Acoustic Pioneer therapy programs are deficit-specific. Each one targets a particular auditory processing or memory skill rather than providing general auditory stimulation. Every program is accessed with a therapy code created by a professional in their Acoustic Pioneer account, and progress can be monitored remotely at any time. A Feather Squadron assessment is not required first: any validated assessment showing the relevant deficit is enough to recommend a program.
Dichotic training
Zoo Caper Skyscraper
Zoo Caper Skyscraper is a game designed to incrementally improve dichotic listening skills, which is the ability to process different sounds arriving at each ear at the same time. The player hears animal sounds and speech in each ear, identifies the animals, and stacks them as high as possible. The stimuli start out separated in time and gradually overlap until they are fully dichotic. The number of stimuli per ear also increases as the player succeeds.
There are two versions. A younger version covers ages 5–6 (levels 1–35), and an older version covers ages 7 and older (all 45 levels). Unilateral deficits in either ear and bilateral deficits can all be treated.
Recommended use: 2 sessions per week, approximately 15–20 minutes per session. Sessions should not be played back-to-back. Codes have no expiry date and no limit on sessions. Stereo headphones that cover the ears are required. Zoo Caper Skyscraper is available on iPad, Android tablet, Windows PC and most Chromebooks.
The evidence behind the practice
Zoo Caper’s effectiveness has been confirmed in published research for left ear, right ear and bilateral dichotic deficits (Barker & Bellis, 2018; Barker & Bourland-Hicks, 2020).
Several studies show significant correlations between poor dichotic performance and learning and reading difficulties.
Dichotic listening needs functional pathways to each cortical hemisphere and an efficient connection between them through the auditory portion of the corpus callosum. The same pathways support focused attention, switching attention between sounds on either side, and following a speaker in competing noise such as a classroom. Difficulties can show up as distractibility in class and trouble understanding lessons when other sounds are present. These in turn can affect learning, reading and language development.
Barker, M.D. & Bellis, T.J. (2018). Effectiveness of a novel computer/tablet-based auditory training program in improving dichotic listening skills in children. Journal of Speech Pathology & Therapy.
Barker, M.D. & Bourland-Hicks, C. (2020). Treating deficits in auditory processing. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools. https://pubs.asha.org/doi/10.1044/2019_LSHSS-19-00001
American Academy of Audiology. (2010). Clinical practice guidelines: Guidelines for the diagnosis, treatment and management of children and adults with central auditory processing disorder. Retrieved from www.audiology.org/resources
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (2005). (Central) auditory processing disorders – The role of the audiologist (Position statement). Retrieved from www.asha.org/policy
Bellis, T.J. (2003). Assessment and management of central auditory processing disorders in the educational setting: From science to practice (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Delmar Learning.
Working Memory Training
Elephant Memory Training
Few multi-sensory working memory programs are available in audiology, speech-language pathology or educational psychology. Elephant Memory Training (EMT) is Acoustic Pioneer’s deficit-specific auditory and visual working memory program for children and adults. It trains both memory recall and working memory through three games, each played once per session:
- Animals by Numbers: recalling number sequences forward and in reverse, including mental subtraction.
- Animal Spotting: finding visual, written and spoken targets among distractors within a time limit.
- Animal Trails: selecting visual targets while holding a separate list of spoken animals in memory.
Players advance a level once they score 80% or better on all three games. EMT is NOT recommended for clients under age 8. A client under 8, needing memory training should use the Zoo Caper Program.
Recommended use: Elephant Memory Training (EMT) is a time-limited program. The goal is to reach 30–35 sessions as quickly as reasonably possible. For example, it is recommended to be used 4–5 times per week for an 8-week block, and each session lasts around 10 minutes to play through each of the 3 games within EMT. If scheduling doesn’t allow 4–5 times a week, then go for a longer block, but once 30–35 sessions have been reached, further sessions do not show further benefit. Due to this, EMT has a 12-month expiration and/or a 60-session limit (whichever occurs first). EMT can be used through the device’s speakers or headphones, and is available on iPad, Android tablet, Windows PC and most Chromebooks.
The evidence behind the practice
Working memory is one of the strongest predictors of learning and academic performance.
Working memory is the ability to hold information in mind while doing something with it. Examples include remembering the start of a sentence while reading to the end, or following multi-step instructions. Published research supports both the importance of working memory and the effectiveness of improving it through training.
Holmes, J., Gathercole, S.E., & Dunning, D.L. (2009). Adaptive training leads to sustained enhancement of poor working memory in children. Developmental Science, 12(4), F9–F15.
Loosli, S.V., Perrig, W.J., & Jaeggi, S.M. (2012). Working memory training improves reading processes in typically developing children. Child Neuropsychology, 18(1), 62–78.
Magimairaj, B.M., & Nagaraj, N.K. (2018). Working memory and auditory processing in school-age children. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 49, 409–423.
Wang, L., Sheng, A., Chang, L., & Zhou, R. (2022). Improving fluid intelligence of children through working memory training: The role of inhibition control. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 1025036.
