Does AIT reduce sound sensitivity by causing some form of hearing damage?
There is no evidence at all to support the idea that AIT is effective by inducing hearing damage. In fact, Drs. Bernard Rimland and Stephen Edelson analyzed the audiograms from 199 people who received AIT. They documented a significant decrease in sound sensitivity and a slight improvement in hearing. (The slight improvement in hearing may have been due to familiarity with the testing situation and/or the audiologist.) Of course, AIT devices, like any other devices using audiotape or compact discs, can be misused by adjusting them to play too loudly. The Society for Auditory Integration Training has often urged AIT practitioners to calibrate their equipment to make sure that the output level of these devices does not exceed 85 dBA.
