Author Interviews
Sound Advice: Robin Abbott on Sensory Connection to Developmental Disorders
Seasoned occupational therapist Robin Abbott is the author of the new book Sound Advice by the Loving Healing Press. Her Book educates parents and those who work with children on how the inner ear’s ability to sense sound and movement during early life can lead to wide-ranging delays in a child’s development when those senses aren’t working properly. – NewsBlaze
Related to the topic discussed in detail in her book, Robin Abbott shares some important points here about developmental disorders in kids as well as her journey of publishing the book.
Image @ Loving Healing Press
How serious is the problem of developmental disorders in America and the world?
In 2018, the CDC stated the incidence of autism in US children as 1 in 44. A number for SPD is is harder to come by, as it is not listed in APA’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, but some studies have indicated that all children with autism have some form of SPD, and of course there are children who have sensory-processing difficulties independent of an autism diagnosis. The CDC estimated that 6.1 million children had been diagnosed with ADHD in 2016, which is the most recent year data is available.
How frequent is the problem with sense of hearing related to such disorders?
The vast majority of these children’s hearing tests within normal limits for acuity, so concerns about auditory processing are not pursued, unless maybe there is also a speech delay. So most of the parents of these children are never advised to pursue any kind of therapeutic attention for their child’s inner ear.
How long did it take you to write this book?
Well, since I was a child with auditory processing problems, and then a parent and an occupational therapist for over 20 years, that’s how long I’ve been putting these ideas together! But I actively started researching and writing in 2018.
Is your book the first to point out how difficulties sensing sound and movement lead to developmental challenges? What other resources are available for parents with developmentally-challenged children?
It’s the first book that I know of that is targeted to parents and educators. Sheila Frick and Sally Young’s Listening with the Whole Body is a wonderful resource for therapists, and it’s where I began my journey with auditory treatment. But I wanted a book that would explain to parents how their child sees the world. I wanted to write down the things that I say to parents in my clinic to explain why I do what I do. I didn’t see that book out there. When Carol Stock Kranowitz published The Out Of Sync Child in 1998, parents finally knew what SPD looked like. It looked like their child! And she suggested which treatments might help. This is the next step in creating knowledgeable parents and educators.
Robin Abott’s TedX Talk
