About EASe CD’s

EASe_bundle_testimonialThe Electronic Auditory Stimulation effect audio CD series is the original disc based Listening Therapy program. EASe CDs, are easy to use, simple and safe tools for occupational therapists, physical therapists, speech therapists, teachers and parents, to assist children challenged with sensory processing disorder, sensory integration disorder, auditory hypersensitivity, central auditory processing disorder (CAPD), hearing or developmental issues, to better manage noise. EASe Listening Therapy was originally based on the Guy Berard AIT method of auditory integration training (similar to the Tomatis Method) at a fraction of the cost, and can be carried out at home, at school or in a therapist’s office with an inexpensive CD player and a high quality pair of headphones.

EASe CDs have been successfully used since 1996 by ten thousand trained therapists, many tens of thousands of parents, and hundreds of non profit organizations the world over. EASe CDs integrate well with sensory integration therapies, enabling a child to more easily develop additional skills through an enhanced “sensory diet”. Click on any of the thumbnails below to learn more about all ten EASe CDs. EASe CD’s are clnically researched therapy.

View Brenau University EASe CD’s/Games study abstract.

University EASe CD’s/Games study results – full text.

EASe CD 10 disc bundle and FREE $200.00 lending/rental license.

EASe Listening Therapy consists of instrumental music and natural sounds encoded with randomly pulsed equalization that increases high frequency content in an unpredictable manner. This random high frequency energy stimulates the auditory pathway from the eardrum to the auditory cortex in very short, but highly intense bursts.

EASe Listening Therapy is a practical application of the psychoacoustic “fight or flight” response. Short duration, high intensity noise stimulates the auditory neuropathway, but does not exceed the intensity/duration threshold that elicits a sensory defense response. As a result, the patient is able to gradually habituate to intense auditory stimulation. After enough listening sessions, patients become able to utilize this habituation skill in their everyday lives to cope with normal auditory conditions.

An EASe Listening Therapy program is easy to initiate and manage by a parent, teacher or therapist. In most cases it is seen as a reward by the child and is eagerly anticipated. EASe Listening Therapy integrates well into a program of Sensory Integration, becoming an enabling mechanism for further improvements in balance and coordination.

EASe Listening Therapy is inexpensive, costing a small fraction of other auditory interventions. EASe products are reusable. Every three to six months the listening program can be applied again if necessary and at no extra charge when the parent owns their own CDs, games or apps.

EASe CD Instructions

CD player and Headphones for the EASe
(ELECTRONIC AUDITORY STIMULATION effect) CD

Best fidelity can be achieved by using a high quality CD player/headphone combination with the EASe CD. Below you will find recommendations for a system well suited to the EASe CD Series 1 audio Compact Disc.

1. A high quality compact disc player must be used. Most good quality players will work, however be sure to purchase one that can play CD-R discs in Random or Shuffle mode.

2. High quality headphones must be used. The headphones supplied with most CD players are unacceptable. We currently recommend a few pair of headphones for use with EASe Listening Therapy . Those are Shure SRH240Aftershock Sportz II bone conduction headphones, Sony MDR-7506 and Sony MDR-V6

If none of the above headphones can be purchased, the technical requirements for a suitable pair are as follows:

a. The headphones must fully cover the ear, the little foam units are not suitable.

b. The headphones must not be too large, they should fit comfortably on your child’s head.

c. The headphones with the highest frequency response should be chosen, with a minimum frequency response of at least 20,000 hz as stated on their specifications.

3. Always use Random Play mode. This inhibits habituation of the stimulus and extends the useful life of the disc.

4. The volume is set only as loud as your child can comfortably listen and no louder. If you have a question regarding volume, error on the safe side. Start at a very soft volume and gradually turn it up over a period of several listening sessions.

