How Lollipop Works

Lollipop takes the listener through the entire audible spectrum so that it trains the ear and brain to pick up and process sound without distortions, without missing any acoustic information. Perceiving too little information is just as bad as perceiving too much. The object of auditory training is to balance out the auditory system, balance out the neurological system, and create a better listener - one who isn’t under stress to understand incoming information and one who is able to clearly and concisely express outgoing information.

“Passive” Phase

Lollipop begins with the “Passive Phase” that Dr. Tomatis described as taking the listener back to the time in the womb to set the stage for re-wiring. It is passive in the sense that the listener doesn’t really have to participate and concentrate on the music. Headphones are worn by the child and the music does its job. The modulated music is acting upon the ear and the brain without the listener’s help whereas in the “Active Phase” (see below), the listener actively participates in the therapy with the use of their own voice.

Daily listening on Lollipop can be accomplished in a quick 30 minutes a day, Monday thru Friday. A 2-day mandatory break of the weekend is taken to let the brain assimilate the information. A lot of the changes are actually seen during these breaks. Monday through Friday, the ear will be worked out to a rigorous Mozart medley enhanced through sound engineering techniques and Sound Therapy Systems’ revolutionary E.A.R Formula and EAR-o-DYNAMICS. 

With the E.A.R. Formula, the ear is first “Engaged” by the music, locked in, in a sort of “priming” phase to acclimate it to the program. The ear then “Attends” to the music in the rigorous training portion of the program where the EAR-o-Dynamics come into play with various digital processing techniques of the sound waves to pull on the ear muscles exercising them to tone them and train them to locate sound all around the sound field. Finally, the ear recovers from the work-out in the “Return” phase bringing it back to its pre-engaged state having had a wonderful 30 minute workout…without the sweat.

On Fridays, the ear will be given a sort of “last chance” workout before the weekend called “Circuit Training Friday” (CTF).  CTF is a more intense program than Monday – Thursdays. It is based on the way a muscle is exercised with bursts of training followed by quick spurts of rest. It is a more intense workout for the ear prior to the two-day rest on the weekend where the brain assimilates all of the week’s information and where the changes are most apparent.

All of the Lollipop Listening Therapy® programs will lay down the frequencies of the audible spectrum so that the brain can start making new neural pathways and reconnecting the listener with language and communication and enhancing sensory integration and auditory processing.

Production of Lollipop Music

There are very specialized digital processing techniques that are employed in the production of this music to render it therapeutic. Sound Therapy Systems employs several neurosonic (brain/sound) techniques to re-educate the ear to listen:

When the listener is taken through all of the frequencies of sound during this program, they stop in different auditory training zones of the audible spectrum to work on unique brain and body functions. Sound Therapy Systems employs the use of filters on the music to separate frequency bands so that the listener’s attention is brought to a specific frequency zone while blocking out other frequency bands. This enables the listener to fine-tune their listening by allowing their ears to only focus on a particular band at a time so that the brain has a chance to make new neural connections and lay down new frequencies.

EAR-o-DYNAMICS  is a process that gives the music geometric motion providing an additional workout of the ear.

“Active” Phase

With the addition of a microphone, the listener can speak and hear his/her own voice back through the headphones. This is a very important phase in retraining the ears. Audio-Vocal training uses the power of one's own voice to improve language, learning, communication and thinking skills. This "active" phase of the program uses structured and sequenced "listen and repeat" lessons. These lessons follow the developmental sequence of sound frequencies for language acquisition. The focus of this phase is verbal input and output and voice play. The listener is introduced and guided to experience new listening and speaking behaviors.

For non-verbal clients, we just want to capture their voice or their babbling or whatever comes out! It's a stimulus for their ear to keep producing language. So even if your child isn't quite verbal yet, the audio-vocal phase is still for you. For clients who are able, "listen and repeat exercises" as well as "rehearsed reading" provides experience to establish new reading habits and patterns that will increase reading rate, accuracy and comprehension. Oral reading is practiced to reinforce new reading and language skills. Do you or your child have a monotone? Learn how to work on intonation, expression and perfect your presentation voice. Read now with excitement and color. Start using those exclamation marks and question marks and move your voice around as the reading or speech you are giving requires.

Audio-vocal exercises can improve:

• Reading comprehension and retention;
• Listening;
• Speech and language;
• Reading fluency;
• Alertness and attention to detail;
• Thinking and problem solving;
• Academic achievement;
• Communication and social skills

Audio-vocal training phase is only available in conjunction with Lollipop Listening Therapy® from Sound Therapy Systems. We do not sell the “Active Phase” for any other listening therapy program on the market.

 

 

 

Lollipop Packages: (Info, Price Inquiry, On-line Purchase)

 

So what do you think about when you think of a lollipop? Well, I think of colors - flavors. So I designed this program to be color-friendly and user-friendly. I designed Lollipop Listening Therapy® as a "passive” musical journey taking the listener through the entire audible spectrum so the brain can lay down those frequencies. Neurosonic processes already discussed are placed on the music through sound engineering to aid the listener in discriminating frequencies, exercising and toning the middle ear muscles and working on spatialization and localization of sound.

Check out our Lollipop Packages and price inquiry below:

Package 1 - Lollipop Excel-r- EIGHT- CD

 

Activities to do While Listening ("Passive" Phase)

 

Children learn about their world through all of their senses. A. Jean Ayres, originator of the theory of Sensory Integration, considers the following sensory systems to be of primary importance in the organizational development of the central nervous system:

• sense of touch (tactile)
• sense of gravity (vestibular)
• sense provided from muscles and joints (proprioception)

While your child is wearing headphones and listening, it is recommended that you incorporate sensory integration (SI) activities into the listening regimen. This is a way to stimulate the vestibular system (inner ear) through both the ear (using sound) and the body (using SI activities). Your Lollipop Listening Therapy® package will come with suggested activities to do while listening.

