An Easy Way to Do Sensory Integration Therapy Training {Soundsory Review}

Inside: Learn how to do sensory integration therapy training at home with your child using Soundsory.

Homeschooling can be tough, but if you homeschool a child with special needs, it can be even more challenging. Add in weekly appointments to an occupational therapist and life gets crazy. Sound for Life Ltd has created the Soundsory headphones that makes sensory integration therapy training easier.

Sensory Integration Therapy at Home

Soundsory is a multi-sensory home-based program. It’s like therapy in a box! Your child can stay in the comfort of his own home and do therapy on your schedule.

How convenient is that? Say goodbye to travel time, herding the kids like cattle to the car so you aren’t late, or entertaining the rest of the troops in the waiting room for an hour with stale goldfish and gummy bears from the bottom of your purse.

How Does the Sensory Integration Therapy Training Work?

Soundsory incorporates music and movement to improve the brain and body by making new brain connections. The music is very specific with neuro-acoustic modifications that are added and changes while the child is listening. These changes happen just like they do in real life and trains the brain to predict them and make adjustments to maintain attention. The sounds are transferred by air and bone conduction which stimulates the vestibular and auditory system.

Besides the music, there are movement-based exercises the child will do for five minutes each day. This part of the program trains proprioception, which is the sense lets us know what position our body is in. Children who have proprioceptive problems tend to be clumsy, run into things, or are very rough. This training helps the brain understand where the body is at and increases muscle control.

In a nutshell, all of this means the program increases your child’s cognitive, motor, and emotional skills while listening to specially designed music and doing movement exercises. The results would be better memory, attention, and coordination.

Who Is Soundsory For?

Anyone can benefit from making new brain connections but this program was specifically created for people with:

Sensory Processing Disorder
Autism (or on the autism spectrum)
Developmental Delays
Auditory Processing Disorders
Balance and Coordination Problems
Motor Delays
Attention Issues such as ADD and ADHD

How to Use the Soundsory Program

The program lasts for 40 days. While listening to the music, the child can do creative activities such as art, playing with building blocks or Legos, or dancing. They do not recommended the child use screens or be chewing. (Adults should not be driving.) The child should do the sessions when he is calm and relaxed.

30 minutes a day is all it takes. It’s split into two sessions:

25 minute listening session
5 minute listening session with accompanying exercises

The movement-based exercises are found on the Soundsory website and have videos to follow along with. They don’t require any equipment and are adaptable to your child’s ability.

The headphones shut off automatically when the session is finished and will start on the next program when turned on again. The battery lasts nine hours so you are not recharging all the time. It also has a Bluetooth function to use them as regular headphones and a carrying case that zips closed.

You can repeat the entire program again but wait at least four weeks after finishing one before starting another.

Here is a video explaining Soundsory.

Our Experience

My youngest daughter, who has some mild sensory issues, is the one who used the Soundsory program. At first, she was irritated when I told her it was time to wear the headphones, but once they were on, she enjoyed them and the music had a calming effect. I would find her sitting in her bed playing with her dolls while listening, or sometimes she would listen while sitting on the swing on our back porch.

When she did the exercises for the first time, she felt silly and a little embarrassed, But then she got over it and jumped right in when it was time to do them each day.

The headphones fit her really well and seemed very comfortable. It surprised me they stayed on because headphones made for both children and adults (this program is for adults as well) don’t usually fit her. She had no problems while doing the exercises or other activities while they were on.

After using the program for a few weeks, I noticed she was more relaxed and not as bothered by sensory things like she usually is. It’s nice seeing her enjoy normal activities and not getting distressed like she can. This is a big improvement!

If you have a special needs child who goes to sensory integration therapy training, or any other therapy dealing with cognitive or motor delays, the Soundsory program is worth a try. It’s so much more convenient being able to do therapy at home. Your child will appreciate not having to leave the house each week and you will have time to prepare a healthy snack that doesn’t consist of stale goldfish or gummy worms!