Using the EASe CD

1. Place your EASe CD in the CD player.

2. Select Random play mode on the CD player.

3. Plug in the headphones.

4. Push the play button.

5. Adjust the volume to a soft level and put the headphones on yourself to check them. If your child is extremely hypersensitive, adjust the headphones to an even softer initial level. Some children will be able to hear a signal even when you cannot. Make sure your child is comfortable. After each session you can raise the level of the player very slightly until it is louder but still comfortable for your child.

6. The listening schedule can be modified for each individual child. The schedule used by most practitioners is a 1/2 hour session twice daily for 10 days. However, certain children may benefit from a different listening schedule. A child who is hypersensitive to touch and cannot wear headphones for long periods of time can be given a schedule customized for him, for example, two ten or fifteen minute sessions a day for a month. A very young child can even listen to the disc on high quality speakers directed toward his or her play area. Another approach is to place the headphones on the child while he or she is asleep. One half hour is the maximum time period per session.

Note: If your child wants the volume lower always cooperate immediately. Listening to the EASe CD should be a reward and should always be enjoyable. If for some reason it is not, stop immediately.

7. IMPORTANT! Never adjust the headphones to painfully loud levels. Remember, this should be an enjoyable experience for your child.

EASe Schedule Options
EASe is a tool that is used by parents in their home using a simple compact disc player and headphones or speakers.

EASe is most efficient when used with headphones, however because parents control the disc in their own home and are not constrained by office hours and conditions, many different methods of delivering EASe are possible.

If a child is older and capable of and willing to sit still, then the schedule of two, thirty minute sessions a day for ten days is perfectly fine. However if a child is too tactile hypersensitive or small to wear the headphones, other inventive methods, discovered by our mothers have shown promise.

Speakers can be used with the understanding that the signal is not as pristine as with headphones and so not as effective. Room reflections mix with the direct signal from the speakers and dilute the waveform, robbing transient information. Because of this effort should be made to aim the speakers directly into the child’s area. Some mothers have mounted speakers over their children’s cribs and are playing the disc when their children are asleep. Mothers of older, tactile hypersensitive children are plugging the CD player into their car’s stereo and taking their child for a thirty minute EASe ride. This is very inventive as it contains the child nicely and the speakers are not too far away from the child no matter where he is in the car. Try to drive slowely so as not to increase the ambient noise level. Some mothers are putting headphones put on their children after they are asleep.

We are seeing promising results from all these methods as expressed by the letters we receive from mothers.

NEVER, NEVER, NEVER should a child be forced to wear headphones. We have heard horror stories of people holding children down to make them wear the headphones for AIT.

EASe should always be a reward.

Because the EASe CD belongs to the parent, time constraints that apply to the hourly cost of AIT do not apply. If a child will wear the headphones for fifteen minutes instead of thirty, then let him wear them for fifteen minutes, but extend the number of days to twenty or thirty. If a child will only wear them for five minutes at first, then, today make it five and tomorrow make it seven and the next day make it ten, until you can get the necessary time in.

Instructions on using the full 10-disc set:

If your child is able to accept a full 30 minute session, two times a day, we suggest the following schedule, using one CD per day for both morning and afternoon/evening sessions.

