The Georgiana Institute

“It would be better, to refer to them as ‘sensory processing anomalies’ rather than ‘disabilities’, to foster increased focus on the formidable assets which accompany the liabilities.

When conditions are lumped together in a ‘disability’ category, prejudice is encouraged and a glass ceiling in special education often results.”

 ~ Annabel Stehli

Annabel Stehli's mission in life is to publicize Auditory Training, the pivotal intervention in her daughter's recovery from autism in 1977 that led to the publication of Sound of a Miracle, a Child's Triumph over Autism and on the same theme, Dancing in the Rain and Sound of Falling Snow. In addition, she wrote the afterword for Hearing Equals Behavior (Keats, New Canaan, '93) by Guy Berard, M.D. who developed Auditory Training in France in the last century.

When Sound of a Miracle appeared in condensed form as the Book Section in the December 1990 issue of The Reader's Digest, and a month later, complete and un­abridged in hardcover*, it captured the attention of the general readership as well as professionals and parents of children with special needs who were eager for non-drug interventions. After receiving favorable reviews in Booklist, Library Journal, Publisher's Weekly and the London Sunday Times, the book was purchased by public libraries and continues to be widely read today. It is available on Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com and similar sites, and copies are also sold at The Georgiana Institute to support its work. It has been translated into numerous languages and is not only an inspiration to parents and professionals world-wide, but is often required reading in special educa­tion courses. At last count Google has 140,000 mentions of Annabel Stehli, and over a million for Auditory Training.

The late Bernard Rimland, PhD, of the Autism Research Institute in San Diego, wrote the introduction to the first edition of Sound of a Miracle in 1991 and ran the first double blind research studies that same year, without which Sound of a Miracle would not have been published as Ms. Stehli thought no one would believe her without research. Summaries of twenty-eight research studies can be accessed on the Autism Research Institute website. Dr. Rimland updated his introduction for the 2005 edition of Sound of a Miracle, and deserves much of the credit for the validation and popularity of Auditory Training. As a pioneer in the field of autism and a champion of parents of autistic children, he is unequaled.

Annabel Stehli has built a network of parents and professionals who endorse Auditory Training. A variety of their case histories are collected in Dancing in the Rain, Stories of Exceptional Progress by Parents of Children With Special Needs (1995, Georgiana Institute, currently Beaufort Press, NY) and Sound of Falling Snow, Stories of Recovery from Autism and Related Disorders (Beaufort,'05). Noted pediatrician and autism specialist, Jeff Bradstreet, M.D., is the author of the foreword for Sound of Falling Snow.

Auditory Training is a ten-day therapy designed to remediate auditory discrimination in children and adults with hyper-acute hearing and auditory distortion. The training consists of randomly filtered and modulated music heard through headphones for half an hour, twice a day, for a total of ten days. Side effects, if any, are temporary, and results are cumulative over a three-month period. The therapy may be given once a year until improvement is no longer needed. Although Auditory Training is categorized by the PDA as an educational intervention, insurance coverage is sometimes available under codes for speech therapy, aural rehabilita­tion, abnormal auditory perception, hyperacute hearing, and impairment of auditory discrimination. The Georgiana Institute endorses Berard-based Auditory Training, specifi­cally Digital Auditory Aerobics (DAA), researched by Laurie Ross-Brennan, CCC/SLP, Albuquerque, and as Auditory Integration Training under the aegis of the Autism Research Institute in San Diego.

Annabel Stehli is founder and director of The Georgiana Institute, Inc., a non-profit organization formed in response to the thousands of inquiries received after the publication of Sound of A Miracle. Spending countless hours on the telephone with parents of children with special needs, Ms. Stehli formed a network, conceived as a “pay it forward” organization for mutual support and information that resulted in creating a demand for Auditory Training in the U.S. where it was not yet available. Organized by Peter Stehli, Guy Berard, M.D., who developed Auditory Training in France, was invited to the U S. to train speech pathologists, audiologists, occupational therapists, and other professionals in the implementation of his method of Auditory Training. Many of his trainees are still in practice today and are listed on the website of the Georgiana Institute, www.georgianainstitute.org. Ten-day Auditory Training sessions for children and adults, including evaluations, consultations and listening tests are available at the Institute. Auditory Training equipment, specifically Digital Auditory Aerobics, may also be purchased by qualified professionals.

Since Sound of a Miracle was published, Ms. Stehli has given over a thousand speeches and interviews and has appeared on numerous television and radio programs, includ­ing Larry King Live, ABC News 20/20 and NPR. She has given talks throughout the United States, and has also traveled to the U.K., Canada, Ireland, Israel, Kuwait, and South Africa. In 2006 alone, the Philippines, China and Singapore were on her itinerary along with Indiana, Florida and Arkansas. Continuing Educational Units (CEUs) are awarded for attendance at Ms. Stehli's lectures.

Auditory Training has been available in the United States since 1991, and Digital Auditory Aerobics Auditory Training was evaluated by the FDA in 1 998. The FDA regards DAA as a safe and effective means of remediating impairments in auditory discrimination associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Asperger's Syndrome, PDD (Pervasive Developmental Delay), ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder), CAPD (Central Auditory Processing Disorder), Dyslexia, language delays and communication disorders. Improvement in auditory discrimination can result in better social skills, sleeping habits, behavior, concentration, reading ability and academic performance in children. Occasionally special talents and gifts become evident after Auditory Training. Adults report increased focus and decreased tension levels, anxiety and depression, and corresponding improvements in relationships and job performance.

interview

written by Rebecca Ransom  ·  photographed by Laurie Gaboardi

     As a child, Georgiana refused to blow out the candles on her birthday cake - the sound of air passing through her lips echoed like the voices of monsters in her head.

     Sounds had a bizarre effect on Annabel Stehli's daughter, Georgiana. Insects pounded her ears with the force of chainsaws, the methodic pump of blood through her veins petrified her. Yet Georgiana, unable to speak during her earliest years, suffered in silence in her own private world.

     Georgiana was autistic.

     It was the late 1960s, and Ms. Stehli feared the Georgiana was destined for a bleak future. Never could Ms. Stehli have imagined that through a groundbreaking therapy, the Berard Method of Auditory Integration Training (AIT), Georgiana would escape the constraints and isolation of autism.

