AIT General Information

General Information

AIT General Information

I. Minimum age limit for AIT is three years old

II. Schedule of Listening Sessions

1. Two 30-minute listening sessions a day for ten days. Options include:

a. 10 straight days, or

b. 5 days, one day break, 5 days, or

c. 5 days, two day break, 5 days.

NOTE: The two sessions conducted each day should be separated by an interval of at least three hours.

III. In case of illness

1. If the trainee becomes ill before the 20 sessions are halfway through (for example, after 9 sessions), and the illness lasts for:

a. less than one week, AIT will continue where we left off for the remaining sessions.

b. more than one week, begin the full 10 day AIT over again

NOTE: If the illness is an ear infection, AIT will stop immediately. The trainee should seek medical treatment from a health professional. After the infection has cleared up, AIT will be resumed.

2. If the trainee becomes ill after the treatment is halfway through (for example, after completing 10 or more sessions), and the illness lasts for:

a. less than one month, AIT will continue where we left off for the remaining sessions.

b. more than one month, begin AIT over again.

IV. During AIT

1. Sleeping: AIT sometimes causes sleepiness during a session. The trainee should try to remain awake during the entire session.

2. Reading: Is a distraction and should not be done during listening sessions.

3. Playing with toys: Large stuffed animals are OK. The trainee should not engage in activities that utilize fine motor skills, such as playing with puzzles, drawing, etc.

4. School/job/therapies during an AIT programme: AIT should be conducted with the trainee under as little stress as possible. If school, work, or therapies are stressful or cause excessive tiredness, the trainee should, if possible, suspend these other activities during the ten days of AIT.

V. Potential Side Effects

AIT is essentially a form of sound therapy using music and has been given to thousands of individuals with only minor, temporary side effects. The most common are fatigue, insomnia, headaches, nausea, irritability, and aggressiveness. These are normally short lived.

VI. Activities after AIT

1. Headphones should not be worn for listening to music following AIT, with the exception to hearing assessments or spoken-word educational recordings, for at least six months.

VII. An AIT programme should not normally be undertaken again less than six months after the first series of listening sessions. unless advised by

PLEASE NOTE: AIT is less effective if grommets are still in place but may still be considered worthwhile. However AIT should not be performed during an ear infection, or with a perforated eardrum. AIT is not offered in connection with the identification or correction of any medical condition.