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  Special Needs

In the field of special needs care and child development, music therapy is renown for being a
practice that is all-encompassing and effective in dealing with various client challenges.

Music therapy is used in the development of the following skills and abilities:

Cognitive
• Memorization, sequencing and retrieval
• Decision making and problem solving
• Academic skills, such as reading, writing and arithmetic

Physical
• Gross motor skills (whole body movement and large muscle groups)
• Fine motor skills (small muscle groups and dexterity)

Proprioception
• Coordination
• Body control and awareness
• Fluid movement

Visual Tracking/Gazing
• Focusing upon and following moving objects
• Fluid and accurate visual movement from one object to another

Social Skills
• Cooperative play, sharing and turn taking
• Awareness of surroundings, and the emotions, feelings and intentions of others

Auditory/Visual Integration
• Ability to differentiate and recall sounds and visuals
• Ability to match a change of auditory stimuli to correct visual stimulation

Emotional Expression
• Children are encouraged to explore and express their emotions through the use of instruments, vocalization or communication
• Improves emotional arousal levels

Transitioning/Modulation
• Ability to transition from one activity to another without hesitation
• Ability to process a change in the environment or situation and how to respond appropriately

Self Confidence
• As music therapy is non-intrusive and done in a non-threatening arena, children are given equal opportunity to achieve or fail a task, while being given positive reinforcement and encouragement for their efforts

Speech Refinement and Communication
• Through the use of song and rhythm, children improve articulation, intelligibility and pacing
• The duration and complexity of their speech is increased, as is their level of vocabulary