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From the desk of Annabel Stehli
The Georgiana Institute, Inc.
P.O. Box 10
Roxbury, CT 06783 USA
November 5, 2007
Dear Friends of the Georgiana Institute,
It has been another year of traveling and working in the office, giving Auditory Training (including a few scholarships), training new practitioners, giving interviews, talks and evaluations, consulting with parents and trying to answer questions like the role of vaccines in the epidemic of autism. Recently a mother of four autistic children told me that, thinking mercury in vaccines might have caused the autism of her two older children, she withheld vaccinations from the younger two only to find that they also developed autism. So many parents and professionals are convinced, however, that vaccines are the problem, that the jury is still out, but probably mercury and other toxins in the air, water and food, and a weakening of the immune system caused by antibiotics, are also culprits to be considered along with genetic predisposition and the need for labeling in order to obtain services.
Another question I’m often asked is that if Auditory Training is so good, why isn’t it mentioned more often in the frequent news stories on autism. Certainly the FDA banning further importation of the original French equipment in 1993 caused a loss of credibility and momentum even though the agency legitimized American-made American Digital Auditory Aerobics (which we endorse) five years later. Also, Digital Auditory Aerobics (DAA) has not been properly “brought to market” and is not yet mass produced (I wish). Another factor is that a new concept tends to take decades to catch on if it catches on at all: After all, if Auditory Training is so good, it can upset professionals invested in lesser strategies, researchers who are off in another direction, and parents who have missed the boat. A propos of this, in a letter to the editor in the November 7th issue of Newsweek, a homeowner points out that Buckminster Fuller’s geodesic dome, which has been around for over fifty years, “would be the perfect architectural structure for withstanding severe weather conditions. We built our own dome home in 1974 and love living in the round. It’s time to think outside the box.” Uncle Bucky Fuller (my uncle-by-marriage) influenced me, shedding light on the fate of people who come up with a new idea – how they are often regarded as frauds or crackpots and find intense focus on their failings. He was a visionary, not a salesman, and when the housing industry didn’t jump at his geodesic breakthrough, he didn’t stop pushing his agenda.
Connection, or the lack of it, is also an issue. I often read about autistic children who are sound-sensitive but the connection between sound-sensitivity and sound therapy is rarely made for some reason. In a recent article, also in Newsweek, a so-called quirky (a new euphemism) child can hear spiders crawling up the wall in the next room. When her brother challenges her, they go into the next room and spiders are crawling up the wall. That her hearing is hyperacute, at least on certain frequencies, has a bearing on the fact that she is fundamentally uncomfortable in her excruciatingly noisy world. If she had Auditory Training, her socialization skills would improve and she might even become a prodigy like autistic jazz musician Matt Savage, who had Auditory Training at four and “got speech,” and after a second round at six, became a musical phenomenon. Interestingly, we used to think one or two rounds of Auditory Training were enough but a teenager I met recently in Florida, who had every autistic behavior and no speech at age five, has had Auditory Training eight times over the last twelve years. Now seventeen and mainstreamed (all A.P. courses) for years, he is currently playing the violin in the All America Orchestra on a world tour. No speech by age five or even four used to result in a negative prognosis and the label of lifelong disability.
One solution to increasing awareness of Auditory Training, now that early diagnosis of autism is to be required of pediatricians, would be to explore the work of Jane Madell, Ph.D., Audiology. If every toddler with autism given Auditory Training by Dr. Madell mainstreams four years later into kindergarten or first grade with no label and no support, how much has the Auditory Training contributed to this amazing fact?
That the Georgiana Institute continues to exist is also an amazing fact, and it is thanks to you, our friends and donors, and your validation and support. We appreciate whatever you may wish to contribute financially to sustain our mission of providing information to the special needs community. As we are a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization (tax ID # 06-1500430), your contribution is tax-deductible. We accept Master Charge, Visa, and American Express as well as personal checks. Thank you!
