Look! We're Learning!

Early Learning. Happy Teaching.

  • Shop
  • Printables
  • Homeschool
  • Crafts
  • Parenting
  • Blog

Integrated Listening Systems Music Therapy for ADHD

June 7, 2016 by Selena Robinson 1 Comment

Three of our kids are living with ADHD and, needless to say, it makes life interesting! But it also makes our days rather challenging, especially because we are dealing with sensory processing issues with two of them as well.

Back in April, we received the iLs Total Home Focus program to try out for several weeks. And now we’re ready to share our results with you all!

If you’ve ever considered music therapy for ADHD, learn about how our experience with Integrated Listening Systems worked out!

Disclosure: I received access to this product in exchange for this post and I was compensated for my time. All opinions are my own and I was not required to post a positive review.

Does Music Therapy for ADHD Work

What is Music Therapy for ADHD?

To get the full details about music therapy for ADHD and how it works, visit the Integrated Listening Systems website for information. iLs has been used at some of the top clinics in the world that provide treatment for learning problems and the company also offers in-home therapy programs, including the Total Home Focus program. Since we’re trying to avoid medication (for now), the program, which uses movement and activity, was a wonderful option for us.

iLS Home Program System

The Total Home Focus Program comes with everything you see above. For more about what each item is, see our initial post about getting started with iLS. But to summarize: It’s a therapy program that includes classical and ambient music for kids (and adults) to listen to as they relax or do guided motor skills exercises.

The real secret sauce is the bone conduction headphones that let you actually feel the music in your body. It’s a great immersive experience and it helps to focus attention on the music, rather than being distracted by everything else (which often happens to people with ADHD).

Music Therapy for ADHD Sleep Problems

Since Pooh has had long-standing sleep issues related to ADHD, iLs graciously allowed us to try out the Dreampad as well. It’s a special pillow that uses bone conduction to relax and ease you into sleep while playing ambient music.

Dreampad for Help with ADHD Sleep Problems

Once I hook it up, he’s usually out like a light. This is the same boy that typically awakens with enormous bags under his eyes in the morning. He asks to use the Dreampad every night.

How Music Therapy Helped Our Family

Many families have been helped by using the iLs Total Home Focus Program. Here’s our experience:

Week 1: I focused on starting Roo with the program first. He’s our six-year-old and his ADHD is the most severe. He has extreme trouble sitting still for any length of time. He has serious mood swings and he can be a big sensory seeker, crashing and bumping into things on purpose.

Art and Music Therapy for ADHD

I learned that he hating simply sitting still and listening to music, so I tried to give him a simple and quiet activity to do while he listened: drawing.

Week 2: Roo still wasn’t a huge fan of the program. When I’d tell him to get the headset, he’d give me the “Aw, Mom!” routine. During week 2, I changed up his activity, letting him play with Unifix cubes instead of drawing. He seemed to do better with those.

Play and Music Therapy for ADHD

Week 3: During Week 3, I introduced Pooh to the program. His temperament is very different from Roo. He’s content to sit quietly and read while listening. Interestingly, he said that his playlist made him feel sad, so I changed up the tracks a bit.

Reading and Music Therapy for ADHD

Week 4: Our home coach recommended that we hold off on the exercises until the kids were more accustomed to the program, so we started with them gradually in week 4. I gave Roo the balance board to practice Balance Board Sitting – an exercise from the Early Developmental Program. He actually liked it! Plus, it kept him still for 5 minutes straight!

Music Therapy and Balance for ADHD

Week 5: Tigger, who’s 11, doesn’t really care for doing an activity as she listens to the music. She’d rather just lie back on her bed and listen quietly. Since she has struggled with coordination issues for some time, I’m really anxious for her to start with the exercises, but our home coach told me not to push the exercises with the kids, so I’m not. I think she’ll want to try them on her own in time.

Relaxation Music Therapy for ADHD

Week 6: In Week 6, I found that the kids have got to be separated when one is doing therapy. Otherwise, they start to talk and chatter over the music and the whole point of the therapy is lost. Since all three are using the program, they take turns going to their rooms or to the dining room table ALONE to listen and work. Live and learn.

Week 7: Roo was ready to try some of the other exercises in his program, so we added a few that used the enclosed beanbags.

Sensory and Music Therapy for ADHD

What happens when you hand a sensory seeker a beanbag? He immediately squeezes it to his face, proclaiming how much he loves how it feels. 🙂

Exercise and Music Therapy for ADHD

One of the exercises we tried this week was called “Drop, Catch, and Under Leg”. It works on coordination, especially with crossing the midline. Roo is ambidextrous, so he’ll just switch hands when he has to cross his midsection. This exercise helped him work on using both hands on both sides. He liked it because it reminded him of dribbling a basketball.

Gross Motor Skills Therapy for ADHD

We also tried the “Dog Walk”. Roo crawled from one end of the room to the other while attempting to keep a beanbag on his back. We added difficulty by having him close his eyes, based on the exercise suggestions. When he did that, he instantly started crawling crooked. We will definitely keep practicing this exercise for a while.

