Neuropsychology Department

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy helps restore function to brain injury patients. Re-training and re-programming is the next stage, utilizing several effective programs in the Neuropsychology Department.

Learning and Brain Rehabilitation Programs

 A.  Tomatis Auditory Training Program

            Created by Doctor Alfred Tomatis of Paris, France. High frequency sounds are used to stimulate the inner ear (cochlea) and the vestibular system (balancing system). This helps with language problems in students with learning disabilities and people with brain damage who have lost language functioning. It has been found most helpful for people who have had car accidents, other brain damage, Learning Disabilities, auditory processing deficits, and other disorders .(See Website:  www.tomatis.com )

 B. Reitan Rehabit Program. 

Doctor Reitan of Arizona has researched this program for the past 20 years. He is the world authority on brain damage.  With this program, you don't only teach people to compensate for their deficits, but you actually re-train the deficits, and improve functioning. There's some 600 pieces of equipment, books, exercises, etc. HOC likely has the only Rehabit program in Canada.

It has been discovered that the same Rehabit exercises that work with accident victims, also work with children with Learning Disabilities.  It seems accident victims "lose some functioning", while youngsters with Learning Disabilities "never developed the same functions". Consequently, the same brain exercises work

 C. Captain's Log Program.

This is a computer program that does a neuropsychological assessment, and trains the person to overcome the deficits. This program is also good for accident victims and for youngsters with Learning Disabilities, Fetal Alcohol exposure, Attention/Concentration problems, etc.

Doctor Joseph Sandford created the Captain’s Log Program, and recently invented a training program, “Sound Smart”, which exercises and improves auditory processing deficits. These will be included in the HOC rehabilitation program. (See Doctor Sandford’s Website at: www.braintrain.com)

 D. BrainWave Program. 

This program does not work directly with brain waves, but has exercise books and some computer programs.  The inventor, Dr. Tim Bennett, has a treatment center in Fort Collins Colorado.  It's a wonderful, highly successful program, and works both with accident victims, students with Learning Disabilities, minimal brain damage, fetal alcohol exposure, etc. HOC will provide the same program. (See Dr. Bennett’s Web site: www.brainrecov.com)

 E. Neurotherapy.

This program actually works directly with Brain Waves.  Some individuals, because of brain damage, fetal alcohol exposure, lack of oxygen, poisoning, or developmental deficits, have problems with their brain waves. Their brain tends to produce the wrong brain waves. For example, when they require the fast Beta waves for concentrating and reading; their brain may produce the much slower Theta waves, and their brain goes “half asleep”. With a special EEG machine, we can measure the brain waves, and run special computer programs to train the brain to produce the proper brain waves. This program was well researched by the University of Alberta and this has resulted in a successful company, Wavepoint Systems providing Neurotherapy. HOC will also be providing Neurotherapy. See Wavepoint Web site www.wavepointsystems.com/

 F.     Jean Ayres' Sensory Integration. 

Jean Ayres, an occupational therapist from Los Angeles, who was working with accident victims, discovered that “movement, swinging, bouncing” is effective in organizing and integrating the senses. She also discovered that the same exercises that work with accident victims, work well with youngsters with other types of brain damage. It also helps children who have difficulties focusing their eyes, have reading problems, trouble writing, etc. Some of them simply cannot learn because their senses are not integrated.  That means that their eyes, ears, mouth, and the balancing system, left and right sides of the body, etc. simple do not work together.

Movement is very important in this treatment, (swings, trampolines), because movement stimulates the vestibular (balancing) system and this helps integrate the senses.  This works extremely well with the Tomatis program, because the Electronic Ear also stimulates the vestibular system. Because when we stimulate the inner ear, we also stimulate the vestibular system since it attached, or part of the inner ear.  HOC provides “sensory integration” training using the Jean Ayres methods and techniques. (See Ayres Clinic Web site: www.sensoryint.com)

 G. Light and Sound Program.

Light and Sound Therapy has proven effective with individuals recovering from various forms of brain trauma. It seems particularly effective in integrating both hemispheres of the brain. Doctor Ron Minson, a psychiatrist in Denver, CO, discovered that he got excellent results when he combined the “Light & Sound” program, with the Tomatis Listening Program. HOC provides the same programs. (Visit Dr. Minson’s Website: www.soundmindandbody.com )