Supporting children through transitions

Sing into Life is a series of musical social stories

developed by Music Therapists and an Occupational

Therapist that aim to help children on their journey

through daily life.

Social stories are a powerful means of promoting social, emotional and communication skills for all children, in particular young children and those who have varying degrees of ability.

The books utilise a central character to support and enhance connection. Bo Jingles will help children to participate in everyday activities that they might find challenging or difficult to understand such as going to the doctor, dentist or school. Once a child can participate in their activities and environment, it helps to develop their independence, self esteem and self confidence.

These books can be used in a number of ways and in a variety of settings: they can be read aloud by an adult, looked at in conjunction with the audio recording, or the music can be listened to as a group.

Most importantly, these books provide opportunities for the parent/caregiver to interact with the child and move with them through these various experiences.

Currently we are looking for the public to donate instruments to us, even if they are damaged and we promise to give them a new lease of life.

contact info@musicalyouthfoundation.org

Auditory Motor-Mapping Training

The AMMT treatment uses a combination of singing (intonation) and motor activities to strengthen a network of brain regions that is thought to be abnormal in children with autism. “We developed AMMT, in part, because another intonation-based therapy, known as Melodic Intonation Therapy, had been successful in helping stroke patients with aphasia recover their ability to speak,” adds senior author Gottfried Schlaug, MD, PhD, Director of the Music and Neuroimaging Laboratory at BIDMC and Associate Professor of Neurology at HMS.

After eight weeks of AMMT treatment (five days per week), the six children in the proof-of-concept study — who ranged in age from six to nine and were previously completely nonverbal — were able to approximate whole words and phrases. The children could also generalize their speech production to words that were not practiced during the therapy. “Noticeable improvements in speech were seen as early as two weeks into the treatment,” explains Wan. “More importantly, the improvements lasted as long as two months after the treatment sessions ended…

This is an extract taken from the following article:

http://www.bidmc.org/News/InResearch/2011/October/MusicTreatsAutism.aspx

]]> http://musictherapyireland.com/2011/11/28/new-therapy-helps-nonverbal-children-with-autism-to-say-first-words/feed/ 0 http://musictherapyireland.com/2011/11/16/join-the-iacat-celebration-on-november-26th/ http://musictherapyireland.com/2011/11/16/join-the-iacat-celebration-on-november-26th/#comments Wed, 16 Nov 2011 09:57:54 +0000 music http://musictherapyireland.com/?p=1643

Art, Music, Drama and Dance-Movement therapists working in Ireland are invited, with guests, to attend a special celebration event at the beautiful Thomas Prior Hall in Dublin 4, on November 26^th to mark the silver anniversary of the founding of the Irish Association of Creative Arts Therapists (IACAT).

IACAT will bring together as many creative arts therapists as possible to celebrate the achievements of past and present members, with an evening of art and performance which will feature the launch of a commemorative booklet, a new short-film about creative arts therapies and the first-ever IACAT awards for special achievements.

On arrival to Thomas Prior Hall, guests will be welcomed with a drinks reception and an introduction by a high-profile guest-speaker. The evening will unfold in the warmth of a chandelier-lit space and will be attended by IACAT members & their guests. This event will kick-start a year-long campaign to raise the profile of creative arts therapies in Ireland and lobby for statutory recognition for the profession.

Light catering will be served during the evening however those wishing to avail of a full dinner menu can do so at the adjoining Bewleys Hotel, where IACAT has negotiated discounted rates for guests on the restaurant menu and hotel rooms.

Article source:

http://www.iacat.ie/workshops_events_results.php?events_id=106&PHPSESSID=8fcfd94e87439fdf525affff985def32

]]> http://musictherapyireland.com/2011/11/16/join-the-iacat-celebration-on-november-26th/feed/ 0 http://musictherapyireland.com/2011/11/10/exciting-new-links-being-built/ http://musictherapyireland.com/2011/11/10/exciting-new-links-being-built/#comments Thu, 10 Nov 2011 11:08:23 +0000 music http://musictherapyireland.com/?p=1634

Music Therapy Ireland are now carrying out sessional work for the residents at Lakes Nursing home in Killaloe, county Clare.

