Ambient Sound as a Neurodivergent Tool

In my research and experience over time with neurodiversity, I have often expressed how ambient sound can play a beneficial role in calming the brain/mind and filling space in a subliminal way. There is so much research and so many examples I could give on how this has been done and utilized before, but what is the understanding behind it neurologically, and how does it benefit neurodivergence? As seen in my previous research, neurodivergent brains’ expect and intake sound very different compared to the neurotypical brain. The term “sound masking” is often used in order to block out potentially triggering sounds, this masking often contains very low drones, white noise, other environmental, or sometimes even music this is easy to identify and gently stimulates sound to the brain. Background noise is a huge facet of understanding how and why sound can be used as a helpful tool to stimulate the brain. For those with say, autism; the background noise does not separate itself from the foreground, it also demands their attention. Being able to utilize background noise and provide other stimulations through things like ambient sound; is the key to creating an “enabled sonic environment”. Spatializing sound is another method often used in therapy for neurodivergent people, the gentle stimulation of one ear to the other. When I think in the context of the work I want to accomplish in this next year, I have plenty of ways and methods I could incorporate spatialization into my practice. Lots of studies in my research have mentioned 8D audio and the specific ways the movement of the sound can be therapeutic and stimulating for the neurodivergent brain. In my own practice, there are many 8D plugins I could look into for the mixing process of the tracks I put together for this project.