Auditory Integration Therapy (AIT) was designed to improve the distortions in hearing or auditory processing of individuals with autism and a number of other developmental disabilities. Many individuals on the autism spectrum have hearing that is asymmetrical or hypersensitive, and the goal of the therapy is to improve these auditory problems by altering how the brain gathers and processes the input received by the ears.
During the training, music from a stereo is sent through a specialized electronic device, which randomizes and filters the frequencies before the sound reaches the ears of the patient. Autism Auditory Integration Therapy includes twenty therapy sessions, which last about thirty minutes each. Usually the trainer and patient do two thirty-minute sessions each day for a period of ten consecutive days. A mid-point assessment is usually held after ten sessions to observe the progress of the patient, and at this time, any necessary changes that need to be made to the device are made. A third assessment is given after the twentieth session is complete, and by then the individual should have been exposed to all the frequencies and be showing improvements. However, proponents of Auditory Integration Therapy for autism say it could take up to a year before all improvements and progress set in. Some of the improvements that parents, teachers, and trainers have noticed in children after they have gone through the therapy are: less pain or discomfort caused from sound, greater vocal intensity, and less irritability.
Though the training has often been used with patients affected by autism, and there are anecdotal indications that it does have positive results, there is no scientific research that proves the legitimacy of this method or which proves it to be effective.
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