The Tomatis Method

The Tomatis Method was developed by a French ENT specialist, Dr. Alfred Tomatis. Dr Tomatis spent most of his life studying and researching the ear and communication. He recognised that listening begins in the womb and that babies hear and listen to their mother's voice before they are born, giving them the desire to communicate.

Listening is the ability to tune into selected sounds and understand their meanings, and so is different to hearing which is simply passive. Many young people with developmental difficulties have excellent hearing but are poor listeners. Due to this poor listening, their ability to communicate with the world around them is lessened.

Dr. Tomatis developed a piece of equipment called the Electronic Ear. The Electronic Ear is an integral component of the Tomatis Method which uses music, a recording of the mother's voice and active vocal sessions The Tomatis Method and the Electronic Ear train the ear to listen effectively, re-enforces the desire to communicate and, by acting on the Vestibular system, affects the whole body.