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Sound Advice: How to Help Your Child with SPD, Autism and ADHD from the Inside Out
When the inner ear's ability to sense sound and movement breaks down during early life, there can be wide-ranging developmental consequences. Sound Advice integrates the personal stories of a pediatric occupational therapist with current science on why some children struggle to learn and adapt. Sound Advice explores these often therapeutically ignored senses as the gateway to the brain. Treating them can help children with SPD, autism and ADHD more easily connect with the world around them. Take "Sound Advice" on:
The hidden functions of hearing in paying attention
The "background" sensation of the vestibular system
How glitches in sensory systems can derail normal development
Developmentally-effective therapies and interventions
Empowering yourself to support your child's way of learning about the world
"When I began my SPD journey with my daughter, there was almost nothing for parents who knew their child struggled, but had nowhere to turn to for answers. Over the years, after many other parents shared their stories and fabulous resources like Robin's book, the world of SPD isn't a mystery anymore. Including Sound Advice on your SPD reference shelf is a must."
-- Chynna Laird, author of The Sensory Processing Diet: One Mom's Path of Creating Brain, Body and Nutritional Health for Children with SPD
"Why does your child struggle? In her highly informative and readable book, Robin Abbott uses her extensive clinical experience and keen powers of observation to help you look into your child's mind, sense the world the way he or she does, and, with this new understanding, seek out the most effective therapies."
--Susan R. Barry, PhD, author of Fixing My Gaze and Coming to Our Senses, Professor Emeritus of Biology and Neuroscience, Mount Holyoke College
"A book I definitely recommend to all parents and professionals who want to know why sound and the auditory system play such key roles in the development of a child's self-awareness and motor, learning and social skills. Sound Advice is an accessible, engaging and practical book written by someone at the front line of helping kids with an obvious sense of care. A much-needed text at a time when sound-based therapies are becoming more popular while still little understood. A book for your must-read list."
--Paul Madaule, author of When Listening Comes Alive
The hidden functions of hearing in paying attention
The "background" sensation of the vestibular system
How glitches in sensory systems can derail normal development
Developmentally-effective therapies and interventions
Empowering yourself to support your child's way of learning about the world
"When I began my SPD journey with my daughter, there was almost nothing for parents who knew their child struggled, but had nowhere to turn to for answers. Over the years, after many other parents shared their stories and fabulous resources like Robin's book, the world of SPD isn't a mystery anymore. Including Sound Advice on your SPD reference shelf is a must."
-- Chynna Laird, author of The Sensory Processing Diet: One Mom's Path of Creating Brain, Body and Nutritional Health for Children with SPD
"Why does your child struggle? In her highly informative and readable book, Robin Abbott uses her extensive clinical experience and keen powers of observation to help you look into your child's mind, sense the world the way he or she does, and, with this new understanding, seek out the most effective therapies."
--Susan R. Barry, PhD, author of Fixing My Gaze and Coming to Our Senses, Professor Emeritus of Biology and Neuroscience, Mount Holyoke College
"A book I definitely recommend to all parents and professionals who want to know why sound and the auditory system play such key roles in the development of a child's self-awareness and motor, learning and social skills. Sound Advice is an accessible, engaging and practical book written by someone at the front line of helping kids with an obvious sense of care. A much-needed text at a time when sound-based therapies are becoming more popular while still little understood. A book for your must-read list."
--Paul Madaule, author of When Listening Comes Alive
- GenresParenting
326 pages, Paperback
Published July 1, 2022
2 people are currently reading
23 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 5, 2023
Even though I am deaf, I chose this book to review because I was curious about the claim it espoused on how sound could help someone who was struggling with SPD, Autism, and ADHD. I was certainly intrigued! So I dove into the reading of this book in order to learn just what kind of therapeutic and healing benefits sound can play for someone in the neurodivergent spectrum.
The information was fascinating. Of course, I could not benefit from how sound itself – whether as the recording of a bird singing or as educationally-guided material to help children who could not or would not speak – would play a personal role in healing or as therapy, but I have personally known how sound, preferably music, had healing benefits. I lost my hearing when I was 13, but before then, I witnessed how instrumental music helped a cousin drift off to sleep at night, as well as how listening to favorite songs helped me to “calm down” whenever I got overexcited. Post-deafness, I witnessed how “music therapy” assisted individuals who had Intellectual/Developmental Disorders (I/DD), as well as offer a soothing release to individuals with ADHD. So, yes, absolutely, sound, as well as music, can play a healing role in certain individuals’ lives and help them overcome developmental hurdles.