     A Roxbury resident and founder of the Georgiana Institute, Ms. Stehli has detailed her daughter's troubling childhood and recovery from autism in her book, "The Sound of a Miracle: A Child's Triumph Over Autism" (Doubleday; New York, 1991).

     Ms. Stehli is credited with bringing AIT to mainstream America, sparking a revolution in the international medical and autism community, and raising awareness about how special-needs children and their parents are treated. "One of the things I love to do is validate the intelligence of so-called retarded people," she said.

     "My life is an open book - literally," said Ms. Stehli referring to her book, which has become a mainstay for parents with special-needs children and a worldwide phenomena, featured in Reader's Digest and on the "Sally Jesse Raphael Show," "Larry King Live," and "20/20."

     It's difficult to imagine that Ms. Stehli, with her radiant smile and exuberant energy, could have ever been the shattered housewife, desperately searching to find a cure for her two ailing daughters, so eloquently and heartbreakingly described in her memoir.

     "I'm on a mission," Ms. Stehli said confidently while being interviewed in her Roxbury home. "I'm a housewife who hangs over the back fence. I don't have an axe to grind. I have options to give."

     Ms.Stehli knew immediately that something was wrong, It was May 24, 1965, when Georgiana entered the world, a month early, barely letting out a cry or grasping an outstretched finger. As the months wore onto years, Georgiana's behavoir remained oddly withdrawn and unresponsive. Though Ms Stehli had her suspicions, it wasn't until she read a newspaper article on autism that her misgivings seem to be confirmed.

     According to the Autism Society of America, "autism is a complex developmental disability" caused by abnormalities in brain structure or function. Characteristics such as uneven motor skills, unresponsiveness, repetition and difficulty communicating are common. It is estimated that nearly 1.5 million Americans are autistic, with it being four times more common in males.

     In the book, Ms. Stehli recounts the downward spiral of events that unfold in her life - her first child, Dotsie, is diagnosed with leukemia and dies, her first husband abandons the family and she is urged to institutionalize Georgiana.

     In an era when developmental disabilities were still misunderstood, Ms. Stheli faced endless condemnation over Georgiana's disability. Doctors told her point blank it was her fault, that "the mother's of such infacts fail to react appropriately to their baby's needs." Other mothers criticized her for "babying her too much," and paradoxically, "not giving her enough attention." Strangers in the grocery store made snide remarks, linking Ms. Stehli's disorganized purse with bad parenting. At some points, even Ms. Stehli blamed herself.

     Today, is is known that "children with autism are born with the disorder or potential to develop it," according to the Autism Society of America. "Bad parenting does not cause it. It is not a mental illness. Children with autism are not unruly kids who choose not to behave."

     Despite Georgiana's dismal prognosis, and despite the girl being labled "retarded" and "serverely emotionally disturbed," Ms. Stehli refused to give up. While living in Europe with her second husband, Peter Stehli, she learned of an avant-garde autism therapy called AIT, performed by a French otolaryngologist, Dr. Guy Berard.

     AIT corrects auditory sensitivity and distortions through intensive music therapy, played at varying frequencies, 30 minutes twice daily for 10 days. The wide-frequency essentially "massages" the brain, reducing painful hearing and allowing the brain to better comprehend sounds.

     Sensory distortions, particularly auditory, are common in autistic children, and may account for many " austistic behaviors." Although AIT is primarily used on autism, Dr. Berard's research has fond other disorders that benefit from AIT, such as dyslexia, depression and attention deficit.

     Not long after receiving AIT, Georgiana began to change, For the first time, noise was tolerable, sounds made sense, She excelled in European public schools, earning A's in German taught in French, going on to complete college and graduate school with honors. Today she lives in Oregon with her husband and child, is a successful artist, businesswoman, international autism advocate and public speaker who is fluent in nine languages.

     After returning to America, Ms. Stehli was contacted by Dr. Bernard Rimland, director of the Autism Research Institute in California, who had run double-blind trials on AIT, finding the results impressive. Hearing of Georgiana's success, he urged Ms. Stehli to write a book on her experiences.

     "People would stop me on the street," Ms. Stehli remembered after the book was published. Parents of special-needs childrem would call her, looking for advice, support, and information on AIT. "I always had time to talk to anyone who called," she said.

     Inspired, Ms. Stehli founded the support and informational network The Georgiana Institute. But there still remained a problem - AIT was only available in Europe.

     But Ms. Stehli couldn't be discouraged. "We had found a miracle, and I just wanted to run with it," she said.

     In the 1990s, the Stehlis invited Dr. Beard to America to train medical professionals on AIT, and found an American company to manufacture AIT equipment with FDA approval. Currently, there are many medical professionals who administer AIT across the country.

     Ms. Stehli became the editor of two more books, "Dancing in the Rain: Stories of Exceptional Progress by Parents of Children with Special Needs" and "Sound of Falling Snow: Stories of Recovery from Autism and Related Conditions," which have been reprinted in numerous languages.

     In addition, she travels the world speaking on autism and AIT. "I like to treat people who are never treated normally, normally," she said. "There are so many people locked away [in institutions] who could be redeemed if we gave them a break."

For more information, see the web site, www.georgianainstitute.org

from the March 2006 issue of
The Litchfield Times Monthly
published by the Litchfield County Times
55 Bank Street, New Milford, CT 06776

• What is the background of the Georgiana Institute?
  
  

• What is Auditory Integration Training
  (also known as DAA)?
  
  

• What is the difference between the Berard and the Tomatis methods?

What is the background of the Georgiana Institute?

      The primary mission of The Georgiana Institute is to educate the public worldwide about the benefits of Auditory Integration Training (AIT), an intensive language and hearing therapy which addresses impairments in auditory discrimination or abnormal auditory perception associated with disorders characterized by problems with sensory integration.

      Children and adults with learning difficulties, attention deficit disorder, dyslexia, autism and pervasive developmental delay have benefited from AIT. An estimated 20% of the population suffer from distortions in hearing or sensitivity to certain sounds which can contribute to inappropriate or anti-social behavior, irritability, lethargy, impulsivity, restlessness, high tension levels and problems with language and reading. Improvements reported after receiving AIT include more appropriate affect, expression and interaction, better articulation and auditory comprehension and an overall increase in academic and social skills.

