A New Book for Parents
Whose Kids Need Extra Help
...
It's a fact that half a century of inspiration and dedication has been required to manifest a stunning gift for parents of children with learning difficulties, but then again "books are hard and poetry is easy". STEWART DAWES speaks to Sydney-based psychologist Francoise Nicoloff who's the publisher and co-author of "The Listening Journey for Children" - her first book release in her 58th year of life ...
Q. Very early in your life you had direct contact with Dr Alfred Tomatis - what was it about him which inspired you to follow his therapies as a full-time vocation?
What happened is my mother heard a radio program interviewing Dr Tomatis and what he said made so much sense to her - so we got a cassette of the interview and listened to it. Tomatis was explaining the difference between listening and hearing - then a few months later my grandmother was mentally unwell and it was for her to enter a psychiatric ward - she strongly refused it and asked to see Dr Tomatis. She went to Paris, stayed for three weeks, did his program and came back in much better shape.
At that time I was working on cruise ships as an excursion manager and was interested in what Tomatis was saying about languages. As my two brothers had undertaken the Tomatis program, I used my holidays to experience the course for myself - and as soon as Dr Tomatis saw my listening test, he said "you are so lucky - you've got a Russian ear" - which means that I had an ear for languages. Three months later I was sent by my cruise ship company to do some marketing in Paris and I took the opportunity to complete my program and to start Spanish training with the Tomatis Method.
Q. How does the Tomatis Method help children?
As a short answer, the Tomatis Method helps children by repatterning the connections between the ear, the brain and the body - creating dynamic change between perception, processing, learning and emotions.
The voice can only reproduce what the ear hears and processes - this is the first Tomatis principle. Children who have trouble in listening, trouble in speaking, trouble in learning often have a dysfunction in the nervous connections between the ear, the brain and the body. And the soul also. By retraining the tiny muscles in the middle ear, and reorganising the connections from the inner ear to the brain, thanks to the music of Mozart - often referred to as The Mozart Effect - as well as the ear and body connections, the Tomatis Method revisits the chronological evolutionary phases of maturity and consciousness - and integrated listening.
Q. Can you tell me the mission of your book?
In The Listening Journey for Children parents, teachers and professionals will get a behind-the-scenes look at how the Tomatis Method auditory training program is changing the lives of thousands of children around the world every year.
You will discover how to dramatically improve listening, learning and communication in children by changing the way the ear works with its connections to the brain and the body — particularly in children living with autism, auditory processing disorder, ADD, ADHD, learning difficulties, Rett syndrome and those with global developmental and speech delays.
This book is a collection of stories about children who have benefited from the Tomatis Method, initially developed in France about 60 years ago and now available in 40 countries. The authors are all experienced professionals such as psychologists, occupational therapists, psychotherapists, audiologists and educators who are using this auditory training program to allow children to reach their potential, and to help parents “see the light at the end of the tunnel".
Q. How's the response to the book going?
It's already hitting the right note with parents and health professionals around the world. I've been taking orders from psychologists in Panama, naturopaths in Queensland and even the coffee supplier for my husband's patisserie saw me with a couple of copies and bought both! Also a couple of magazines are in the process of reviewing the book which is lovely to have happening, and I haven't even started to get it into bookstores yet. So I'm extremely excited, but with so much to do!
To find out stacks more about Francoise's life work, keep checking back into her website www.tomatis.com.au which has heaps of info as well as details of forthcoming sessions run in Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide & Melbourne. Get yourself a slice of that Listening Journey vibe! Or follow her on Twitter via http://twitter.com/fnicoloff
More Tomatis Links:
2. ADD & ADHD in Children
3. Anxiety Counselling with Music Therapy
4. SoListen For Health Professionals
5. Therapy for Learning Difficulties in Kids
7. Depression Counselling in Sydney
8. Life Coaching with Francoise
9. Testimonials of Parents with Autistic Kids
10. Francoise's Sydney Psychologist Freshmag Editorial
About our writer: Stewart Dawes is an independent health & lifestyle writer, SEO consultant & social media manager. Connect with him on twitter via www.twitter.com/seotherapy or contact him by clicking here. He's also the publisher of www.sydneycafes.com.au & co-publisher of www.westcoastcafes.com.au
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