BLOGS
Educational blogs for parents and professionals
Music Therapy Addressing Back to School Needs
September and October can be very challenging months for both parents and children transitioning back to school from a relaxing and non-structured summer. Going back onto a routine can be tough for both parents and their children.
Once school starts, most teachers will be very attuned to each child's needs in their classroom. Perhaps you've gotten a call to have your child taken from class because of your child's performance, behaviors or even social isolation? If this happens, it can make the transition even more stressful for both the parent and the child.
Parents then might try to find services that will support their child and address the concerns of their teachers. What kinds of therapy might help? occupational therapy? speech and language therapy? physical therapy?
What about music therapy? Maybe you've never even considered it. This form of therapy has been around for almost 80 years, yet surprisingly people are still unaware of its effectiveness, particularly for helping children with special needs.
The fascinating aspect of music therapy is that you can be working on multiple goals simultaneously, such as speech/communication, fine/gross motor, social skills, emotional regulation, and others. For example, when playing a drum, a child can work on their gross motor skills, and at the same time be learning to regulate by maintaining a steady rhythm. If you add in vocalizations, it can help them with communication. Very few forms of therapy can compare to the versatility and efficacy of music therapy.
Here are a few examples of why music therapy can be an effective therapy for your child to help with any of the goals and concerns that may arise during this hectic transition starting back to school.
1- Music can increase social skills
2- Music can help regulate your child
3- Music can increase your child's attention span/focus
4- Music strengthens your child's auditory skills
5- Music helps with memory and sequencing skills
6- Music is fun, engaging and rewarding
7- Music can help increase communication skills and language development
8- Music can help with understanding and processing children's feelings
9- Music can help with social-emotional development
10- Music can help with fine and gross motor skills
If you would like to learn more about music therapy please contact me: john@mewsicmoves.com
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5 Reasons Why Music Therapy is Effective For Children With Autism
March is music therapy awareness month and I would like to highlight some of the reasons why music therapy is effective especially for children with autism.
1. It is multi-sensory
Music is appealing to most of our senses, which makes music therapy unique in that we can work on multi goals simultaneously. For example, a drumming exercise helps with eye-hand coordination, eye contact, motor and impulse control.
2. It is fun, safe and engaging
Music therapy provides a fun, safe and engaging environment for children with autism to explore and play. It also provides many opportunities for successful outcomes which helps to builds self-esteem and increases motivation.
3. It is structured and predictable
Music therapy can provide a structured and safe environment for children with autism to explore. Music that has a lot of repetition is predictable, which makes learning much easier for children with autism. The musical repetition helps them to self-regulate, because they know what is coming up next.
4. It is processed in all areas of the brain
Recent research shows that when we listen to music, all areas of the brain are lit up. Music therapists have known this for a long time, but now have the science to back it up. Music can help with speech and communication challenges, for social connection, for emotional regulation, motor control, and many other things.
5. It facilitates communication
Perhaps you’ve heard that “music is the universal language.” Taking this literally, we can use music in therapy to increase non-verbal communication through improvisation. Children with autism connect to music to express their feelings, emotions, and life stories. The interplay between the music therapist and child with autism is done in a non-threatening way, opening up many channels of communication.
Please feel free to share and comment on how you find music therapy to be effective for children with autism.
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