Probable role of listening therapy in the management of ADHD symptoms: Three case studies

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a common disorder that affects individuals throughout life, although generally diagnosed during the school years. Multimodal perspectives are recommended during treatment. A variety of non-pharmacological interventions, including psychoeducational approaches, are widely available particularly for clients who refuse to use or are resistant to medication, although the real effect sizes remain uncertain. The effect of music therapy as a complement to ADHD treatment has emerged especially in the last 20 years with neuroimaging studies. Recent research has indicated that music experience influences reward, emotion, motivation and pleasure, stress and the immune system, and social relationships, as well as cognitive skills. Listening to filtered music also influences auditory functions. Sound or listening therapy originated from the Tomatis audio-psycho-phonological (APP) method aims to train the vestibular system auditory functions that are assumed to be connected with both top-down (higher brain structures) and bottom-up (peripheral to central) brain functioning and the peripheral nervous system. In this case report, we discuss the probable impact of listening or sound therapy in the management of ADHD symptoms, particularly in terms of sustained attention, reaction time, and inhibitory control (impulsivity/hyperactivity) measured by a distracted continuous performance test (CPT) and learning and behavioral problems assessed by rating scales. Three adolescents (aged 14, 15, and 17 years) in Turkey with ADHD-combined presentation diagnosed by a psychiatrist were given 30 sessions (totaling 60 h) of the sound program with an auditory stimulation device developed by an APP method. The participants were assessed before and after the program and their scores compared using the CPT (MOXO d-CPT), Conners Rating Scales for Parents (CPRS) and Teachers (CTRS), and Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS) based on the ages of the participants, in addition to the listening checklist. Although the differences in the scores did not represent any statistical significance, the findings could still be noteworthy indicators of future prospective studies for the exact role of these non-pharmacological supportive interventions.