      AIT first received international recognition with the publication of The Sound of a Miracle, A Child's Triumph Over Autism by Annabel Stehli (Doubleday, New York, 1991). Condensed as the book section of the December, 1990 Reader's Digest, it continues to circulate worldwide in English and in translation. Media coverage has been extensive as has scientific validation of AIT through research conducted by professionals in the field of special needs.

      From April, 1992 through July, 1993 the Georgiana Institute conducted seminars in Westport, CT at which Guy Berard, M.D., who developed AIT in France, taught its theory and practice to professionals involved with sensory and behavioral therapies. In August, 1993, the FDA intervened in the marketing of the French AIT machine in this country, eventually ruling that it was a medical device which would require FDA approval. Finally, in October 1998, the manufacturer of a new AIT system called Digital Auditory Aerobics (DAA) received a letter from the FDA stating "the product is not a device subject to FDA regulation." Since this new system provides an exact replication of the auditory output of the AudioKinetron, we believe use of the new device will produce the same favorable results as those achieved with the French equipment. Active marketing of the DAA equipment by Peak Performance Group (PPG). throughout the U.S. to existing and newly qualified AIT practitioners began in January, 1999 so that AIT should become increasingly available and accepted in coming years.

      Many articles and studies on AIT have been published since 1992 in "ADVANCE for Speech-Language Pathologists & Audiologists," "American Journal of Audiology," and "American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology." In addition, summaries written by Drs. Edelson and Rimland of 23 research reports on AIT give excellent information on the efficacy of the therapy.

      The focus of attention of The Institute is not only on AIT but on other cutting edge, research-phase therapies, many of which are highlighted in Dancing in the Rain, Stories of Exceptional Progress by Parents of Children with Special Needs, edited by Annabel Stehli.




What is Auditory Integration Training?
Now also known as Digital Auditory Aerobics (DAA)

      Essentially, AIT is a mechanical means of achieving an improvement in auditory discrimination through an intensive form of music therapy.

      Guy Berard, M.D., the French otolaryngologist who developed the therapy in France over the last four decades, explains AIT: From the eardrum to the brain cells, zones exist which correspond to low-pitched and high-pitched tones. If one or the other of these zones is stimulated by certain programmed alternating sounds, an improvement in the overall functioning of the sensory processing system may result. Audiometric examinations carried out in thousands of cases, before and after AIT, have confirmed these findings. Where audiometric testing is not possible, which may happen in many cases with very young children or those unable to communicate, changes in behavior and ability to communicate after AIT have been reported and documented by research. In cases where audiometric testing indicates certain frequencies on which hearing is hyperacute, those frequencies may be filtered during AIT. The auditory system reacts by reducing the degree of hyperacute hearing on the troublesome frequencies. The audiometric curve tends to flatten and hearing is normalized, maintaining the former frequency differentiations but eliminating the hyperacute areas.


A Possible Explanation for the Effects of AIT


      Extensive research with animals has shown that the brain has a huge capacity to shift thresholds and rearrange circuits. When certain frequencies which distort the hearing are filtered, the resulting flattening of the auditory test may be explained by a threshold shift which occurs centrally inside the brain. Research studies have shown that in order for the nervous system to develop normally, it must receive sensory input. Sensory input stimulates the formation of new circuits. Even though this "plasticity" is more extensive in a child, the adult nervous system still has the ability to form new circuits.

      It has been found that cortical areas of the brain which receive sensory input expand and areas which are deprived of input shrink. The somatosensory cortex of monkeys has been mapped and it has been determined that each finger on the monkey's hand has a specific area in the brain which receives sensory input from it. If one finger is removed, the cortical areas allocated to the adjoining fingers will invade the cortical area which belongs to the missing finger. The missing finger loses its cortical brain area. This mechanism may be a possible explanation for AIT. When a specific frequency is filtered, the auditory cortex may reorganize.

      Medical researchers have also demonstrated the great ability of the central nervous system to reorganize. Crossing the main nerves in a monkey's forearm will send scrambled messages to the brain. The brain is then able to reorganize its circuits and the monkey can recover near normal use of the arm.

      At the mechanical level, it seems likely that AIT exercises the muscles controlling the three ossicles, the small bones found in the middle ear. The treatment apparently strengthens the muscles and improves the reaction involved in the prevention of sensory overload.


How is Auditory Integration Training Applied?


      The system called Digital Auditory Aerobics (DAA) consists of 20 CDs, each with a duration of exactly 30 minutes and each containing music with a very wide frequency spectrum. Played through large, heavily cushioned headphones, the modulation of the music on each CD is an exact replication of the output produced by the AudioKinetron, a machine used for AIT for decades with excellent results. By means of audiometric testing using a standard audiometer, it can, in some cases, be determined at what frequencies a person has hyperacute and/or hypoacute hearing. If such an auditory test is possible, then one or two of the frequencies at which hearing is most acute may be filtered. Where an accurate auditory test cannot be obtained, the basic modulation system recorded on each CD may be used without setting specific frequency filters. A different volume setting for each ear may be set as indicated.

      The treatment consists of 20 half-hour sessions administered twice a day over a total period of ten days. AIT may be repeated after a minimum waiting period of six months.


The Need for AIT


      Distortions in auditory discrimination are present in many common learning disabilities such as dyslexia and attention deficit disorder and in many more complex problems such as autism, pervasive developmental delay and depression. In addition, it has been found that AIT has sometimes proved useful in arresting progressive deafness.


Insurance Coverage of AIT


      Insurance coverage for AIT is generally available under the presently existing International Classification of Diseases (ICD) and Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) insurance codes. The diagnosis calling for AIT is "Impairment of Auditory Discrimination," ICD 388.43, "Abnormal Auditory Perception," ICD 388.40 or "Hyperacute Hearing," ICD 388.42. The treatment CPT codes are 92507, "Language/Hearing Therapy" or 92510, "Aural Rehabilitation."

For more information please contact the Georgiana Institute.





What is the difference between the Berard and the Tomatis methods?

The following is an excerpt from
The Conclusion of Improving the Auditory Functioning of Autistic Persons: A Comparison of the Berard Auditory Training Approach with the Tomatis Audio-Psycho-Phonology Approach by Bernard Rimland, Ph.D., Autism Research Institute, San Diego, and Stephen M. Edelson, Ph.D.

DISCUSSION AND COMMENT

We have some concerns about the Tomatis Approach which we would like to share. These concerns are heightened by the rather aggressive efforts by a number of Tomatis practitioners to recruit autistic children as clients.

1. Irrelevance of Tomatis training. The recovery of Georgie and the improvement of a number of other autistic persons appears to be a consequence of Berard's intentional reduction of the auditory sensitivity of these individuals. So far as we have been able to determine, nowhere in the writing of Tomatis does he address the central problem of reducing hyper-sensitive hearing. It thus seems as though proprietors of Tomatis Listening Centres are opportunistically marketing services that are irrelevant to the issue. The claim made by some Tomatis practitioners of an 80% to 85% improvement in autistic patients has no empirical foundation.

2. Psychological emphasis of the Tomatis training. We are disturbed by the fact that Tomatis Centres are billed as "Listening Centres" and place heavy stress of psychological-emotional factors. Autism is a brain disorder which has no demonstrated relationship to the mother's voice as heard by the fetus before birth. That is pure, unfounded, unlikely speculation. This aspect of the Tomatis approach is repugnant. Blaming the mothers for causing harm to the child, albeit unintentional harm, is a concept which is dead and should be buried. We believe that Tomatis should state his current position on this point precisely, if he no longer blames the mother. In any case, it is a poor premise on which to base therapy.

3. Duration and cost of Tomatis training. As noted above, Tomatis experts have long claimed that autism requires 150-200 hours of auditory training over a 6- to 12-month period. This is obviously very expensive, intrusive and time-consuming. Now that the Berard approach is known to accomplish auditory training in 10 hours, over a 10-day period, a number of Tomatis practitioners claim to be able to do the Tomatis method for autistic children in 10 to 12 days, at 2 ½ to 3 hours per day. One must be suspicious of this sudden discovery.

The present writers feel that the Tomatis organization is obliged to sponsor quality research, by independent research specialists, to evaluate the effectiveness of the "Audio-Psycho-Phonological" approach. Families are entitled to empirical data, not more theories and statements based on faith.

Reprinted from
The Autism Research Review International,
Vol. 5, Issue 3,1991

For a full copy of the report, contact ARI.

Digital Auditory Aerobics is a sound and music therapy implemented primarily by Occupational Therapists, Special Education teachers, Speech-Language Pathologists, Audiologists, and other professionals in the field of special needs.

DAA's auditory integration training system modifies sound-related perceptual distortions, "unbalanced" and amplified hearing, and sound sensitivity. Randomly filtered and modulated, pre-recorded music is played through high-quality stereo headphones. Although the training is sometimes given without setting specific filters, DAA provides a proprietary device substantially similar to an electronic stereo equalizer for filtering frequencies experienced as painful or uncomfortable. A listening test or audiogram identifies hyperacute frequencies and auditory distortion whenever possible.

The DAA protocol consists of twenty half-hour listening sessions and can be repeated yearly. Improvements in socialization skills, behavior and academic performances are commonly reported post AIT. Candidates for AIT are diagnosed with autism, PDD, ADD, ADHD, Dyslexia, CAPD (Central Auditory Processing Disorder), language delay, learning disabilities, and related conditions. Improvements in hearing loss and depression have been reported although research has not been conducted on DAA as a means of remediating these conditions and therefore claims may not be made.

The cost of the DAA system, available for purchase through the Georgiana Institute, is $4,775.00 plus $50.00 shipping and handling in the U.S., $100. S&H elsewhere. Credit cards accepted. Please email Annabel Stehli at georgianainstitute@snet.net for details or call her at 860-355-1545. DAA equipment, including the twenty CD's, is owned free and clear by the purchaser with no encumbrances.

Training:  Although the DAA manual is comprehensive and training is not required, it is available for an additional charge of $500. If desired, instruction in the use of the MAICO MA-39 Audiometer for on site listening tests is included in the training although it is not required. Audiometers may be purchased separately through the Georgiana Institute or directly from Lipin-Deitz in Guilford, CT, 203-453-8888, for an additional $1,125. plus shipping.

Annabel Stehli is available to conduct seminars on AIT and book signings for $500 plus expenses. All proceeds benefit the Georgiana Institute. CEU’s (Continuing Educational Units) are awarded to professionals attending her lectures.

Requirements for purchase in the United States (or internationally) are a Master's degree in Occupational Therapy, Speech Pathology, Audiology, Social Work, Special Education or a field related to special needs, or a Bachelor's degree and five years’ experience working with the special needs population.

DAA, classified as an educational device for the remediation of impairments in auditory discrimination by the FDA in 1998, is the first AIT equipment to be officially "exempted from scrutiny" by the FDA.



Digital Auditory Aerobics Components:

1.) Twenty (20) thirty-minute compact discs, each containing music licensed from FirstCom Music Corp., Dallas, TX. The music has a wide frequency spectrum and, during the recording process, it is randomly modulated so as to be an exact replication of the output produced by the AudioKinetron.

2.) One (1) EQattenuator, a proprietary device substantially similar to an electronic equalizer with stereophonic attenuation capabilities. The EQattenuator contains frequency select cut-offs (filters) for eight hearing-level frequencies that allow for a particular frequency to be decreased in intensity by approximately 50 percent. The maximum average volume level achieved by the device is 85 dB. Also the device can be set to reduce volume by about 30 percent in either ear.

3.) One (1) beyerdynamic Model 250 professional headset. Additional headsets are $250. each.

4.) One (1) manual of operation, explanation of AIT/DAA and the application of the ten-day therapy.

The manufacturer of this new AIT system has been informed by the FDA in writing that "the product is not a device subject to FDA regulation."

February 2008
Annabel writes . . .

Georgie and I went to Manila to give a seminar on Saturday, Feb 2nd. Almost 600 people were in attendance, and Georgie made a triumphant return to the circuit after a seven-year hiatus. Now that her daughter Hannah is six, Georgie feels free to do some traveling again. Cases of books, her OVERCOMING AUTISM and my Sound of a Miracle, Dancing in the Rain and Sound of Falling Snow sold out almost immediately. We were autographing them for an hour, following a very long Q&A. It was a great experience and Auditory Training is off to a marvelous start in Manila.

The Manila Conference is summarized in the WithNews article,
A mother’s love for her autistic daughter.
WithNews is an internet news website covering topics
concerning the disabled and poor.

January 2008
Annabel writes . . .

I heard today from my editor at Beaufort Books, New York, that Sound of a Miracle has been bought for translation by an Italian publisher. This will make five translations - Italian, Korean, Chinese, German and Dutch. I'm told a Spanish edition may also be forthcoming. It seems that the new book, Silver Linings (stories about faith), that I'm currently writing, is creating buzz for Sound of a Miracle even though Sound of a Miracle is a very old lady in publishing having been in print and in the library for almost twenty years.

March 2007
Thursday evening, March lst, 2007, at 6:30 PM
Litchfield, Connecticut


Please join us for a Seminar on Auditory Integration Training (AIT)
Free and open to the public.
Hosted by Litchfield Network Parent Debbie Smith (860-626-8184) and featuring Annabel Stehli, author of Sound of a Miracle, and a panel of parents of children with special needs:

Kathy Kryspin, New Milford, CT
Marcie Loomis, Northfield
Mary Ellen McCabe, Litchfield
Gary Norton,,Trumbull
Debbie Smith, Litchfield

The Litchfield Grange, 453 Bantam Road (rt. 202, just south of the town of Litchfield and next to the Ford Dealership)

Annabel Stehli is the author of the classic Sound of a Miracle, a Child’s Triumph over Autism, and the editor of Dancing in the Rain and Sound of Falling Snow, stories of exceptional progress by parents of children with special needs. She travels the world to promote AIT and is credited with bringing this promising non-drug intervention to world attention over the last fifteen years. She was instrumental in having Digital Auditory Aerobics Auditory Integration Training evaluated by FDA in 1998. She has hosted several large "Celebration of Breakthroughs" conferences in Connecticut showcasing a variety of cutting-edge therapies for children with special needs, and she has appeared in the media (most notably 20/20 and Larry King) and given well over a thousand speeches and interviews around the world and throughout the United States.

The FDA permits the following statement: Auditory Integration Training remediates impairments in auditory discrimination (sound sensitivity and auditory distortion) associated with autism, learning disabilities, and related disorders - ADD, ADHD, and Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD).

Ms. Stehli has championed AIT since the recovery of her daughter from autism, ADHD and dyslexia in 1977, and is Director of the Georgiana Institute, Inc., in Roxbury, CT, a non-profit organization. At the Connecticut Center for Auditory Training, also in Roxbury, she conducts Digital Auditory Aerobics (DAA) AIT sessions for children and adults. The therapy consists of randomly modulated and filtered music played through headphones for half an hour, twice a day, for ten days. Depending on the results of an on-site listening test and evaluation, specific filters may be set for decreasing sensitivity on certain frequencies. Typically reported in children are improvements in socialization skills, expressive language, sleeping, and academic performance and a reduction in the need for medication. Correspondingly, adults report decreased tension levels and depression and increased focus and concentration. Listening tests and evaluations at the Georgiana Institute are free. In addition to DAA sessions, equipment sales to qualified professionals, and training, are available.

Developed in France by Ear, Nose and Throat specialist Guy Berard, M.D., Auditory Integration Training is validated by research and widely available.

CEU’s (Continuing Educational Units) are awarded for Ms. Stehli’s lectures.


December 2006

In Memoriam

Bernard Rimland, Ph D
1928 - 2006

Autism Research Institute

Click on text above to read obituary

June 14, 2006

On June lst, I returned from three weeks in the Far East where I gave a talk in Singapore for DAA (Digital Auditory Aerobics) Practitioner June Webb and stayed with the hospitable Webbs for four days of good food, bridge games far into the night, and sightseeing (most notably the Night Safari and the Nature Preserve/rain forest). June offers DAA in her spacious, breezy office with a lovely view of the city.

I left Singapore to go on to Shanghai, hosted by Jane Shaw, a Network Parent, to give another talk in one of those fabulous buildings you can see in Mission Impossible III. The next two days were spent giving evaluations (I brought my Maico Audiometer with me for listening tests). I stayed with NP Fiona Thomas, dazzling hostess and Class A haggler, who took me on several meaningful excursions to the Shanghai Knockoff Market.

From Shanghai I flew to Cebu, in the Philippines. The Network Parents who invited me put me up in a charming hotel where they were trained to become Auditory Training Practitioners under the aegis of an Occupational Therapist. Their five sons with autism, ages eight to ten, received ten days of DAA, sitting still for the headphones with a few temporary problems solved by "holding therapy" and similar strategies.

The photograph above [removed from text version] is of Network Parent/DAA Practitioner Suzanne Kaw, R.N., (left), her son, Hendrick (center) and me. I was honored to be served the magnificent yard-long roast pig at a family dinner at the Kaws, a memory to be treasured. It was a truly fabulous trip, all superlatives apply, and I welcome future opportunities to work here and abroad, setting new practitioners up in practice with DAA equipment and training, and/or giving talks, evaluations, listening tests, and ten-day sessions of DAA Auditory Integration Training.


April 2006

      Read Dr. Mercola's newsletter article
"Autism Rates Fall With the Removal of Mercury".


March 2006
A new Annabel Stehli interview

      Annabel is the subject of the Litchfield County Times Monthly interview "The Power of a Mother's Love".


Annabel writes:

August 6, 2005

Laurie Ross Brennan, SLP, Albuquerque, reports that her research on DAA vs. the BGC is yielding ever more interesting and encouraging results.

[And] Rebecca Welker, SLP, Tucson, has told me that the AZ Dept. of Developmental Disabilities is covering DAA therapy. Colleen Pockette, SLP, potential DAA practitioner in Prescott, AZ, reports similarly, as does Laurie Ross Brennan, SLP, Albuquerque. The DDD's are recognizing that DAA is cost-effective. Fewer therapies and medications may be needed post DAA.

When one of our most active DAA practitioners threatened ASHA with a class action suit in the light of ASHA's negative stance on sound therapies (they have since decided to do some decent research), she was told that members of ASHA who were using Berard-based methods of AIT were not in danger of having their memberships revoked. Although this heartening, we are looking forward to the results of their research initiative.

Summer 2005 CALLING ASHA MEMBERS -
SOUND THERAPY RESEARCH GROUP FORMING


      Dear Colleague,

      The use of sound as a therapeutic intervention is being used by speech-language pathologists and audiologists at increasing rates. Clearly, with these increasing numbers it is apparent to all that the effects of sound on the nervous system are resulting in behavioral changes associated with listening, communication and learning. The effects and changes that are observed and reported should be studied, researched and published.

       A group of speech-language pathologists and audiologists in California are in the process of forming a Special Interest Division (SID) with the American Speech-Language and Hearing Association (ASHA). The purpose of this group would be to develop structured methodologies and procedures for measuring changes in listening, communicating and learning when using sound as a therapeutic intervention. This group will consist of clinicians using the Tomatis Method, Samonas Sound Therapy, Auditory Integration Therapy (AIT), The Listening Program, Dynamic Listening Systems, FastForward, Music for Modulation and Interactive Metronome (IM).

       This letter is a call to action. In order to form a new SID ASHA requires a proposal be submitted and signed by no fewer than one hundred members of the association. So, we are asking all speech-language pathologists and audiologists who are active in ASHA and are using sound as a therapeutic intervention to join in our effort to develop this necessary and essential group for study and research purposes. It is vitally important that we begin to bridge the gap between research and clinical practice. The way to do this is to conduct research that is rigorous and meaningful to clinicians and have those studies published in peer reviewed journals. It is our hope that the Sound Therapy SID will provide the basis for sound therapy and evidence based practice that provides a framework to allow individual clinicians to share their results with others.

       If you would like to be a part of this group or know of other ASHA members who may be interested please contact Dr. Deb Swain (dswain@theswaincenter.com), Mindy Newhouse (mbnew@aol.com) or Carol Atkins (CarolAtkinsMA@cox.net) with your name, professional affiliation, contact information and sound therapy intervention that you are using.

      We are hoping to have an initial meeting of the Sound Therapy SID at the ASHA convention in November. At that time the organizing group will present members with preliminary proposal and outline for the group.

      Please join us in this exciting and much needed effort.


Sincerely,

Sound Therapy organizing committee




      The Georgiana Institute regrets having to cancel the conference at the Sheraton Bradley Field, Hartford's airport, on Friday, September 30th. Our keynote speaker, Laurie Ross Brennan, SLP, Albuquerque, will not be ready to present her research on Digital Auditory Aerobics until a date not yet established. However, given the experience, conscientiousness, meticulousness and credibility of Laurie Brennan, we can safely state, based on her preliminary findings, that DAA is comparable to the BGC equipment. Since Dr. Steve Edelson researched the efficacy of the BGC and the AudioKinetron in 1992 and found them to be comparable, we can deduce that the effects of DAA are comparable to those of the AudioKinetron.


   ~   Annabel Stehli


October 2004

ANNOUNCING THE PUBLICATION OF:
SOUND OF FALLING SNOW, Stories of Recovery from Autism and Related Conditions, edited by Annabel Stehli, Foreword by Jeff Bradstreet, M.D.(Midpoint Trade Books, NY)


A New Edition of: SOUND OF A MIRACLE, a Child’s Triumph over Autism; by Annabel Stehli, in print since 1991, updated introduction by Bernard Rimland, Ph.D., Director, The Autism Research Institute, San Diego (Midpoint Trade Books, NY) (The original hardcover of "Sound of a Miracle" is available in public libraries throughout the U.S.)


A New Edition of DANCING IN THE RAIN, Stories of Exceptional Progress by Parents of Children with Special Needs, edited by Annabel Stehli, in print since 1995 (Midpoint Trade Books, NY)


More information on these books can be found on the books page.

TO ORDER:
Please specify number of copies of each title, shipping address, and method of payment: Personal check, credit card, Amex, Master Charge or Visa. You may email your credit card information to georgianainstitute@snet.net, or phone it in to The Georgiana Institute at 860-355-1545. Please be sure to include the name in which the card is listed and the expiration date. Books are $15.00 plus $3.00 S&H for orders under $31.00, $6.00 for orders over $30.00. FOR ORDERS OF FIVE OR MORE COPIES: $10.00 per copy plus $6.00 S&H per order.


Books may be signed and/or inscribed upon request. Proceeds from the sale of books contribute to the operating expenses of The Georgiana Institute, www.georgianainstitute.org, a non-profit organization offering support and information on auditory training to the special needs community since 1991.


We appreciate your order and will give it our prompt attention.


Annabel Stehli,
The Georgiana Institute, Inc.
P.O. Box 10
Roxbury, CT 06783


Spring 2004


Further information on the DAA Equipment Kit.

What is Digital Auditory Aerobics?

What are the requirements to be a certified Digital Auditory Aerobics Practitioner?


The cost of the DAA system, available for purchase through the Georgiana Institute, is $4,775.00 plus $50.00 shipping and handling. American Express, Visa and Master Charge and personal checks are accepted forms of payment. Please email Annabel Stehli at georgianainstitute@snet.net for details or call her at 860-355-1545.

DAA equipment, including the twenty CD's, is owned free and clear by the purchaser with no encumbrances. Although it is not required, training on the DAA equipment is available.

Requirements for purchase are a Master's degree in Occupational Therapy, Speech Pathology, Audiology, Social Work, Special Education or a field related to special needs, or a Bachelor's degree and five years’ experience working with the special needs population.

DAA, classified as an educational device for the remediation of impairments in auditory discrimination by the FDA, is the first AIT equipment to be officially "exempted from scrutiny" by the FDA.

The Digital Auditory Aerobics program kit contains the following components:

1.) Twenty (20) thirty-minute compact discs, each containing music licensed from FirstCom Music Corp., Dallas, TX. The music has a wide frequency spectrum and, during the recording process, it is randomly modulated so as to be an exact replication of the output produced by the AudioKinetron.

2.) One (1) EQattenuator, a proprietary device substantially similar to an electronic equalizer with stereophonic attenuation capabilities. The EQattenuator contains frequency select cut-offs (filters) for eight hearing-level frequencies that allow for a particular frequency to be decreased in intensity by approximately 50 percent. The maximum average volume level achieved by the device is 85 dB. Also the device can be set to reduce volume by about 30 percent in either ear.

3.) One (1) beyerdynamic Model 250 professional headset. Additional headsets are $250. each.

4.) One (1) manual of operation, explanation of AIT/DAA and the application of the ten-day therapy.

The manufacturer of this new AIT system has been informed by the FDA in writing that "the product is not a device subject to FDA regulation."

The DAA system is available at a cost of US$4,775.00 plus shipping. Major credit cards - American Express, Visa and Master Charge are accepted.


DIGITAL AUDITORY AEROBICS

Digital Auditory Aerobics  is a sound and music therapy designed to remediate impairments in auditory discrimination. Implemented by Occupational Therapists, Special Education teachers, Speech-Language Pathologists, Audiologists, and other professionals in the field of special needs, DAA's auditory integration training system modifies sound-related perceptual distortions, "unbalanced" and amplified hearing, and sound sensitivity. Randomly filtered and modulated, pre-recorded music is played through high-quality stereo headphones. Although the training is sometimes given without setting specific filters, DAA provides a proprietary device substantially similar to an electronic stereo equalizer for filtering frequencies experienced as painful or uncomfortable. The DAA protocol consists of twenty half-hour listening sessions and can be repeated yearly. Changes in behavior and performance vary but often result in exceptional progress for individuals with the behavior, social challenges, developmental delays and/or learning disabilities associated with disorders such as autism, PDD, ADD, ADHD and Dyslexia. Improvements in hearing loss and depression have also been reported although research has not been conducted on DAA as a means of remediating these conditions and no claims whatsoever may be made.


DIGITAL AUDITORY AEROBICS (DAA) PRACTITIONER REQUIREMENTS

In order to become a Certified Digital Auditory Aerobics Practitioner and/or to purchase the DAA device, we prefer that the practitioner meet the following requirements:

Hold a Master's degree in Occupational Therapy, Special Education, Social Work, Speech-Language Pathology, Audiology, or a related field.

OR, Hold a current license in Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Psychology or a Behavioral Science

OR, a doctoral degree in the field of medicine

OR, an undergraduate degree with actual "on-the-job" experience with special-needs individuals and the candidate has worked with individuals with developmental issues for 5 years or more.

(Credentialing Requirements vary outside the U.S.)



2001

Drs. Bernard Rimland and Stephen M. Edelson have published a new report entitled "The Efficacy of Auditory Integration Training, Summaries and Critiques of 28 Reports (January, 1993 - May, 2001)."

Their conclusion is: "Our review of the available literature on AIT has produced 23 studies with positive results and only 3 claiming no benefits from AIT. While none of the research done thus far on AIT is of Nobel Prize quality, the positive studies are far more credible than those with negative results. As we point out in our comments, the 3 studies that claim no benefits are deeply flawed, with conclusions that are not supported by the research procedures or the research data. AIT does, in fact, appear to be a worthwhile, frequently beneficial intervention which confers improvement in a number of symptoms, in a significant proportion of disorders on the autism spectrum."


To view the entire report, please go to  The Autism Research Institute
or the Society for Auditory Intervention Techniques.

The following books are available from the Georgiana Institute. We would appreciate it if you would order directly from us as any purchase is considered a donation to the Institute. It can be claimed as a tax-deductible contribution.
To purchase books, please call 1-(860) 355-1545.    Thank you!

For more information, or to inquire about copies of her new book, Overcoming Autism, contact Georgiana Thomas by calling (541)752-7406. Her email is nipponon@yahoo.com but she would prefer to be contacted by phone.

The Sound of a Miracle is Annabel Stehli's riveting story of her daughter Georgiana's triumphant progress from autisitic and functionally retarded to gifted. When mothers from all over the country contacted Annabel and told her their stories, she put them in touch with one another, forming The Parent's Network, and inspired them to do as she had done: Defy the negative prognoses of the experts and fight for their children with Autism, Pervasive Developmental Delay (PDD), Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD), Dyslexia, and Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.


In curing Georgie's painful hearing, her most distressing symptom, a new intervention called auditory training made it possible for her to enjoy communication and to excel academically. There are many Georgies now, ready to take their place among their peers without a label, with a future as bright as any child's. The interest sparked by The Sound of a Miracle resulted in the founding of what is now The Georgiana Institute, the validation of auditory training as a thoroughly researched treatment modality, and its availability worldwide.


First published in hardcover by Doubleday in 1991, this book was a Literary Guild Alternate Selection, and has been translated into Chinese, Dutch and German. It has also been condensed and published in The Reader's Digest, and acquired by numerous public libraries. Currently in its fifth printing, it is sold in trade paperback by the Institute and in bookstores.


The Sound of a Miracle has been reviewed and publicized on 20/20, Larry King, and Sally Jessy Raphael and numerous times on cable and radio as well as in print. It is also the highlight of discussions and workshops given at conferences across the country.

"Stehli's is a powerful story of courage, hope and determination" - Library Journal (Highly Recommended)

". . . pinions the reader to the page. Stehli ... keeps up a rattling pace, has a convincing ear for dialogue and a vivid way with description." - Rachel Billington, London Sunday Times

"Stehli's revelations, especially her insights into battling the medical community, are invaluable for any parent of a child with a physical or psychological disorder." - Booklist (starred review)

"If you have ever been tempted to give in to despair, read this true story.  It will inspire you to be braver than you ever thought possible.  Because miracles can happen." - Literary Guild (Alternate Selection)

" ... very readable. She [Stehli] has the ability to walk through her pages as a real person so that the reader reacts with her, thinks with her, and certainly feels with her. She has the gift of writing. " - Norman Vincent Peale

"Well written and incredibly moving, the book shows that you should fight for what you believe is right for your child." - Parents Magazine (U.K.)