Day 1 morning – EASe #1 for 30 minutes.
Day 1 evening – EASe #1 for 30 minutes.
Day 2 morning – EASe #2 for 30 minutes.
Day 2 evening – EASe #2 for 30 minutes.
Day 3 morning – EASe #3 for 30 minutes.
Day 3 evening – EASe #3 for 30 minutes.
Day 4 morning – EASe #4 for 30 minutes.
Day 4 evening – EASe #4 for 30 minutes.
Day 5 morning – EASe #5 for 30 minutes.
Day 5 evening – EASe #5 for 30 minutes.
Day 6 morning – EASe #6 for 30 minutes.
Day 6 evening – EASe #6 for 30 minutes.
Day 7 morning – EASe #7 for 30 minutes.
Day 7 evening – EASe #7 for 30 minutes.
Day 8 morning – EASe #8 for 30 minutes.
Day 8 evening – EASe #8 for 30 minutes.
Day 9 morning – EASe #9 for 30 minutes.
Day 9 evening – EASe #9 for 30 minutes.
Day 10 morning – EASe #10 for 30 minutes.
Day 10 evening – EASe #10 for 30 minutes.
Day 11 morning – EASe #1 for 30 minutes.
Day 11 evening – EASe #1 for 30 minutes.
Day 12 morning – EASe #2 for 30 minutes.
Day 12 evening – EASe #2 for 30 minutes.
Day 13 morning – EASe #3 for 30 minutes.
Day 13 evening – EASe #3 for 30 minutes.
Day 14 morning – EASe #4 for 30 minutes.
Day 14 evening – EASe #4 for 30 minutes.
Day 15 morning – EASe #5 for 30 minutes.
Day 15 evening – EASe #5 for 30 minutes.
Day 16 morning – EASe #6 for 30 minutes.
Day 16 evening – EASe #6 for 30 minutes.
Day 17 morning – EASe #7 for 30 minutes.
Day 17 evening – EASe #7 for 30 minutes.
Day 18 morning – EASe #8 for 30 minutes.
Day 18 evening – EASe #8 for 30 minutes.
Day 19 morning – EASe #9 for 30 minutes.
Day 19 evening – EASe #9 for 30 minutes.
Day 20 morning – EASe #10 for 30 minutes.
Day 20 evening – EASe #10 for 30 minutes.
Day 21 morning – EASe #1 for 30 minutes.
Day 21 evening – EASe #1 for 30 minutes.
Day 22 morning – EASe #2 for 30 minutes.
Day 22 evening – EASe #2 for 30 minutes.
Day 23 morning – EASe #3 for 30 minutes.
Day 23 evening – EASe #3 for 30 minutes.
Day 24 morning – EASe #4 for 30 minutes.
Day 24 evening – EASe #4 for 30 minutes.
Day 25 morning – EASe #5 for 30 minutes.
Day 25 evening – EASe #5 for 30 minutes.
Day 26 morning – EASe #6 for 30 minutes.
Day 26 evening – EASe #6 for 30 minutes.
Day 27 morning – EASe #7 for 30 minutes.
Day 27 evening – EASe #7 for 30 minutes.
Day 28 morning – EASe #8 for 30 minutes.
Day 28 evening – EASe #8 for 30 minutes.
Day 29 morning – EASe #9 for 30 minutes.
Day 29 evening – EASe #9 for 30 minutes.
Day 30 morning – EASe #10 for 30 minutes.
Day 30 evening – EASe #10 for 30 minutes.
Day 31 morning – EASe #1 for 30 minutes.
Day 31 evening – EASe #1 for 30 minutes.
Day 32 morning – EASe #2 for 30 minutes.
Day 32 evening – EASe #2 for 30 minutes.
Day 33 morning – EASe #3 for 30 minutes.
Day 33 evening – EASe #3 for 30 minutes.
Day 34 morning – EASe #4 for 30 minutes.
Day 34 evening – EASe #4 for 30 minutes.
Day 35 morning – EASe #5 for 30 minutes.
Day 35 evening – EASe #5 for 30 minutes.
Day 36 morning – EASe #6 for 30 minutes.
Day 36 evening – EASe #6 for 30 minutes.
Day 37 morning – EASe #7 for 30 minutes.
Day 37 evening – EASe #7 for 30 minutes.
Day 38 morning – EASe #8 for 30 minutes.
Day 38 evening – EASe #8 for 30 minutes.
Day 39 morning – EASe #9 for 30 minutes.
Day 39 evening – EASe #9 for 30 minutes.
Day 40 morning – EASe #10 for 30 minutes.
Day 40 evening – EASe #10 for 30 minutes.