Music therapy is a target-oriented and purposeful activity in which therapists work with individuals and groups, using music to help develop and maintain cognitive functioning, emotional expression, memory enhancement, relaxation, positive mood and giving the person an overall sense of well-being. It has been found to be particularly beneficial for older adults with various types of dementia, as the music brings them into the present moment in a creative and social environment.

We are excited about this new project and look forward to working with the staff to create positive outcomes to the lives of the residents.

http://www.dramatherapyinstitutela.com/workshopbarcelona.htme

The workshop will be given by Dr. Pam Dunne and will be open to anyone interested in the field, there is also a special rate and limited scholarships for students.

Dr. Dunne’s bio:

Pam Dunne, Ph.D., RDT-BCT, serves as Director of the Drama Therapy Institute of Los Angeles and Professor Emeritus at California State University, Los Angeles. Her newest book, released in 2010 is Double Stick Tape: Poetry, Photography, Drama and Narrative with Adolescents in Therapy and Education. Other recent books include; The Narrative Therapist and the Arts: Second Edition and Narradrama: Integrating Drama, Narrative and the Creative Arts: Second Edition. Dr. Dunne has served as President of the National Association for Drama Therapy and founding member of the Board of Examiners, and operates a private practice in Westwood, CA. Dr. Dunne leads a number of training programs internationally and has given workshops most recently in Croatia, Prague, Italy, Spain, Greece and Norway.

Music therapists are campaigning alongside other creative arts therapists – drama, art, dance and movement therapists – to be included in the Allied Healthcare Professionals Act of 2005.

“It’s about getting parity of pay with other healthcare professionals such as speech and language therapists, occupational therapists and to be recognised by the HSE as a health professional,” explains Jane Edwards, head of the Masters in Music Therapy programme at University of Limerick.

“In the UK, music therapists have been recognised as health professionals since 1990. Such professional recognition is also important for clients because it means music therapists have protection of title and no one can claim to be a music therapist without the correct qualifications,” she adds.

The Irish Association of Creative Arts Therapists is holding a series of event to celebrate its 25th anniversary and to campaign for statutory recognition for therapists working in educational and health sector in Ireland. See iacat.ie or contact Rebecca O’Connor on info@iacat.ie or tel: 087-9575641 for more details.

Article source:

Extract from an article entitled ‘In tune with the power of music to heal’ written by Sylvia Thompson from the Irish Times Newspaper, 1st of November 2011.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/health/2011/1101/1224306840779.html

MUSICAL ability is biologically linked to literacy, a study has found. Children who performed well in reading tests were also good at discerning rhythm and tone, say scientists.

Music skill accounted for 38pc of the variation in reading ability between children. Literacy and musical aptitude shared a common origin in the brain, the study showed.

The results may help to explain previous research suggesting that musical training can improve word skills.

“These results add weight to the argument that music and reading are related via common neural and cognitive mechanisms, and suggest a mechanism for the improvements in literacy seen with musical training,” said study leader Dr Nina Kraus, from Northwestern University in the US.

A total of 42 children aged eight to 13 took part in the research. Of these, eight were classified as “good readers” and 21 as “poor readers”.

The children were tested on their ability to read and recognise words. Other tests looked at how well they could distinguish between different rhythms and tones. Electrical measurements showed the brains of poor readers were less able to respond to regular, rhythmic sounds than good readers.

Musical aptitude correlated with reading performance. When rhythm and tone responses were measured separately, rhythm had the greatest effect.

But the link with reading was greatest when the scientists measured both kinds of musical response together.

- John von Radowitz

http://www.independent.ie/lifestyle/education/latest-news/musical-skill-linked-to-reading-abilities-2908221.html

On  Saturday the 15th of October Music Therapy Ireland attended the ‘Child Health Expo’ at Glor, Ennis, Co. Clare. The expo was on children’s health and nutrition. A number of great speakers attended, including Dr. Eva Orsmond, well known from RTÉ’s Operation Transformation, who spoke on the importance of nutrition for children. The day was a great success!

Thank you to the many people who showed an interest in our ‘parent/child music mornings’ as well as our music therapy services.

We hope to establish our service in the Ennis area in the near future.

He is blind and severely autistic, but has a unique talent that has stunned the music world – he can play any piece of music after hearing it only once.

Now he is to make make musical history when he performs a concerto written especially for him at London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall.

Tim Muffett met him.

Watch the short video here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-15086761