Dancing in the Rain is a guide to the world of learning disablities, developmental delay and autism. An inspiring and riveting selection of stories, they are written with candor and intelligence by the parents of children with special needs and edited by Annabel Stehli.


This is a comprehensive, fully indexed collection of twenty two case histories of children with special needs that include attention deficit disorder, dyslexia, hyperlexia, pervasive developmental delay, communication delay, central auditory processing disorder, fetal alcohol syndrome, and autism. Individualized treatments such as Auditory Integration Training, vision therapy, behavior modification (Lovaas, OPTION), and nutritional intervention are pursued and found to be successful stategies that work. "How I wish a book like this had been available when my daughter was first diagnosed. It would have made all the difference," says Annabel Stehli.

"COMPELLING...HEARTWARMING...INSPIRING...these true stories are a MUST-READ for parents of young children with Attention Deficit Disorder, Pervasive Developmental Delay, Autism and related disorders."   - Juliana Kurtz - "The Advocate", Autism Society of America


"A wonderful contribution to literature, to the field, and to parents, teachers, researchers... an inspiring work." - Donna Geffner, Ph.D.,Audiologist and Researcher, St. Johns University, Jamaica, NY


"Written by families for families, professionals will also find Dancing in the Rain enormously helpful." - Beverly Hall, M.A., CCC/SLP, Auditory Training Institute, Henderson, TX


"Dancing in the Rain is excellent." - Guy Berard, M.D., Otolaryngologist, Annecy, France


"...a wonderful book" - William C. Crook, M.D., American Academy of Pediatrics, author of The Yeast Connection

Annabel Stehli's Speaking Schedule:
Winter - Spring 2008



Annabel will attend and have a booth at Current Trends in Autism at the Boston Marriott Burlington on Friday and Saturday, April 11 and 12, 2008. The contact is
Kay Murray at kmurray8@partners.org

Annabel is also scheduled to speak in Dallas on the afternoon of Saturday, May 17, 2008.

Please contact Annabel at (860) 355-1545 or georgianainstitute@snet.net
for more information or to schedule a presentation.



Georgiana Thomas' Speaking Schedule:


Georgie's book, Overcoming Autism by Georgiana Thomas, may be ordered by emailing Georgie at nipponon@yahoo.com

Please contact Georgiana Thomas for more information or to enquire about scheduling a presentation by calling (541)752-7406. Her email is nipponon@yahoo.com but she would prefer to be contacted by phone.


A Memo from Georgie

I am officially back out on the circuit speaking at conferences, making myself available again, and selling my book: Overcoming Autism, my version of the story first told in my mother’s book, The Sound of a Miracle, a Child’s Triumph over Autism. My life before Auditory Integration Training (AIT) is gone into in great detail, as well as the dramatic affects of AIT and how it radically changed my hearing from hyper-acute to normal. It gives a full account of my sensory experiences as they related to autism, my sense of touch, vision, taste and smell as well as my hearing.

Many who have reviewed my book have told me that it is a powerful testimony, a book for general readership as well as parents and professionals familiar with autism. Overcoming Autism provides a much better understanding of the disorder, its assets and its liabilities, and its effect on the nervous system. It takes the reader on an in-depth journey through the world of autism, into the mind of an autistic child.

I plan to continue to offer The Teachers’ Guide (Pro-Ed) by Anne Fullerton, Ph.D., to which I contributed. It is an encyclopedia of learning and teaching modalities for teenagers and young adults with autism. Featured in the book is a series of comic strips I have drawn, which highlight situations autistic people face.

The lecture I have prepared tells my story in chronological order. I share my bad (and good) experiences with special education as a child, and what I feel can be done to improve teaching techniques and modalities in general. I also draw on my experience over the last eight years as a consultant for Dr. Stephen Edelson, Director of SAIT in Salem, Oregon. There is some discussion of the extra-sensory capabilities of autistic people.Telepathy, for example, a little understood but common ability in autistic individuals, is seldom mentioned or validated in the professional community. I feel I am equipped with a wealth of information on autism and special education from a unique perspective, and I am eager to continue to serve in whatever way I can, offering hope for exceptional progress and recovery through AIT.

My e-mail address is: nipponon@yahoo.com; my phone number is (541)752-7406 . I hope I may look forward to hearing from you and to working with you in the future, and that you will provide me with an opportunity to spread the news on help for the autism community. I am so very proud to be part of it and will be most grateful for your support in my efforts to enlighten people not just about the disabling characteristics of the condition, but the assets as well.

• Adairs Books
  http://www.adairsbooks.com
  
  
• The Autism Research Institute
  http://www.autism.com/ari/contents.html
  
  
• Autistic Hope
  http://home.quixnet.net/~isa4031
  
  
• Canadian Digital Auditory Aerobics
  http://www.digitalaerobics.ca/
  
  
• The Center for the Study of Autism
  http://www.autism.org
  
  
• Developmental Delay Resources
  http://www.devdelay.org/
  
  
• The Family Village
  http://www.familyvillage.wisc.edu/index.htmlx
  
  
• The Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities (UK)
  http://www.learningdisabilities.org.uk
  
  
• The Good News Doctor Foundation
  http://www.gnd.org/
  
  
• Optometric Extension Program Foundation
  http://www.healthy.net/oep/index.html
  
  
• Parents/Professionals for Exceptional Progress
  (Baton Rouge, LA)
  http://www.pep-usa.org/
  
  
• Parents/Professionals for Exceptional Progress (PEP)
  of the Capital Region  (Albany, NY)
  http://timesunion.memlink.com/groups/PEP
  
  
• Society for Auditory Intervention Techniques
  http://www.sait.org
  
  
• Special Education, Learning Disabilities Resources
  http://www.iser.com/
  
  
• Special needs family friendly fun
  http://www.family-friendly-fun.com

* Most of the above sites have extensive links to other sites that provide information on sensory and nutritional therapies that can benefit children and adults with Learning Disabilities, ADD, ADHD, PDD, autism and related disorders. You might find it helpful to look at some or all of these sites.