The Listening Project at the ADD Centre and Biofeedback Institute of Toronto

Purpose: A research project will be conducted at the ADD ("Attention Deficit Disorder") Centre and Biofeedback Institute of Toronto to evaluate the feasibility of the Listening Project Protocol (LPP) intervention in individuals with difficulties with autonomic and/or behavioral regulation. The LPP is designed as a "neural exercise" to reduce auditory hypersensitivities, to improve auditory processing of speech, and to improve behavioral state regulation. These improvements should translate into increase feelings of safety and calmness, thereby promoting improvement in social behavior. Participants: 30 participants, males and females between ages 7-55 years, will be recruited for the study. Participants will be patients at the ADD Centre and Biofeedback Institute of Toronto. Procedures: Participants will be divided into 1 of 2 groups (1:1 ratio). Both groups will have a pre-intervention assessment #2, intervention, 1 week post intervention assessment and 1 month post intervention assessment. Group 2 will have an additional pre-intervention assessment session #1 (1 week previous to pre-intervention assessment #2) to assess the stability of the measures prior to starting the intervention. Pre-, post-, and 1 month followup assessment will include parent and/or self-report questionnaires, and measures of the individual's auditory processing ("SCAN"), affect recognition ("DARE" Dynamic Affect Recognition Evaluation), heart rate, prosody, "RSA" respiratory sinus arrhythmia (derived from non-invasive ECG recording), and middle ear transfer function ("MESAS" - Middle Ear Sound Absorption System).

Participants will be included in 1 pre-intervention and 2 post-assessment measures. Participants will receive the Listening Project Protocol intervention (filtered music). The duration of the intervention is approximately 60 minutes per day, for 5 consecutive days.

Participants will be included in 2 pre-intervention and 2 post-assessment measures. The additional pre-intervention assessment will allow for assessment of stability of measures. Participants will receive the Listening Project Protocol intervention (filtered music). The duration of the intervention is approximately 60 minutes per day, for 5 consecutive days.

The filtered-music intervention will consist of listening to computer-altered acoustic stimulation, designed to modulate the frequency band of vocal music passed to the participant. The frequency characteristics of the acoustic stimulation are selected to emphasize the relative importance of specific frequencies in conveying the information embedded in human speech. Modulation of the acoustic energy within the frequencies of human voice, similar to an exaggerated vocal prosody, are hypothesized to recruit and modulate the neural regulation of the middle ear muscles and to functionally reduce sound hypersensitivities and improve auditory processing.

pre-intervention (within 1 week before intervention), post-intervention (within 1 week after intervention), 1 month post-intervention

pre-intervention (within 1 week before intervention), post-intervention (within 1 week after intervention), 1 month post-intervention

filtered words, competing words subscales of SCAN-3:C Tests for Auditory Processing Processing Disorders in Children

pre-intervention (within 1 week before intervention), post-intervention (within 1 week after intervention), 1 month post-intervention

pre-intervention (within 1 week before intervention), immediate post-intervention (within 1 week after intervention), 1 month post-intervention

pre-intervention (within 1 week before intervention), immediate post-intervention (within 1 week after intervention), 1 month post-intervention

pre-intervention (within 1 week before intervention), immediate post-intervention (within 1 week after intervention), 1 month post-intervention

pre-intervention (within 1 week before intervention), immediate post-intervention (within 1 week after intervention), 1 month post-intervention

Inclusion Criteria: Individuals must be between ages 7-55 years Individuals must be fluent (read and write) in English. Parents must be able to read/speak in English. Individuals must be current or past clients at the ADD Centres Limited & Biofeedback Institute of Toronto Exclusion criteria: Individuals who wear a hearing-device Individuals with a history of heart disease Individuals who are currently being treated for seizure disorder Individuals who are non-verbal