How Soundsory® & Forbrain® Help Boost Learning in Children with Auditory Processing Disorder (APD)

When “I Didn’t Hear You” Isn’t About Hearing at All

You know your child is bright. They ask thoughtful questions, build creative Lego worlds, or tell the most vivid stories yet they struggle to follow simple verbal instructions. You say something once, twice, maybe three times before they respond.

You’ve ruled out hearing loss, and maybe you’ve even heard the term Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) but you’re still left wondering: What will actually help them catch up, stay calm, and feel confident in class?

That’s where Soundsory® and Forbrain® come in. These aren’t worksheets or attention apps. They’re neurosensory tools that help the brain make better sense of sound, rhythm, and language, improving the way children process, focus, and learn.

In this webinar-style blog, we’ll explore:

• What APD really means for children.
• How these two sound-based tools work on different aspects of learning and attention.
• The neuroscience behind their design.
• Practical ways to use them at home or in therapy settings.
  

This isn’t about “fixing” your child; it’s about supporting their brain’s natural ability to change through movement, sound, and rhythm.

What Is Auditory Processing Disorder (APD)?

Children with APD can hear perfectly well, but their brains struggle to interpret what they hear. Imagine hearing every sound at once, without a filter: the teacher’s voice, chairs moving, pencils tapping, fans humming, all competing for attention.

Over time, that constant noise creates confusion, fatigue, and frustration.

Common Signs of APD in Children:

• Trouble following multi-step instructions.
• Difficulty remembering verbal information.
• Better understanding when things are written down.
• Often saying, “What?” or “Huh?” even with normal hearing.
• Appearing inattentive or daydreamy in class.
• Struggling to learn songs, rhymes, or foreign languages.
  

According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), APD affects how the central auditory system processes sound, not how the ears hear it. Diagnosis requires trained audiologists, but early identification through behavioural signs is key.

How Sound and Movement Influence Learning

Before diving into Soundsory® and Forbrain®, it helps to understand how the auditory system connects to learning.

When a child listens, their ear and brain work together through three major pathways:

• Auditory – how sound is received and interpreted.
• Vestibular – how movement, balance, and body awareness are regulated.
• Cognitive – how information is stored, retrieved, and used.
  

When one of these systems is weak, everything else feels harder. For instance:

• A child who struggles to process rhythm may find reading patterns challenging.
• A child who can’t coordinate movement may tire quickly during seated tasks.
• A child with auditory overload may appear “unmotivated” when they’re actually exhausted.
  

Neuroplasticity research shows that by pairing sound with movement, we can help the brain form new, more efficient connections. This is the science behind both Soundsory® and Forbrain®.

Soundsory®: Training the Brain Through Movement and Rhythm

What It Is

Soundsory® is a multisensory home-based program that combines rhythmic movement with specially filtered music. Children wear lightweight headphones equipped with both air and bone conduction, meaning they not only hear music, but they also feel it through gentle vibration.

Each session lasts around 30 minutes per day for 2 periods of 20 days, blending sound with body exercises that target coordination, posture and attention.

How It Works

1. Filtered Music Stimulation
   • The music alternates between low and high frequencies, gently “surprising” the brain.
   • These changes improve alertness, attention, and sound discrimination.
     
2. Movement Integration
   • The child follows short movement sequences, stretching, balancing, and crossing midline.
   • These physical activities activate the vestibular system (responsible for balance and body orientation).
     
3. Auditory–Motor Synchronisation
   • When the body moves in rhythm to sound, it strengthens the connection between auditory and motor pathways, improving timing, focus, and spatial awareness.

4. Emotional regulation via the vagus nerve
   

The vagus nerve is connected to the ear, and the music through air and bone conduction will help the vagus nerve and its connection to the limbic system to be more regulated and calm the child and reduce frustration due to the delay in processing.

Why It Helps Children with APD

Children with APD often struggle with timing and sensory integration. Soundsory® supports them by:

• Helping the brain filter and prioritise relevant sounds.
• Improving body awareness (crucial for attention and emotional grounding).
• Boosting postural control, which is linked to concentration and fine-motor precision.
  

Research from the Journal of Neuroscience and Frontiers in Human Neuroscience confirms that combining auditory and vestibular input enhances neural connectivity and attention span in children with sensory or learning challenges.

Practical Example

Let’s say your child often fidgets during homework or zones out during reading time.
By using Soundsory® for 25–30 minutes in the morning, perhaps while playing or colouring you’re priming their brain to process sensory input more efficiently. When they sit down to learn later, their nervous system is calmer, alert, and organised.

It’s not a “quick fix,” but a gentle, consistent way to strengthen the systems that make learning feel easier.

Forbrain®: From Listening to Speaking, From Thinking to Remembering

What It Is

While Soundsory® focuses on movement and rhythm, Forbrain® targets speech, language, and attention through a special headset that amplifies the user’s own voice via bone conduction.

When your child speaks, the headset instantly transmits their voice back to them through the bones of the skull faster than through the air. This means the brain hears and adjusts the voice in real time, improving clarity, rhythm, and self-monitoring.

How It Works

1. Real-Time Voice Feedback
   • The brain hears the voice with improved tone and timing.
   • This feedback loop sharpens articulation and vocal confidence.
     
2. Selective Filtering
   • The device filters out background noise, allowing the brain to focus on the “core” sound of speech.
     