A large portion of the first part of this book is devoted to the anatomical structures of the brain which sound can help repair and/or improving. It also describes the specifics of the therapy the author offers, one of which being “vestibular therapy.” This is a form of therapy focused on any impairments in the vestibular system which might affect the child’s ability to move or stay in one place (poor balance is also a factor of an affected vestibular system). The vestibular system is in the inner ears, and the author points out the essential roles they play in movement. She further notes, “Because of the brain’s surprising ability to re-wire itself, given the right input, I advocate that every neurodiverse child goes through a trial period of vestibular treatment.” (pg. 112)
Another form of therapy she uses is called “auditory therapy.” This is the kind of therapy involving sound and/or music. And while she is trained in using and implementing auditory therapy, she notes in the book, “Almost anyone can use auditory therapy to help children, be that person an occupational therapist, speech therapist, teacher, or parent – anyone can take classes and become certified in one of several different types of sound therapy.” (pg. 38) And while she has experienced many successful cases of using auditory therapy to help her clients, she does note that “there is no conclusive proof that the types of auditory therapy available actually work to correct the auditory-processing difficulties a child may be having. However, clinically, when I have used sound to address the difficulties a child is having, I often find that, not only do the specific deficits we are addressing improve, but the child’s comfort within the world, fluidity of movement and general level of happiness appear to improve.” (ppg. 90-1)
While the reading of the anatomy portion of the book was tedious, I felt it was a very beneficial part of the book to help readers understand just what areas of the brain are essential in good development of attention, motor skills and speech. In fact, one story included in this book highlights just how crucial it is to understand the brain’s role in certain developmental hurdles when the author, as a therapist for a three-year-old child, noted the child was crawling on the floor with her leg sticking out, foot planted on the floor during crawling. A previous therapist perceived this as a physical problem, putting ankle weights on the child’s extended leg in order to force her to crawl normally. This did not work. When Robin, as the child’s new therapist, began using her own sort of therapy, which included sound, the problem eventually resolved itself on its own. After certain connections in the brain were made, the child began crawling normally. This is just one of the astounding examples of how many so-called “physical” problems are actually problems inside of the brain. Once those problems are resolved, everything else falls into place. This was one of my favorite stories to read in the book; there are many others that I enjoyed reading as well.
Not all of her therapies include sound. Some of them include using items such as a net swing, an Astronaut Training board, and mobile rubber stepping stones. Her office does not strike one as a typical chaise lounge and chair, as seen in most therapist offices. Indeed, there is what looks like “playground equipment” in the rooms she works with children as well as teenagers. As she notes, “Vestibular therapy in my clinic looks a bit like an indoor playground.” (189) This is the perfect environment for her young clients and it definitely helped her to use her therapy techniques better.
As much as I learned from and enjoyed reading this book, there was one thing I didn’t like: the frequent use of animal studies to either support an argument or postulate a hypothesis related to her experience as a therapist working with children. While I understand that, in a clinical setting, results from animal studies are taken seriously and often used as a basis on whether or not something might “work,” I personally am against animal studies and do not perceive them as sufficient data to support a claim.
Despite this, however, I truly enjoyed this book and recommend it to parents everywhere, not just parents of neurodiverse children. Other stumbling blocks of child rearing, such as mealtime behaviors, echolalia, removing clothing and toe-walking, are also addressed. As the parent of two children who each fell into certain categories, I wished I had read this book when my kids were going through those stages! These days, with both kids equipped with diagnoses, medication and therapy, I am wiser to their unique traits and functions, but having the knowledge in this book related to such things certainly would have helped back then! But it’s not too late for everyone else, least of all the children and teens out there whose parents are at their wit’s end.
“Sound Advice” by Robin C. Abbott can help, as it can serve as a useful tool in promoting such therapeutic and healing techniques in more clinical settings.
