BRAINFIT MULTI

BrainFit Multi: Quick Start Guide — The 8 Functions and their button responses:

The BrainFit Multi is a unique tool for assessing many subtle areas of auditory processing. Screening areas that are important for listening, reading and attention skills can help to understand the challenges that children may be having within the classroom or at home.

It is a powerful indicator towards programmes such as The Listening Program^® and progress can be monitored and seen in the different areas of visual and auditory processing.

BrainFit multi screens the following areas:

• Temporal Order Processing
• Auditory and visual fusion threshold
• Auditory and visual cross modality function
• Auditory motor skills (rhythm)
• Auditory sequence order
• Pitch discrimination
• Sound localisation
• Pitch pattern perception

More information on these individual skills can be found on the Functions tab.

BrainFit Multi: The 8 Functions and their button responses:

1. Temporal Order Processing (Auditory, Visual or combined)

Temporal order processing speed has been shown to affect speech perception and may therefore be an important skill for listening and reading (Steinbuchel 1987)

2. Fusion Threshold: (Auditory, Visual or combined)

Auditory fusion is similar to gap detection tests and assesses the ability to detect gaps in sound. We need to detect gaps in sound to a level of 20msec to appreciate the difference between a ‘b’ and ‘d’.

3. Crossmodality: (Auditory and Visual mix)

Combines visual and auditory stimulus and laterality awareness. Challenges with lateral processing of information and assesses our ability to combine visual and auditory information.

4. Auditory Motor: (Auditory, Visual or combined)

Assesses the ability to respond to a steady beat and keep the beat. This has shown to be an important task for academic success, especially in Maths and Literacy. Work by Phyllis Weikart and others shows the effect of steady beat competency on academic skills. E.g. Mitchell, D. L. (1994, May). The relationship between rhythmic competency and academic performance in first grade children. Doctoral Dissertation. Orlando, FL: University of Central Florida Department of Exceptional and Physical Education.

5. Sequence Order: Auditory

Using tones and clicks this subtest assesses our ability to order a sequence of sound.

6. Pitch Discrimination: Auditory

Pitch discrimination is an important skill whether we are looking at our ability to process language quickly or sing in tune.

7. Directional Hearing: Auditory

Sound localisation skills are vital to be able to relax in any environment and assess where certain sounds are coming from. Many children with auditory processing issues have challenges with sound localisation.

8. Pitch Pattern: Auditory

Assesses whether or not a child is able to follow a short pattern of sound and know which sound is higher or lower than another.

It is possible to use the BrainFit Multi to simply train these individual skills or as a pre and post assessment tool for sound therapy and listening training programmes.

The BrainFit Multi comes complete with a handbook containing details of the expected results for different ages.