorder and contributes to the misdiagnosis and inappropriate therapeutic treatment of children.

The inclusion of SPD in the DSM will foster correct diagnoses and will open doors for further research about the underlying cause of and treatments for SPD. The addition of SPD in the DSM will also facilitate reimbursement for treatment.

If you support diagnositic recognition for SPD please sign the DSM petition by clicking here  http://www.spdfoundation.net/petition.php