Therapeutic Listening® and Bilateral Coordination in Typically Developing Children

Guzman Lecture Hall, Dominican University of California

This study examined the effects of a 15-minute Therapeutic Listening Quickshift® series intervention on 8-10 year-old typically developing children. A convenience sample was used for 8 participants in Marin County, California. Participants were randomly assigned to either the Therapeutic Listening® intervention or white noise control intervention. All participants participated in a pretest to establish a baseline of bilateral coordination abilities. Participants then listened to 15-minutes of the Therapeutic Listening® or white noise interventions. Following this intervention period, participants then participated in a posttest identical to the pretest. Movement assessment measures from the bilateral coordination subtest of the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, Second Edition(BOT-2) and the Quick Neurological Screening (Backwards Tandem Walk and Rapid Forearm Rotation) were used for the pretest and posttest measures. Following the 15-minute interventions, one item from the BOT-2, Tapping Feet and Fingers, trended towards improvement in the Therapeutic Listening® group. Results of the Backwards Tandem Walk indicated a significant improvement in bilateral coordination in the Therapeutic Listening® group compared to the white noise control group. Positive findings from this study, though limited, give researchers an indication that the effects of Therapeutic Listening Quickshift® series on bilateral coordination are trending towards significance. This pilot study will be continued into 2015 for researchers to assess a greater amount of subjects, add to this current data, and ultimately increase the statistical power of findings.