 

Activities Not to Do While Listening

Activities such as reading, writing, complicated math or homework, working on the computer, watching videos, hand held video games, watching TV are not recommend during listening, since these tend to absorb your attention. Also do not eat, drink or chew gum during listening.

 

Observations

 

When you work with Sound Therapy Systems, we get a good picture of your child’s issues through a comprehensive history, listening checklist and goals at the onset of the program – our baseline. We can better understand where the listener’s strengths and weaknesses lie even without ever seeing them. We don’t need to do elaborate or expensive initial evaluations, saving you money. Most likely the child already has summaries and reports from other professionals that are very beneficial to understanding their history. We use all of this to understand their individual needs and to drive the program in the right direction tailored to their specific issues and giving them optimal benefit from a customized program.

Daily observation forms will also be used by parents to track the progress of the child so that when you meet up on Email or phone consults with Sound Therapy Systems, you will have the information at hand to convey to us how the listener is progressing and benefitting. Keep in mind, this is an on-going process and that we must let the therapy do its job which takes weeks of training and that does take time. How much time depends on many factors such as:

• Is the listener compliant and doing it every day without fail?
• Is the listener doing it as prescribed and no more?
• Is the listening refraining from phone calls, TV, radio, computer, electronic games, other music, or eating and drinking during listening?
• Is the listener incorporating the sensory integration activities that have been advised?
• Are the mandatory breaks (2 day weekend) being taken for assimilation of the changes?
• Are the consults being adhered to where advice is given and progress is shared so as to better guide you through the program?

All of these things are important for success with an auditory training program. Every listener is different so their time to response is different. But what is typically seen from the program is fall-out in these different zones that Dr. Tomatis researched.

A detailed observation forms booklet is included in every listening package to keep track of your child’s progress.

Common Low-Frequency Changes

When the child is working in the low frequencies, you may begin to see sensory integration issues right themselves, or moving in that direction. We often see posture changes, more body awareness, less tactile sensitivities, less oral sensitivities, less pickiness in food preferences, more tolerance to textures, able to have things worn on the head more, or hair and teeth brushing may not be so traumatic any longer.
We are desensitizing the body to all of the hypersensitivities (see the use of bone conduction as an added benefit) so these sensory issues may calm down and put the body back on track. Balance and coordination may also improve as well as fine and gross motor skills and handwriting. An overall self-regulation may be seen. Potty training has also been reported as a by-product of auditory training if that is something your child needs to master as well!

Hyper children may be calmed by this zone since they originally pick up too many high, stimulating frequencies and tend to keep moving and climbing all day long. It is typical for children to become very tired and drained in the low frequency.

NOTE: Though the low frequencies work on the vestibular system (inner ear) and getting the body in-sync, these frequencies are actually very draining. It's not uncommon for listeners to be overly tired and run-down during this phase of the listening therapy. But that indicates to parents that this therapy is working and that the music is getting into the brain and making changes. Those new neural pathways are being formed! If this happens to the listener, Sound Therapy Systems will advise you what to do in this case.

Common Middle-Frequency Changes

When in the middle frequencies, parents should look for better attention/focus and concentration and memory. Speech and language may get more spontaneous, the voice quality may improve so that a person who once spoke so softly you could barely hear them may now becoming audible and clear.

In the same respect, some people who can't modulate their voice and tone it down instead of screaming may now have a calmer, more consistence speech pattern and can work on remediating their monotone. Now expression and intonation takes their voice and their communication to a new level. Being able to now use their voice and express themselves, children may become more social and involved in the world around them. Communication may now start to become 2-way and more spontaneous.

Singers or musicians report more musical ability and vocal performance now being able to hear and sing more of the audible spectrum. Staying on task longer may be seen as well as attention to detail and auditory memory.

Common High-Frequency Changes

The high spectrum may bring with it not just an overall energizing benefit for all those who are sluggish, tired and run-down with no ability to kick-start themselves, but the burst of creativity and imagination is a wonderful benefit from the this zone. Motor planning may really take off in theses high frequencies and children who find it hard to spit out the words, always tripping over their sentences may now be able to create and collect their thoughts and talk more fluidly and more spontaneously.

Greater spatial processing may be achieved in this zone and math skills may improve as a bonus. Less anxiety and/or depression may be seen in this zone as well as more organization and planning skills.

NOTE: Though the high frequencies charge the brain and work on the higher functioning skills of creativity and imagination, these frequencies can be very stimulating. It's not uncommon for young listeners to be fussy, cranky and tantrum during this phase of the listening therapy. If this is seen in your child, Sound Therapy Systems will advise you what to do in this case and prescribe relief from the high frequencies to ground them more.

 

 

Areas of Reported Change

 

Improvements often seen in:

balance                  body awareness                          posture
muscle tone            fine and gross motor skills          coordination
eye contact             initiating a task                          speech
clarity of speech      quality of voice                          socialization
more assertive        spontaneity in communicating     non-verbal communication
greater flexibility     greater frustration tolerance        self-confidence
happiness               greater independence                 more responsible & mature
visual-motor skills   auditory processing                    better listening
self regulation         sensory integration                     motor planning
focus                     attention                                   concentration
memory                 overall well-being                       less emotional
greater motivation  better organization                     better planning skills
writing                   self esteem                                motivation
reading                  noise hypersensitivity                  spacial processing

and much more….