The information was fascinating. Of course, I could not benefit from how sound itself – whether as the recording of a bird singing or as educationally-guided material to help children who could not or would not speak – would play a personal role in healing or as therapy, but I have personally known how sound, preferably music, had healing benefits. I lost my hearing when I was 13, but before then, I witnessed how instrumental music helped a cousin drift off to sleep at night, as well as how listening to favorite songs helped me to “calm down” whenever I got overexcited. Post-deafness, I witnessed how “music therapy” assisted individuals who had Intellectual/Developmental Disorders (I/DD), as well as offer a soothing release to individuals with ADHD. So, yes, absolutely, sound, as well as music, can play a healing role in certain individuals’ lives and help them overcome developmental hurdles.
A large portion of the first part of this book is devoted to the anatomical structures of the brain which sound can help repair and/or improving. It also describes the specifics of the therapy the author offers, one of which being “vestibular therapy.” This is a form of therapy focused on any impairments in the vestibular system which might affect the child’s ability to move or stay in one place (poor balance is also a factor of an affected vestibular system). The vestibular system is in the inner ears, and the author points out the essential roles they play in movement. She further notes, “Because of the brain’s surprising ability to re-wire itself, given the right input, I advocate that every neurodiverse child goes through a trial period of vestibular treatment.” (pg. 112)
Another form of therapy she uses is called “auditory therapy.” This is the kind of therapy involving sound and/or music. And while she is trained in using and implementing auditory therapy, she notes in the book, “Almost anyone can use auditory therapy to help children, be that person an occupational therapist, speech therapist, teacher, or parent – anyone can take classes and become certified in one of several different types of sound therapy.” (pg. 38) And while she has experienced many successful cases of using auditory therapy to help her clients, she does note that “there is no conclusive proof that the types of auditory therapy available actually work to correct the auditory-processing difficulties a child may be having. However, clinically, when I have used sound to address the difficulties a child is having, I often find that, not only do the specific deficits we are addressing improve, but the child’s comfort within the world, fluidity of movement and general level of happiness appear to improve.” (ppg. 90-1)
While the reading of the anatomy portion of the book was tedious, I felt it was a very beneficial part of the book to help readers understand just what areas of the brain are essential in good development of attention, motor skills and speech. In fact, one story included in this book highlights just how crucial it is to understand the brain’s role in certain developmental hurdles when the author, as a therapist for a three-year-old child, noted the child was crawling on the floor with her leg sticking out, foot planted on the floor during crawling. A previous therapist perceived this as a physical problem, putting ankle weights on the child’s extended leg in order to force her to crawl normally. This did not work. When Robin, as the child’s new therapist, began using her own sort of therapy, which included sound, the problem eventually resolved itself on its own. After certain connections in the brain were made, the child began crawling normally. This is just one of the astounding examples of how many so-called “physical” problems are actually problems inside of the brain. Once those problems are resolved, everything else falls into place. This was one of my favorite stories to read in the book; there are many others that I enjoyed reading as well.
Not all of her therapies include sound. Some of them include using items such as a net swing, an Astronaut Training board, and mobile rubber stepping stones. Her office does not strike one as a typical chaise lounge and chair, as seen in most therapist offices. Indeed, there is what looks like “playground equipment” in the rooms she works with children as well as teenagers. As she notes, “Vestibular therapy in my clinic looks a bit like an indoor playground.” (189) This is the perfect environment for her young clients and it definitely helped her to use her therapy techniques better.
As much as I learned from and enjoyed reading this book, there was one thing I didn’t like: the frequent use of animal studies to either support an argument or postulate a hypothesis related to her experience as a therapist working with children. While I understand that, in a clinical setting, results from animal studies are taken seriously and often used as a basis on whether or not something might “work,” I personally am against animal studies and do not perceive them as sufficient data to support a claim.
Despite this, however, I truly enjoyed this book and recommend it to parents everywhere, not just parents of neurodiverse children. Other stumbling blocks of child rearing, such as mealtime behaviors, echolalia, removing clothing and toe-walking, are also addressed. As the parent of two children who each fell into certain categories, I wished I had read this book when my kids were going through those stages! These days, with both kids equipped with diagnoses, medication and therapy, I am wiser to their unique traits and functions, but having the knowledge in this book related to such things certainly would have helped back then! But it’s not too late for everyone else, least of all the children and teens out there whose parents are at their wit’s end.
“Sound Advice” by Robin C. Abbott can help, as it can serve as a useful tool in promoting such therapeutic and healing techniques in more clinical settings.
