METHODS article
Front. Neurol.
Sec. Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fneur.2025.1642056
This article is part of the Research TopicInnovations in the assessment and treatment of TBI and co-occurring conditions in military connected populationsView all 14 articles
Auditory Cognition Lab: A Music Therapy and Speech-Language Pathology Co-Treatment for Military-Connected Populations with Auditory and Cognitive Impairment
Provisionally accepted
- 1Henry M Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine (HJF), Bethesda, United States
- 2Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson, JBER, United States
- 3VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, United States
- 4Berklee College Of Music, Boston, United States
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Military personnel are particularly at risk for auditory processing difficulties as their training, occupational, and combat experiences increase the likelihood of long-term damage to the auditory system as well as negatively impact physical, psychological, cognitive, and sensory functioning. This article introduces a music therapy and speech-language pathology co-treatment program, Auditory Cognition Lab (ACL), that treats auditory and cognitive deficits in military-connected populations (service members, veterans) with traumatic brain injury (TBI). ACL addresses auditory discrimination, temporal and binaural processing, and trains compensatory strategies related to auditory processing, cognition, and hearing function. ACL has been clinically implemented at multiple military treatment facilities across the United States. Preliminary outcomes have demonstrated improvement in processing speed, auditory perception, active listening, expressive and receptive language, memory encoding and retrieval, attention at varying levels (sustained, divided, alternating), and self-efficacy. Further research is warranted to learn more about the benefit of this innovative co-treatment program for military-connected individuals with auditory processing deficits and TBI. This paper provides a theoretical framework, comprehensive description and critical reflection of this intervention, and outlines a research strategy for a current feasibility and acceptability study.
Keywords: Music Therapy, speech language pathology, auditory processing, Cognition, military, Traumatic Brain Injury, Post-traumatic stress disorder
Received: 05 Jun 2025; Accepted: 05 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Vetro-Kalseth, Vaudreuil, Bronson, Morrison and Howland. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Hannah Bronson, Henry M Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine (HJF), Bethesda, United States
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