Franceschi Neuro-Auditory Protocol

The Franceschi Neuro-Auditory Protocol is WIN's listening therapy: specially filtered music delivered through headphones with bone conduction, paired with movement and visual activities, to train how the brain organizes sound. At WIN's centers in Houston and San Juan it is prescribed for children, teens and adults whose listening test points to an auditory processing problem behind their attention, language or learning difficulties.

What is the Franceschi Neuro-Auditory Protocol?

The protocol is built on the Integrated Listening System (iLs). The patient wears headphones that play music processed to emphasize and alternate certain frequencies, and a bone-conduction element in the headband carries gentle vibration through the skull, so sound reaches the inner ear by two routes at once. While listening, the patient does movement and visual activities chosen by the therapist.

The reasoning is simple: the ear and the balance system share the same inner-ear structures, and listening, movement and vision are processed by overlapping pathways. Repeated, structured input through all three at the same time is meant to exercise how the brain filters, sequences and makes sense of what it hears. Dr. Báez-Franceschi's protocol sets the sequence of programs, the activities and the way progress is measured.

It is not a hearing aid, it does not treat hearing loss, and it is not a substitute for speech therapy. It is a brain-training program that complements both.

Who the Franceschi Neuro-Auditory Protocol helps

WIN includes the protocol most often in plans for children and adults with ADHD and central auditory processing disorder (CAPD), where the ears hear well but the brain struggles to organize what it hears, especially in noise. It is also a regular part of plans for speech delay, dyslexia and autism, where listening, language and regulation are often tied together.

The program is suitable from the preschool years through adulthood; the activities are adapted to the patient's age and abilities.

The protocol is never sold on its own. It is prescribed in Phase II of the Franceschi Method®, after the listening test (CAPD) and the tympanogram, which together show whether an auditory processing problem is present and whether the middle ear is ready for the program. Those results tell the team which programs to use and where to start.

What a session looks like at WIN

Sessions take place in person at the Houston and San Juan centers. The therapist fits the headphones, confirms the volume is comfortable, and starts the program for that day. While the music plays, the patient works through a series of activities: balance and coordination tasks, catching and tossing, crossing the body's midline, following targets with the eyes. To a child it looks like play with music; to the therapist it is a structured sequence that changes as the patient progresses.

Parents stay close. They see what their child is working on, learn the pieces that can be repeated at home, and tell the team what they notice between visits, which is part of how progress is tracked.

The plan sets the number of sessions and how they are grouped. The music is kept at a comfortable level, and most children settle into it quickly; those who are sensitive to sound start gradually. Before the program begins, the physician reviews the tympanogram and the medical history, and any active ear problem is addressed first.

How it fits the Franceschi Method®

The protocol belongs to Phase III, the multisensory and psycho-emotional therapy phase of the Franceschi Method®. It is rarely the only therapy in a plan. Because the program already combines listening with movement and vision, it pairs naturally with the sensory room and the gym, where balance, reflex integration and coordination are worked in more depth, and with neurofeedback when attention and regulation are the main concern.

Progress is measured, not assumed. The listening test is repeated during treatment, the development test tracks the wider picture, and parents receive written reports and training so the work continues at home and at school.

What families can expect

The protocol is in-person therapy, so families attend at the Houston or San Juan center; many schedule it alongside their other Phase III therapies. Early changes families often report, with the usual caution that every child is different, include responding the first time they are called, tolerating noisy places better, clearer or more frequent words, and an easier time settling down. The repeat listening test puts a measurement behind what parents see.

If your child seems to hear but not listen, or language and reading are not keeping up despite effort, an orientation is the place to start. WIN's team will explain the evaluation, the listening test and how the Neuro-Auditory Protocol might fit your child's plan. Request an orientation in Houston or San Juan.