Living and interacting with a child that has multiple learning and behavioral differences can be a challenge for any parent, to say the least. When you begin to educate at home, these learning differences and behaviors can begin to appear magnified. What changed? Your proximity to the child and their learning struggles. You observe all the time, up-close and personal. At some point most home educators can feel alone or isolated, this can certainly be said of those of us that have children with learning struggles.
One vital key to success in home educating a struggling learner is to gain as many tools and resources for both you and your child's support. This is one of many reasons we decided to try Integrated Listening Systems.
** This post is a sponsored post for Integrated Listening Systems, as part of my affiliation with iHomeschool Network. In order to review this product, I received this product complimentary, and am compensated for my time. All opinions in this post are mine, and I was not required to post a positive review. Thank you for your support. You can read my full disclosure policy here.**
How We Use Integrated Listening System to Help With Sensory Issues
From the beginning, my child was impressed by the iLS system. He enjoyed the idea of utilizing technology and kinesthetics to help improve his areas of learning and behavior challenges. This made it an easy "sell" on using everyday, which let's face it, is important when motivating a teenager (especially one with Asperger's) to try something new and different.
We currently use the Integrated Listening System four days per week, for about 30 to 40 minutes per day, lately it has been 30 minutes as the summer schedule piles up. For my child, we have broken our sessions up during the day. He uses the system in the morning before the school day has begun by using his iLS system and Playbook to do his program exercises.
The exercises are varied in skill and ability, making this system a good option for many differing levels of age and development. It was interesting to note that these exercises can be done with eyes open, however; my child found it easier, early on, to complete exercises with his eyes closed. As he has progressed, he has found it easier to listen and concentrate even with his eyes open.
Later in the afternoon, he continues his sessions by doing other activities while using his iLS: putting together a puzzle, building with his legos, doing oragami, sketching. These are all interests of his, so his afternoon sessions are well received.
Early in completing our program, we realized that my child's affinity to motion sickness needed to be addressed. This was immediately addressed by Sharon, our iLS coach, who adapted the system's mini-amplifier to provide the minimum air and bone conduction during his sessions.
Our personal goals for using this system long-term would be to help address my child's issues with sensory processing, but specifically:
- Sensory Overload
- Emotional Regulation
- Improved Attention Span
- Better Mental Acuity
What I Enjoyed About Using Integrated Listening System At Home
- A tool that helps my child with being more self-aware and taking ownership for his learning and behavioral differences. We are all learning, growing and changing. This specific system has helped my teen feel more confident in addressing and improving his own challenges. If the iLS system had no other benefit, that one reason would be worth using the system entirely!
- Personalized home therapy programing to address my child's specific needs and challenges. iLS is not meant to be used in a "one-size-fits-all" fashion. Each home therapy system is accompanied by an iLS coach, which we work with over the phone, to help you build a program that fits mine and my child's specific needs. Our iLS coach Sharon is amazing!
- Home therapy that everyone can use. One of the first benefits of the Integrated Listening System that both shocked and thrilled this mom was the fact that each member of my family can utilize it for different needs. My iLS coach and I will soon be incorporating the Integrated Listening System for both of my daughters to improve attention span and memorization ability.
- Kinesthetic learning. iLS exercises are easy and fun, and we are glad to be using a system that doesn't include sitting at length in a chair, or using a ton of boring flashcards. (Been there, done that)
- Adaptability and flexibility. Being a home educator and using a home therapy means that we spend less time running around, and more time learning. Also, as a mother of teenagers, we can easily get bogged down with our schedule. Integrated Listening System is easy for us to schedule daily and rearrange as needed.
- Potential. The broad spectrum of behavioral functions that this home therapy can help to correct seems far reaching. After completing a few weeks of home therapy to specifically address sensory and motor issues, I have seen enough positive response to know that iLS has the ability to benefit my child in other areas that we have not yet begun to address. Integrated Listening System is built to provide help in many areas of behavior: listening, sensory and audio processing, memorization, better attention span, emotional response and control.
- iLS can be used alongside, and in conjunction with other occupational therapy systems. We still use a couple of other therapy tools to help address different areas of learning differences for my child. The iLS system can safely be utilized alongside these other useful tools.
As a home educator with a teen who has learning differences it is important to use every available resource to help in our educating journey. This coming school year, he will be a senior, which means that we are working to give him the best edge possible. iLS is more than a mere tool that we use. Integrated Listening System is now part of our support system. We know we are not alone on our journey, and we are thankful that iLS is working alongside us.
Take a look at the amazing science behind Integrated Listening Systems.
You can contact iLS directly to get more information on this amazing system.
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You can contact iLS directly to get more information on this amazing system.
Follow Integrated Listening Systems on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Google +
For more great articles and ideas, be certain to follow our "Be Different" Pinterest Board:
