Finn is a 4 year old boy diagnosed with social pragmatic communication disorder . He has 2x of Occupational Therapy 2x of speech 2 x of ABA. His mom is looking into additional 2 hours of physical therapy along with taekwondo for Finn as exercise this summer. This is Finn’s 2nd round of auditory integration training (AIT)

1st Day : Finn was behaved. He said “music” during the session. He was quite behaved and was prompted to say “I’m done.” On the afternoon session, Finn was crying and had to be prompted to say “Finished”.

2nd Day: Finn was behaved. Finn said “ I’m finished”, “ Massage ears.” He is impatient and has fleeting eye contact. His mom made him look at Teacher with eye contact. He was prompted to say “ See you soon Teacher” and “Bye Teacher”

3rd Day: Finn was behaved and said “ I’m finished”, “ Massage please”. He also had to be prompted to say “Remove headphones please”. According to Finn’s mom, Finn surprised everyone last night by saying “ Baby’s crying” for the first time. Finn has a baby brother who is 2 months old. Finn often ignores the brother. Finn was also able to say “open” “close” with hand gestures (without any prompting).

4th day: Finn was behaved during the 1st session. He was upset the 2nd session. He said “ I want finished” “ I want finished” . He expressed this desire without any prompting. He was also trying to remove the headphones several times. Once the music finished, he immediately said “ I’m finished” . He was prompted to say “ Please remove headphones.” and prompted to say “ Bye Teacher”.

5th day: Finn was again irritable during the 1st session and would try to remove headphones. He would shout “I’m finished” several times during the session. This also happened during the 2nd session. He fell asleep before the end of the session.

6th day: Finn was again irritable and would say “I’m finished “ even if the session wasn’t done yet. He would say “ I’m finished” as soon as the session was done. He would need to be prompted to say “ Remove headphones please.” He said “Good” when Teacher told him said “ You did a good job.” He was prompted to say “ Bye bye Teacher “ and to look at the Teacher.

7th Day: Finn was argumentative again and would say “I’m finished” even if he wasn’t done yet. After the session, Finn was able to say “ Teacher remove headphone please” during the session. He was able to say “I’m finished “ and “Remove headphones please.” He was prompted to say “ Please massage ears”. On the 2nd session, Finn surprised us by saying “ Sleepy na ako” and “Five more minutes” He wanted the session to end. He was able to say “ Remove headphone please” without prompting. He said “Open please “ to open door. Finn was able to say “Bye Teacher Steph “ with eye contact. He was very happy when the session ended. He was prompted to say “ Massage ears please”

8th Day: Mom noticed that Finn said “ kalabaw” and “cow” in the car after class. Typical dialogue that Finn likes to say is “ ano sabi ng rooster” and “ano sabi ng chicken”. Mom dissuades him from doing that by saying ” walang rooster” or “walang chicken” .   He also prayed in the car and made the sign of the cross saying “ in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit Amen. “ Last night, He surprised everyone by to saying “ Good Night” to his Dad without prompting. He also kissed his baby brother, whom he usually ignores. He was also able to express “ ayaw ko na inom” when he saw the Sun chlorella vitamins his mom was giving him. During the 1st session, Finn was argumentative and would tell Teacher that the session is done, even when it’s not. On the 2nd session, Finn was still argumentative but fell asleep halfway through the session.

9th Day: Finn’s mom told us other surprising words that Finn has been saying. Last night when Finn was drinking soup, he said “ mainit”. He doesn’t normally do this and would just push the spoon away. Finn also surprised everyone by greeting Kuya J the driver “ Good morning, Kuya J.”

Finn said “ OFF na” when Teacher put headphones at the start of the session. He said “Yes” when Teacher asked him “ Do you want OFF na ?” During the session, Finn said “Remove headphones please “ nearly six times. He also said “ Teacher Steph remove headphones.” and “ jingle bell, jingle bell rock”. He tries hard to remove the headphones. He said “five more minutes” was upset and crying after. Teacher asked “what do you say?” Finn said “ Remove headphones please” and “ Massage ears”. Mom reminds Finn to say “ Massage ears please.” He also said “open door” before he went out of the room.

Improvements of Finn after the 1st AIT ( almost 1 year later)

Finn no longer needs instructions repeated several times. It is easier for him to relate to what he sees and hears. He is more motivated to learn compared to before. Attention span is bit longer now. He was non verbal and now he is able to speak with prompts. Before he would not even understand directions, now he is able to follow simple one step instructions. Comprehension has improved compared to before. He is better at expressing himself in one or two word phrases. In a crowd, Finn still doesn’t sometimes realize that speech is directed at him.

Finn is still learning the appropriate use of toys but he has been improving. He sometimes needs visual gestures in order to comprehend. He doesn’t play well with other children. He used to be very echolalic, repeating words and phrases over and over again. Now, he has started repeating words and phrases less and has been adding new vocabulary to his repertoire of words to say. He has poor handwriting. He is easily distracted by others. Before, he would only interact with family or familiar people, now he is becoming more open. He is faster at replying to questions compared to before.

Finn used to cover his ears in groceries every time he hears an announcement. He also hated fireworks. He used to startle easily to sounds, but he had a love for music. According to his parents, it’s only the sound of the meat grinder that bothers him now.

Finn’s improvements also extend to improve toilet training. He is also able to dress by himself and occasionally will need assistance. He also had fleeting eye contact, whereas now he takes the time to look at the person he’s talking to, especially when prompted. He seems to know a lot but cannot get it out. His waiting time has improved as well as his frustration tolerance at being told “ No.”.