Week 8: This week is week 8 and Roo has adjusted well to using the program regularly. He even asks if he can do his music therapy in the morning! I cannot tell you how much that helps me, because he wakes up first and he often becomes restless and noisy, which disturbs his siblings. Now, he gets up quietly, asks for his headphones, and goes to the table to listen and do a quiet activity. It’s a big change.

Why We Loved the iLS Total Home Focus Program:

  • It’s customizable. You can adapt the program to what is best for your child. After we filled out our initial assessment, our home coach suggested a program for each child to follow based on his or her needs. Then I adjusted as I saw fit. Roo couldn’t handle more than 30 minutes per session. Tigger, though, could do a full hour at a time.
  • There is plenty of support. Our personal home coach Sharon was wonderfully helpful. She was very attentive to us, checking via phone and email regularly. And she welcomed all of my questions and concerns, listening to our situation and offering helpful suggestions.
  • It’s not a magic cure. iLs never advertises itself as a magic cure for ADHD and SPD, and it’s not. Instead, the program is designed to be used continuously over several weeks, gradually helping clients improve focus, attention span, and self-control. I like that it’s part of an overall lifestyle change – one that we’ve really benefited from making.

Be sure to contact Integrated Listening Systems to learn about how the iLs Total Home Focus program can help your family! And learn more about music therapy for ADHD by following Integrated Listening Systems on social media:

  • Facebook
    • ¡Y visita la página de iLs en Español aqui!
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Google Plus
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn

Filed Under: ADHD Homeschooling, ADHD Learning Tagged With: adhd, adhd homeschooling, adhd music therapy, adhd parenting, adhd treatment, music therapy for adhd

iLS Home Program for ADHD and SPD

April 11, 2016 by Selena Robinson 2 Comments

As most of you probably know, we have children who are living with ADHD and Sensory Processing Disorder. In fact, both my husband and I also have ADHD/ADD.

We’ve written extensively about life with ADHD here on the blog, so when I learned about Integrated Listening Systems – a natural therapy for improving attention and sensory processing skills, I was super excited to give the iLS Home Program a try!

Here’s what the program includes and how it can benefit children with various learning difficulties and special needs!

Disclosure: I received access to this program in exchange for this post and I was compensated for my time. All opinions are my own. For details, see my Disclosure Policy.

iLS Home Program for ADHD and SPD - Look! We're Learning!

What is iLS Home Program Therapy?

The iLS Total Home Focus Program is a sound and movement therapy system for individuals who are living with special needs, including ADHD/ADD, Down’s syndrome, Sensory Processing Disorder, Dyslexia, Autism, Apraxia, Dysgraphia, and Auditory Processing Disorder.

Since we have children who have both ADHD and Sensory Processing Disorder, we jumped at the chance to try the program. Here’s a quick overview of how it works:

iLS Home Program System

This is a look at what is included in the iLS Home Program. As you can see, it’s pretty extensive.

iLS Home Program iPod Touch

You receive an iPod Touch with a waist pack. Kids need to use the program two to five times per week for sessions of 20 to 50 minutes.

iLS Home Program Headphones

The special iLS headphones are part of the program’s unique benefits. These headphones feature special sensors behind the ear that make contact with the bones in the head. The goal is to provide listening therapy through the body’s various systems via bone conduction. Pretty neat!

iLS Home Program Balance Board

The balance board is part of the exercise regimen, designed to improve balance and coordination.

iLS Home Program Accessories

The weighted beanbags and balls are accessories for use with the program home exercises.

iLS Home Program Playbook

Along with the program supplies, iLS provides a Playbook that demonstrates various exercises and skills you can try with your children. The Playbook also gives you a chance to note your children’s progress as you use the program.

What are the Benefits of the iLS Home Program ?

Clients who have used the iLS Home Program have reported substantial benefits for those who have attention and sensory issues. For example, some who have tried the iLS program for ADHD have noticed an increase in ability to concentrate, organize, and complete tasks. The program has also helped to decrease anxiety and promote calm, which leads to improved sleeping habits (something that has been a real issue in our family).

iLS can also help with vestibular and proprioceptive issues, which are common for children with SPD. Since the program includes exercises that are designed to improve hand/eye coordination, balance, and auditory processing, I am really looking forward to seeing how much it helps our family.

I’m excited to announce that I’ll be using the iLS Home Program with my children over the next several weeks! I’m looking forward to sharing our progress and results, especially for those of you who have children living with ADHD, autism, SPD, or other special needs.

Visit the iLs Total Home Focus Program website to learn more about how this program works for home use! And if you have any specific questions about how the program is working for us, feel free to ask and I’ll do my best to answer!

For more about life with ADHD, follow my ADHD Tips board on Pinterest!

Filed Under: ADHD Learning, SPD Homeschooling Tagged With: adhd, adhd natural treatment, adhd therapy, adhd treatment, ils, kids with adhd, kids with spd, spd, spd natural treatment, spd therapy, spd treatment

Hi! I'm Selena, a teacher and a veteran homeschool mom to four. I'm so glad you're here!
About Me Contact Terms of Use Privacy Policy Places I Share
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Instagram
Homeschool Printables Unit Studies Shop the Store
Copyright ©2023, Look! We're Learning!. All Rights Reserved. Design by Pixel Me Designs