Awakening Ashley

<p>At eighteen months Ashley Ruben still didn't talk. She wouldn't respond when her name was called; she didn't appear to hear either. She fixated on tiny pieces of dirt and ate only crunchy foods. She was enveloped in a thick fog-impenetrable by everyone except Barney the Dinosaur. She worked puzzles like a kindergartener and was computer-savvy before she was two years old. Her mother's late-night searches on the Internet hinted at a reason for her lack of engagement with the outside world. And then a developmental specialist confirmed it: autism a diagnosis that shook the foundation of a family and shattered a mother's world. </p><p>Ashley could hear but she couldn't listen. In order to address that a therapy retraining her ears to perceive sound better took her back to the time in the womb- where listening begins. With the help of specialized recordings of Mozart's music Ashley gradually awakened. Her brain's desire to communicate was kindled fostering a connection with her body her family and the world around her. Ashley had recovered developing the ability to talk to listen to communicate- to become an engaging child. </p><p>But how could Sharon Ruben a clinical researcher in her own right convince the skeptics without clinical trial data to prove the effectiveness of this therapy? She didn't need data. She had Ashley-all the proof she needed. </p><p> Listen Up! This remarkable story is for every person with a child waiting to be awakened to language and communication. <br>-Don Campbell Author of <i>The Mozart Effect</i> and <i>The Mozart Effect for Children</i> </p>