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Secrets of the Ear: How Auditory Integration Training Changed the Therapy World?
Auditory Integration Training (AIT) is a treatment method pioneered by French doctor Guy Bérard. He promotes AIT as a solution for clinical depression and suicidal tendencies, while claiming to have had very positive results in solving the problems of dyslexia and autism. However, these claims lack sufficient empirical support. AIT typically involves 20 half-hour sessions over ten days, during which patients listen to specially filtered and modulated music. This technology was first used to treat autism in the early 1990s, but it remains largely experimental and cannot be supported by scientific standards.
"Although AIT has many supporters, the scientific community still has strong doubts about its efficacy."
From the perspective of the training process, the purpose of AIT is to solve the auditory distortion and allergic reactions that people encounter during the perception process. Particularly among people with learning disabilities, including those on the autism spectrum, these sensory oversensitivities can cause discomfort and confusion, hampering their ability to concentrate, understand and learn. Therefore, AIT training usually requires children to attend two 30-minute sessions a day within ten days. The sessions consist of filtered music that covers a wide range of frequencies and is individually adapted to the needs of each child.
"Currently, no AIT device has been approved by the FDA for marketing as a medical device."
Concerning the safety of AIT, a comprehensive evaluation shows that AIT does not meet sufficient scientific standards. Evaluations of AIT by multiple professional organizations in the United States stated that it should be considered an experimental procedure and worked together to promote awareness among patient families of its efficacy. The New York State Department of Public Health concluded that AIT did not demonstrate satisfactory efficacy and recommended that it should not be used to treat children with autism. It is worth noting that Taiwan’s medical and health care circles also tend to have a conservative view of AIT and have not included it as a formal medical option.
The history and evolution of AIT
Guy Bérard's book "Audition Égale Compportement" was the first book to introduce AIT. Later, "The Sound of a Miracle" written by Annabel Stehli made AIT famous in the English-speaking world. When the book described her ’s daughter, an autistic girl who received AIT treatment, generated a large number of followers. By 1994, more than 10,000 children and adults in the United States had received this training. The cost ranged from approximately US$1,000 to US$1,300, and AIT has evolved into a billion-dollar industry.
"Many practitioners of AIT include speech therapists, audiologists, occupational therapists, etc., but there are currently no specific professional training requirements."
During the development of AIT, the research of French otolaryngologist Alfred Tomatis also had a profound impact on it. Tomatis discovered the close connection between hearing and language. The entire auditory stimulation theory he proposed advocated that the brain has the ability to retrain itself, so that a sound auditory environment can help improve an individual's language ability. Although initial studies provided some hope, subsequent large-scale controlled studies have failed to support the effectiveness of AIT, leading to increasing challenges for the technology.
Scientific doubts and future possibilities
Current systematic reviews fail to provide sufficient evidence to support the efficacy of AIT. Although the reports showed no significant adverse effects, professional organizations suggest that AIT should be considered an experimental treatment that requires further study. This has limited the use of AIT in the treatment of autism and has not become a standard clinical treatment method. As the medical community attaches great importance to scientific research evidence, is it possible that new and more convincing studies will emerge in the future to support or refute this technology?