The advantage of this schedule is that your child will have ten days between hearing a disc. This will keep the discs “fresher” for a longer time. By day 40, your child has only listened to each CD 4 times. If you are having success, you could extend this schedule to 100 days, or just over 3 months. At this point, stop and observe the changes in your child. If after six months to a year, you see some of the hypersensitivity returning, you can start the EASe program again.

Listen to an EASe CD Sample

Over the years people have been curious as to what Ease CDs sound like. We have therefore provided these short samples so that you can hear them for yourselves.

Please do not expect to find the sound of the Ease CDs comfortable to listen to. If you have a typical auditory response, you will find the Ease CD sound abrasive and somewhat shocking. It is supposed to be that way.

The instrumental musical passages on each Ease CD are between three and six minutes in length. Each Ease CD contains approximately 60 minutes of program material.

Important: Ease CDs use the entire dynamic range and bandwidth of 16 bit uncompressed audio. Ease CDs CANNOT be compressed or converted to MP3 format and retain their functionality. Compressed formats do not have the ability to retain the dynamic range and full level bandwidth, of 16 bit uncompressed audio.

Technical Information

Information about The EASe CD Series 1

A wide array of individuals have demonstrated hypersensitivity to normal sensory input. This sensory hypersensitivity can be tactile, visual, auditory or other. Brain-injured children often exhibit sensory control problems. Auditory and Visual hypersensitivity has been demonstrated by children with symptoms described as Autistic. Often these and other brain-injured children exhibit a startle reflex that does not abate with continuation of normal stimulus. One successful method of desensitizing these children has been auditory stimulation in the form of transient sounds, (wood blocks, horn bursts, etc) to randomly stimulate the auditory pathway of the brain . The transient nature of the stimulation does not over stimulate the child like a continuing noise might. The frequency of the stimulation eventually builds enough information in the auditory centers of the brain to help it reach the next stage of development in which it can control auditory startle reflexes. Another method of response to this auditory problem has been the use of electronic auditory stimulation. This method utilizes a machine which modifies music with random bursts of high frequency energy to deliver auditory stimulation to the patient. Children afflicted with auditory hypersensitivity have demonstrated positive effects. These effects include lessoning of their auditory hypersensitivity, increased communication and an increase of affection.

However, this therapy is expensive in both money and time. It is not available everywhere so parents must travel long distances and incure travel expenses in addition to the treatment fee itself. Studies have concluded that in regard to these particular individuals, the basic signal of the machine is as effective as the signal when input filter shaping is used (Edelson, et al, 1994). This information suggested that the signal from the machine could be recorded onto a suitable medium and distributed to many more individuals than who were presently able to afford the use of the machine.

In an effort to make this type of electronic auditory stimulation more affordable to parents of brain-injured children, Vision Audio Inc. has transferred licensed music through an auditory stimulation device to Compact Disc with encouraging results.

To test the electronic viability of such a procedure, Vision Audio Inc. recently analyzed the performance of the machine. The procedure was thus.

1. A white noise source was equalized for constant amplitude and applied to the input of the machine. The signal level was adjusted for unity gain in and out of the machine.
2. The machine’s sensitivity was adjusted so that proper level and efficiency action (encoding) was achieved with the given source signal.3. The resultant signal was digitally encoded and recorded using a digital hard disc recorder.
4. Fast Fourier Transform analysis (FFT) of the signal, both directly from the machine (figure 1) and from the digital hard disc recorder (figure 2) was done and time slices of that analysis were saved as PICT files.
5. Analysis of the direct output of the system and the digital recording revealed very little differences in frequency response or dynamic range.

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Conclusion

The dynamic range of the the auditory stimulation device exceeded seventy decibles, the high end performance of analog recording devices. The real story though was in the high frequency requirements ot the auditory stimulation device. During the BURST mode the device output a signal exceeding eighty decible dynamic range at twenty thousand hertz. The only medium capable of handling that kind of extreme frequency content with acceptable linearity and distortion is digital.