3. Auditory Cortex Activation
   • The process stimulates the auditory cortex, the same area responsible for language comprehension and working memory.
     

Benefits for Children with APD

Children with APD often struggle to distinguish speech sounds or modulate their own voices. Forbrain® helps by:

• Strengthening attention and concentration through real-time listening.
• Enhancing phonemic awareness (the ability to recognise and manipulate sound units in words).
• Supporting speech clarity and rhythm.
• Improving memory retention through active auditory engagement.

The Forbrain® technology is based on Dr. Alfred Tomatis’s pioneering research on the “audio-vocal loop,” validated in numerous studies on auditory feedback and speech production.

Everyday Applications

• Reading Practice: Let your child read aloud while wearing Forbrain®. It enhances focus and fluency.
• Homework Review: Reciting lessons out loud helps embed information more effectively.
• Speech Exercises: Children can use Forbrain® during speech therapy to strengthen articulation and rhythm.
• Confidence Building: Many children become more expressive and willing to participate verbally once they can “hear” themselves clearly.
  

“For the first time, I could actually hear my words before I said them,” said one 10-year-old after three weeks of use. “It felt easier to think.”

The Science Behind Both Tools: Neuroplasticity in Action

Both Soundsory® and Forbrain® are built on the principle of neuroplasticity, the brain’s lifelong ability to reorganise itself in response to targeted stimulation.

When a child listens to filtered sound or rhythm through bone conduction:

• The inner ear (cochlea and vestibule) sends clearer signals to the brain.
• The auditory cortex strengthens its ability to process patterns.
• The motor system syncs with sound, refining timing and coordination.
• The limbic system (linked to emotion) becomes calmer and more receptive.
  

Repeated daily use doesn’t just create short-term improvements it builds new neural pathways that support long-term listening and learning.

This principle is supported by research from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) and multiple auditory training studies demonstrating measurable improvements in processing speed and attention after targeted sound stimulation.

Using Soundsory® and Forbrain® Together

Though each device can be used on its own, combining them creates a whole-brain effect: one focuses on rhythm and movement, the other on voice and attention.

Example Routine:

• Morning: 30 minutes of Soundsory® during free play or light movement.
• Afternoon: 15 minutes of Forbrain® during reading or homework.
  

This pairing helps the child’s brain shift from sensory organisation to active learning, reinforcing both attention and expression.

The result? A child who listens better, speaks with more clarity, and learns with more confidence, not because they’ve memorised strategies, but because their brain is genuinely better equipped to process sound.

What Parents and Educators Can Expect

Within weeks of consistent use, many families notice:

• Less frustration with following instructions.
• Fewer “zoning out” moments.
• Clearer speech and pronunciation.
• Improved rhythm in reading and handwriting.
• More emotional stability and self-esteem.
  

The most common feedback? “My child seems more connected.”

These shifts often happen gradually and naturally, showing that progress doesn’t have to come from pressure, but from sensory alignment.

How to Integrate These Tools in a Learning or Therapy Plan

For Parents

• Use daily at consistent times (morning before school or after homework).
• Keep sessions short and enjoyable, pair them with fun activities.
• Track subtle changes: better mood, easier transitions, calmer mornings.
  

For Teachers and Therapists

• Integrate Forbrain® during speech or reading sessions.
• Use Soundsory® before transitions or group activities to regulate energy.
• Share progress notes collaboratively with families and support staff.
  

Clinical practitioners in occupational and speech therapy settings have reported improved attention span and reduced listening fatigue among students after combining auditory training tools with conventional interventions.

9. What Makes This Approach Different

Unlike traditional therapies that rely solely on instruction or behaviour modification, sound-based neurosensory tools work from the inside out, helping the brain reorganise itself before expecting the child to perform differently.

This approach respects the natural developmental hierarchy:

1. Regulate the sensory system.
2. Integrate auditory and motor functions.
3. Communicate clearly and confidently.
   

Once the nervous system feels safe and synchronised, higher learning follows naturally.

Key Takeaways

• APD is not a hearing problem; it’s a processing one.
• Soundsory® supports rhythm, coordination, and sensory regulation.
• Forbrain® enhances speech clarity, attention, and auditory feedback.
• Together, they strengthen the foundation for learning sound, movement, and emotion.
• Small, consistent use can lead to lasting gains in focus, confidence, and connection.
  

The beauty of this method is its simplicity: children play, move, and speak while their brains quietly do the deeper work of rewiring.

Helping Children Hear the World Differently

For a child with APD, the world can sound chaotic, fragmented, and unpredictable. But when their brain begins to synchronise sound, movement, and attention, something changes. They stop working against their environment and start feeling in tune with it.

Soundsory® and Forbrain® offer that bridge: between hearing and understanding, between frustration and flow. They don’t replace therapy or school support; they make those supports more effective.

Every sound, every rhythm, every word spoken through these tools becomes an opportunity for the brain to grow one gentle vibration at a time.

The goal isn’t just better listening. It’s a calmer mind, a confident voice, and a child who finally feels heard both by others and by their own brain.

If your child struggles with focus, learning, or listening, you don’t have to navigate this alone.
Françoise Nicoloff brings over 47 years of clinical experience helping families understand and address auditory challenges using the Tomatis® Method, Soundsory®, and Forbrain®.

Book a free 20-minute consultation with Françoise today and explore how ear-brain training can support your child’s cognitive, emotional, and academic development.