Helping Kids Regulate from the Inside Out: How Listening Therapy Supports Growth and Connection
As a pediatric occupational therapist certified in the Integrated Listening System (ILS) by Unyte, I often get asked:
“What exactly is listening therapy—and how can it help my child?”
The short answer?
It’s a gentle, science-backed way to support your child’s nervous system regulation, which impacts everything from focus and behavior to connection and emotional control.
Let me walk you through the “why” behind these tools—and how they’re helping children thrive in new ways.
The Nervous System: Your Child’s Internal Control Center
Our children experience the world through their senses. But when their nervous system is overwhelmed—by stress, trauma, sensory sensitivities, or developmental delays—they may become stuck in a survival state. This can look like:
Meltdowns or shutdowns
Difficulty focusing or following directions
Sensory aversions (e.g., picky eating, sound sensitivity, fear of getting messy)
Trouble connecting with others
When the nervous system is calm and regulated, kids feel safe enough to learn, play, and connect. That’s where listening therapy comes in.
Why Listening? Why Now?
The vagus nerve, also called the “mind-body superhighway,” plays a major role in regulating mood, digestion, attention, and heart rate. It’s deeply involved in how we respond to stress and whether we feel safe enough to engage with the world.
Listening therapy—especially programs like SSP and ILS—stimulates this nerve through the auditory system, using specially filtered music to deliver cues of safety to the brain and body.
According to Dr. Stephen Porges, the neuroscientist behind Polyvagal Theory, this kind of stimulation helps activate the ventral vagal pathway, which supports calmness, social engagement, and co-regulation.
Two Listening Therapies That Support Regulation
Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP)
Created by Dr. Porges, SSP uses filtered vocal music to help the brain focus on frequencies that signal safety. Over just five hours of listening (delivered gently and flexibly), children often experience:
Reduced anxiety or stress responses
Improved social awareness and engagement
Less sound sensitivity
More emotional regulation
Integrated Listening System (ILS)
ILS combines music with movement and cognitive activities, helping rewire how the brain processes sensory input. It’s great for children who:
Struggle with focus or attention
Have sensory processing issues
Need support with emotional control, balance, or motor planning
What the Research Says
Unyte’s programs are backed by over a decade of research and case studies:
✅ In randomized trials, children with autism who completed SSP showed significant gains in emotional control, listening, and social connection, with physiological changes like improved heart rate variability (HRV) indicating better nervous system regulation.
✅ Children using ILS demonstrated improved auditory processing, attention, reading comprehension, and even reduced need for medication for attention concerns.
✅ Outcomes have been documented across ages and diagnoses—ranging from trauma and anxiety to autism and ADHD.
What This Means for Your Child
As an OT, I don't believe in one-size-fits-all. But I do believe in science-backed strategies that support children from the bottom up—starting with the nervous system. These listening therapies aren’t magic, but they can create the physiological safety needed for therapy and everyday life to finally “click.”
If you’ve ever thought, “My child knows what to do, they just can’t seem to do it”—listening therapy might be a missing link worth exploring.
Want to Learn More?
I’d love to talk with you about whether SSP or ILS could support your child’s unique needs. These programs are always paired with individualized care and co-regulation strategies, and I guide families through every step.
📚 Learn more about the science behind these programs at integratedlistening.com
Sources:
Unyte Health (2025). Nervous System Regulation Through Listening: The Science and Applications
Unyte Evidence Summary (2025)
Porges, S. W. (2014). Reducing auditory hypersensitivities in autistic spectrum disorder. Frontiers in Pediatrics, 2, 80.
Porges, S. W. et al. (2013). Respiratory sinus arrhythmia and auditory processing in autism. Int. J. Psychophysiology, 88(3), 261–270.