Sincerely,
Annabel Stehli
Testimonials
The following tribute is from Christine Toledo, Occupational Therapist/Auditory Training Practitioner, The Dan Center, Houston, Texas (listed on [this] website on the domestic practitioners’ list). Christine and her husband, Dan Copes, have four children. The eldest are autistic twins. Alex, their eleven-year-old daughter and the author of the poem [featured below], is next in line. Michael, the youngest, is an affectionate two-and-a-half-year-old who charms everyone. When I gave a talk for Dan and Christine at the West Houston Chapter of the Autism Society of America on August 2, 2007, twenty-eight people signed up for Auditory Training.
Dear Annabel,
I just want you to know that Auditory Training has changed our Saturday mornings. Saturday mornings at The Dan Center used to be banal mornings marked by a commonality of DNA’s, office and housekeeping chores; and hallmarked by a lonely four-wheeler in the parking lot. Since adding Auditory Training to our approach, Saturday mornings have become anything but banal. Parents of kids who’ve participated arrive, bagels and coffee in hand, unannounced, excitedly beaming and emotionally bursting with pride and relief over their child’s breakthrough in the classroom, at the local restaurant or at the community baseball field. Parents of the same kids have enlivened our Saturday mornings with hyperbole laced with emotion:“You would not believe what my kid did.” “I thought this must be a mistake, but he did it again and again and again!” Saturday morning is banal no longer. Saturday morning has morphed itself into a group of families closely linked by our need to express mini-celebrations, bagel love, hope and raised expectations. If you are ever in Houston, come, drop by on a Saturday morning. And don′t forget the bagels!!!
Christine
P.S. Teachers and diagnosticians as well as parents are amazed at the improvements achieved and are reporting increased focus and attention in school.
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The following “fan mail” is from Gary Norton. Gary and Debbie Norton have four children with a variety of diagnoses from Asperger’s Syndrome, ADD, ADHD and LD, all of whom have benefited from Auditory Training, as has Gary himself. Gary emails, on October 29th, 2007:
Annabel, my continued enthusiasm for AIT has spilled over to my wife, Debbie. Either that, or she has observed some degree of decrease in my normal level of irritation, and is astounded that any positive result is achievable. In either case, she would like to make arrangements to visit you in Roxbury next year (for the purpose of another round of AIT for the family – ed.). Of all the recent results I am most delighted about Julie. She has become ever more exuberant and sociable. The benefits continue to be cumulative over time. Progress behaves like compounded interest.
My Name is Not Autistic
By Alexandria Copes,
the eleven-year-old sister of an autistic teenager
My name is not Autistic, My name is Matthew.
I just happen to be Autistic.
You call my name.
I don’t respond. I can’t hear what you are saying. It’s all a buzz.
You yell at me.
You call my name.
I don’t look at you. The light hurts my eyes. It’s all too bright.
You say, don’t be rude.
You try to hug me.
I pull away. Your touch is too heavy. It hurts me.
You say, Aw, come here.
You try to make me eat.
I don’t. The texture bothers me, the taste makes me gag.
I know, I know, they’re all healthy for me.
You say, I’m picky.
You try to make me talk.
I grind my teeth. The more I say, the harder I grind.
You say, I wish you would stop grinding your teeth.
You make me happy.
I flap my hands. The more I flap, the more you get upset.
People say, “What’s wrong with him.”
You say, “I wish I knew, the doctor says he’s autistic.”
You take me to school.
I get nervous, I start to gag, I start my tics.
The teachers, the nurses, they all come a-running.
They say, “What’s wrong.”
And almost always, someone says,
“He’s always like that, he’ s autistic!!!”
His name is not Autistic. His name is Matthew.
He just happens to be Autistic.
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Help support our endeavor; please send your tax deductible donations to:
The Georgiana Institute, Inc.
A Nonprofit Organization
Annabel Stehli, President
P.O. Box 10
Roxbury, CT 06783 USA
Telephone: (860) 355-1545
Email: georgianainstitute@snet.net
The Georgiana Institute is a tax-exempt corporation
under section 501 (C (3) of the Internal Revenue code.
Federal EIN & tax-exempt no. 06-1500430.
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