Comparative Effects of Infinite Tomatis Sound Therapy, Vestibulo-Cerebellar Training, and Their Combination on Working Memory in Children with Reading-Specific Learning Disorder
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Objective: Children with specific learning disorders related to reading often exhibit deficits in working memory such as attention, concentration, and working memory. While sound-based and sensorimotor interventions have shown promise, few studies have directly compared their individual and combined effects. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of Infinite Tomatis sound therapy, vestibulo-cerebellar skills training, and their combination on working memory—specifically attention and concentration—in students diagnosed with reading-related specific learning disorder.
Methods and Materials: Using a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest-follow-up design with a control group, 60 children aged 8–12 were selected via convenience sampling and randomly assigned to one of four groups (n=15 each): (1) sound therapy, (2) vestibulo-cerebellar training, (3) combined therapy, and (4) control. Interventions were delivered over multiple sessions, and assessments included the IVA-2, Go/No-Go, and N-Back tests. Repeated measures ANOVA was used to analyze changes over time.
Findings: All three intervention groups demonstrated significant improvements in auditory and working memory from pretest to posttest and follow-up (p < .001). The combined intervention group showed significantly greater gains compared to single-method groups and the control. No adverse effects were reported.
Conclusion: Multimodal interventions combining auditory and vestibular stimulation may offer superior benefits for enhancing working memory in children with reading-specific learning disorders. These findings support the integration of multisensory approaches into educational and therapeutic programs. Future studies should explore long-term outcomes and larger, more diverse samples.
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