CHILDREN 0-6 YEARS: Early intervention Music Therapy promotes parent-infant bonding, social interaction, physical rehabilitation, emotional expression.
Music Therapy provides a creative and friendly environment where the therapist meets the child in the music
Autism, Down Syndrome, Rett Syndrome, Tourette Syndrome, Physical disability, Developmental delay, Terminal illness, Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder,Attachment issues, Experienced trauma.
The child may have a strong desire to communicate but are unable due to a lack of expressive language, this is where music can be a powerful tool of expression.
Non-verbal children make sounds in order to communicate with others.
Children with special needs have the great need to communicate with their environment, they have a high level of understanding and can sustain learning, thus, music can become the language by which they interact and communicate in a safe, creative space.
Children with ASD demonstrate a need for structure, which music contains in many forms, including melody, harmony, rhythm, phrasing and dynamics.
Music improvisation, where the person plays a musical instrument, is often central for emotional expression and communication with this client base. It is used a ‘…non-verbal and pre-verbal language which enables verbal people to access pre-verbal experiences, enables non-verbal people to interact communicatively without words, and enables all to engage on a more emotional, relationship-oriented level than may be accessible through verbal language’(Alvin 1991, as cited in Gold et al., 2006).
The music therapist’s role is to help the children address their needs and provide a non threatening and non judgemental environment for them to freely express themselves and release their emotions; also, to promote their communication and social skills, as well as help the work of the teachers in the learning process. The variety of therapeutic techniques, instruments and music activities allowing any child to participate, despite the amount of the disability.
A multi-sensory experience (auditory, visual, tactile, kinesthetic/vibroacoustic)
A very enjoyable, motivating stimulus
A creative way to achieve therapeutic outcomes
Pre-composed Music
Improvised music (on percussion and tuned instruments)
Music listening
Singing
Composing
Lyric analysis
Music relaxation
Movement to music
Developing emotional expression
Enhancing parent-infant bonding
Improving social/interpersonal skills
Developing fine & gross motor skills through the use of appropriate instruments
Enhancing learning, memory and emotional response through imitation and the repetitive structure of familiar songs
Enhancing speech through vocalisations, the use of images, picture simbols or words, songs with repetitive elements
Improving family interactions and support
Improving verbal/non-verbal communication skills
Enhancing the child’s self esteem through the development of his/her creativity (creative song writing, improvisation and intentional choice making)
Improving functional skills (e.g. hand usage, eye contact, cause and effect relation)
Establishing contact and communication through mirroring and immitation
Elimanating aggressive behavior
To sustain/develop attention
To contribute to the rehabilitation and the general well-being of the child
To provide sensory stimulation
To develop new skills
Many studies have been carried out showing that autism therapy such as music therapy has a significant, positive influence when used to treat people with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Participating in music therapy autism therapy allows autistic children the opportunity to experience non-threatening outside stimulation, as they don’t engage in direct human contact.
Improves socio-emotional development: In the first steps of a relationship, autistic children tend to physically ignore or reject the attempts of social contact made by others. Music therapy helps to stop this social withdrawal by an initial object relation with a musical instrument. Instead of seeing the instrument as threatening, autistic children are usually fascinated by the shape, feel and sound of it. Therefore, the musical instrument provides an initial point of contact between the autistic child and the music therapist by acting as an intermediary.
Assisted in both verbal and non-verbal communication – When music therapy is used to aid in communication, its goal is to improve the production of vocalisation and speech. It is also used to stimulate the mental process of comprehending, conceptualising and symbolising. A music therapist uses music to establish a communicative relationship between the behaviour of a child with autism and a specific sound. A person with autism may have an easier time recognising or being more open to these sounds than they would to a verbal approach. This musical awareness, and the relationship between the child’s actions and the music, has potential to encourage communication.
Another form of music therapy that may help with communication is to play a wind instrument (such as a tin whistle or a flute). It is thought that by playing such an instrument, you become aware of the functioning of your teeth, jaws, lips and tongue. Thus, playing a wind instrument almost mirrors the functioning required in order to produce speech vocalisations.
Encouraged emotional fulfillment – Most autistic children lack the ability to effectively respond to stimuli that would otherwise allow them to enjoy an appropriate emotional charge. Thus, since most respond well to music stimuli, music therapy has been able to provide children with ASD with an environment that is free of fear and anxiety.
During a music therapy autism session, an autistic individual has the freedom to behave in specific ways that allow them to discover and express themselves when they want and choose. They can make noise, play instruments, shout and express, allowing them to experience the pleasure of emotional satisfaction.
o Teaching social skills
o Improving language comprehension
o Encouraging the desire to communicate
o Making creative-self expression possible
o Reducing non-communicative speech
o Decreasing echolalia (uncontrolled and instant repetition of the words spoken by another)
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