Tonal-pattern training
Insane Earplane
Insane Earplane is an easy-to-learn flying game designed to improve auditory patterning skills. The listener hears sounds or speech and taps or swipes across an airplane to steer it, collect tokens and avoid obstacles. It trains four types of listening task:
- Lateralization: identifying which ear a sound arrives in.
- Panning: following sounds as they move from one ear to the other, using interaural timing and intensity differences.
- Pitch patterns: identifying high-low and low-high sequences of tones or pitched speech.
- Frequency sweeps: tracking sounds that glide up or down in pitch.
The game is adaptive. Players move up a level when they reach 80% or better across the task types at their current level, and move back when their running average drops to 60% or below.
Insane Earplane is recommended for ages 7 and older, as these skills are still developing in younger children.
Recommended use: 2 sessions per week, approximately 15–20 minutes per session. Sessions should not be played back-to-back. Codes have no expiry date and no limit on sessions. Stereo headphones that cover the ears are required. Insane Earplane is available on iPad, Android tablet, Windows PC and most Chromebooks.
The evidence behind the practice
Insane Earplane’s effectiveness was confirmed in a double-blind published study. Children who received auditory therapy progressed with reading almost twice as fast as those who did not (Barker & Bourland-Hicks, 2020).
Tonal pattern skills are widely regarded as building blocks for learning to read.
Many studies have linked tonal pattern processing with reading ability, and some show a relationship with phonemic awareness, which is vital for strong reading performance. The exact relationship has not been fully determined. Even so, both skills should be assessed and, where needed, improved to give each child the best tools to progress with literacy.
Barker, M.D. & Bourland-Hicks, C. (2020). Treating deficits in auditory processing. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools. https://pubs.asha.org/doi/10.1044/2019_LSHSS-19-00001
Corriveau, K., Pasquini, E., & Goswami, U. (2007). Basic auditory processing skills and specific language impairment: A new look at an old hypothesis. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 50, 647–666.
Sharma, M., Purdy, S.C., & Kelly, A.S. (2009). Comorbidity of auditory processing, language, and reading disorders. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 52, 706–722.
Smart, J.L., Purdy, S.C., & Leman, K.R. (2012). Evaluation of (central) auditory processing and phonological/phonemic awareness in 6-year-old children: A pilot study to determine test efficiency and inter-subject reliability. Journal of Educational Audiology, 18, 6–15.
Spatial processing training
Sound Surge
Download for Android Tablet/Chromebook.
Sound Surge is a game designed to improve the ability to follow speech in background noise using localization cues and differences between voices. The listener hears a target voice from directly in front of them, with two competing voices from the left and right. They must identify a word spoken by the target voice and match it to an image on screen. An adaptive algorithm adjusts the signal-to-noise ratio after every response, so the listener is always working at the edge of their ability. The program unfolds across nine galactic worlds in a space-themed story, with a reward system to keep players motivated.
Sound Surge is suitable for ages 6 and older. Normal peripheral hearing is recommended before starting.
Recommended use: aim for 4–8 sessions per week, approximately 10 minutes per session (one game of 40 questions). The clinical studies used 10 sessions per week (2 per day, 5 days a week), which remains the fastest path to results if it can be sustained. If two sessions are played on the same day, they should be spaced apart rather than played back-to-back. The same headphones should be used throughout the program. Codes become inactive after 120 sessions. Most clients reach approximately 10 dB of improvement by around session 80–85. Stereo headphones or earbuds that deliver sound independently to each ear are required. Sound Surge is available on iPad and Android tablet/chromebook, and an internet connection is required.
The evidence behind the practice
Sound Surge is built on the same platform and therapeutic principles as Sound Storm (previously LiSN & Learn), developed by Hearing Australia and the National Acoustic Laboratories. Its evidence base includes randomized blinded controlled trials. On average, children with spatial listening deficits improved their speech reception threshold by approximately 10 dB over a full training program.
Difficulty using spatial cues makes it much harder for a child to follow a teacher in a noisy classroom.
Spatial processing is the auditory brain’s ability to use differences in where sounds come from to separate a target voice from competing noise. It is known clinically as spatial release from masking, and it relies on timing and intensity differences between the ears. Children who struggle with it may appear inattentive in class, become fatigued from listening by the end of the school day, and have difficulty following instructions when background noise is present. These difficulties can affect learning, reading and language development.
Cameron, S., & Dillon, H. (2011). Development and evaluation of the LiSN & Learn auditory training software for deficit-specific remediation of binaural processing deficits in children: Preliminary findings. Journal of the American Academy of Audiology, 22(9), 577–589.
Cameron, S., Glyde, H., & Dillon, H. (2012). Efficacy of the LiSN & Learn auditory training software: Randomized blinded controlled study. Audiology Research, 2, e15.
Cameron, S., Glyde, H., Dillon, H., Kanthan, S., & Kania, A. (2014). Prevalence and remediation of spatial processing disorder (SPD) in Indigenous children in regional Australia. International Journal of Audiology, 53, 326–335.
Graydon, K., Van Dun, B., Tomlin, D., Dowell, R., & Rance, G. (2018). Remediation of spatial processing disorder (SPD). International Journal of Audiology, 57(5), 376–384.