August 16, 2025
As a mother of twins with profound autism and intellectual disabilities, finding my way has been relentless and often isolating. The world around us, frankly, has felt like it's failing us. The schools proved to be unsafe and not have the best interest of my children in mind and the therapy services around me are lacking. We have not been able to get any of the help we need! As a result we've had to carve our own path, and that's been incredibly challenging. This book, "Sound Advice," is unlike anything I've encountered. It's not just another book about autism; it's so far beyond!
I've read countless resources over the last nearly 10 years of my life with my children, but this one takes a hard look at the "why" behind the challenges my boys face. This book helps with providing perspectives that help us understand the underlying reasons behind their behaviors and meltdowns in a way that previous resources don't touch upon. This book isn't just about symptoms; it's about providing tools and insights into how to approach their needs from the inside out.
I highly recommend this book to anyone facing similar struggles. Finally, a resource that isn't just regurgitating the same old things. I feel it's genuinely tailored to the unique challenges of raising children with profound autism and intellectual disabilities.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I've read countless resources over the last nearly 10 years of my life with my children, but this one takes a hard look at the "why" behind the challenges my boys face. This book helps with providing perspectives that help us understand the underlying reasons behind their behaviors and meltdowns in a way that previous resources don't touch upon. This book isn't just about symptoms; it's about providing tools and insights into how to approach their needs from the inside out.
I highly recommend this book to anyone facing similar struggles. Finally, a resource that isn't just regurgitating the same old things. I feel it's genuinely tailored to the unique challenges of raising children with profound autism and intellectual disabilities.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
September 3, 2025
As a parent, I really appreciated how approachable this book was. Robin Abbott takes a very complex subject—how the inner ear and our sensory systems affect kids with SPD, autism, and ADHD—and explains it in a way that makes sense without being overwhelming. What stood out most to me were the real-life stories. They show not only the science but also the very human side of what families go through and how the right therapies can make a huge difference.
I liked that it didn’t feel like a dry medical guide. The tone is supportive and hopeful, and Abbott makes you feel like you’re not alone in trying to figure out what’s going on with your child. She gives practical examples of therapies, but also explains the “why” behind them, which helped me understand the bigger picture. Even if you’re not a professional, it’s easy to follow and really validating as a parent.
This book left me with both encouragement and useful ideas I can apply, and I’d recommend it to any parent or caregiver who wants to better understand their child’s behavior and how sound and movement shape development.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I liked that it didn’t feel like a dry medical guide. The tone is supportive and hopeful, and Abbott makes you feel like you’re not alone in trying to figure out what’s going on with your child. She gives practical examples of therapies, but also explains the “why” behind them, which helped me understand the bigger picture. Even if you’re not a professional, it’s easy to follow and really validating as a parent.
This book left me with both encouragement and useful ideas I can apply, and I’d recommend it to any parent or caregiver who wants to better understand their child’s behavior and how sound and movement shape development.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
November 7, 2023
I think there is some interesting information presented here that I want to investigate further, but beyond this, I have several issues with this book. The beginning chapters get knee deep in anatomy and physiology - to the extent that a parent who has not had these courses at a higher level will likely struggle to follow. Yet the end chapters, with application, seem to switch from being geared for a a therapist to talking to parents. The author makes some bold claims about OT as a profession and would possibly do well to identify themselves as an Auditory Therapist and not an OT based on some of the statements they made. I appreciate the passion and it has persuaded me to look into this topic more....which is why I found it disappointing to realize I probably wouldn't actually enjoy meeting or working with the author because she seems to know a lot.
July 9, 2025
I can't lie, I thought this was gonna be dry and hard to follow. My knowledge of vestibular and auditory therapies is basic - I persevere just to try and unpick the basics to help my students and my own son. However the author writes with clarity and compassion, making complex neurological and therapeutic concepts understandable for non-specialists. Her tone is warm, encouraging, and often humorous, which makes the book engaging despite its technical depth. She doesn’t just explain the science; she offers actionable advice. While not a substitute for professional input or therapy, it offers a powerful framework for interpreting behaviour and seeking effective interventions. Although I'm not sure how accessible some of them will be once I look into some of them in action locally.
April 7, 2025
I really liked hearing the author on a Clearly Clinical podcast. I think it's fascinating that the vestibular and sound systems can affect something Sensory Processing Disorder and it may not be addressed in something like occupational therapy.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews