Music Therapy (Autism, Alzheimer/Dementia, Dyslexia)

Introduction:
Music Therapy
1. According to the Canadian Association for Music Therapy (CAMT), music therapy is defined
as the skilful use of music and musical elements by an accredited music therapist. Music
therapy combines music with the personal qualities of the therapist in order to rehabilitate,
maintain, and improve the lives of persons with emotional, cognitive, social, spiritual,
psychological and physical needs.

2. Music possesses the following characteristics which makes it a valuable therapeutic tool.
Music reflects the entire spectrum of human emotions, it is a form of expression that is
nonverbal; it can reduce anxiety and tension, it can help induce sleep, provide tools for pain
management, and it promotes relaxation. Music can speak on emotional, intellectual and
physical levels, and can break down cultural and/or linguistic barriers while uniting people in
a common experience.

3. Autism is a mental condition, present from early childhood, characterized by great difficulty
in communicating and forming relationships with other people and in using language and
abstract concepts.

4. The term 'dementia' describes a set of symptoms which can include loss of memory, mood
changes, and problems with communication and reasoning. These symptoms occur when
the brain is damaged by certain diseases and conditions, including Alzheimer's disease.

5. Dyslexia is a disorder that involve difficulty in learning to read or interpret words, letters,
and other symbols, but that do not affect general intelligence.

Body:
1. Music therapy is a particularly important intervention for children with autism spectrum
disorders to engage and foster their capacity for flexibility, creativity, variability and
tolerance of change, in order to balance the more structured and behaviourally driven
education required in school settings.
2.
Definition and description of high needs/non-verbal autism

There is actually no concrete definition for autism and there is much that is unknown about its
condition, even though it is the subject of more research than any other type of psychiatric disorder
in children. Children who have autism do not have any sense of social responsiveness beginning at
an early age, usually before they turn three years old. They generally resist any form of physical
contact, like cuddling or hugging, and they avoid eye contact. Children with autism also enjoy
engaging in repetitive behaviour and they can be sensitive to routine, for example, putting on their
clothes in the same order each morning. These children often develop problems with social
interaction as they grow older and they may also be unaware of the emotions of others. Their
language abilities may be low or non-existent or they may exhibit echolalia, repetition of speech and
a lack of intonation in the words that they are able to produce.

The benefits of music therapy for students with high needs/non-verbal autism

Students with autism have demonstrated unusual sensitivity and attentiveness to music, they
respond to sound, and they can occasionally demonstrate a high musical ability. Music has been
proven to promote relaxation and self-expression. Music is a very basic human response which has
the ability to reach all people regardless of mental capacity.

Music has been also used as therapy, which works particularly because children with autism do not
respond to praise. Music becomes a medium for students who find the verbal world threatening
and often children find it easier to follow instructions that are sung. Music therapy can address
several developmental issues concurrently and it can provide opportunity for success-oriented
achievement.



Two Different Approaches to Music Therapy for Students with Autism: (15 mins)

Two approaches to music therapy were selected for discussion based on their applicability to
a school setting.

Musical social stories

Discussion of the social stories article (refer to bibliography):

This article describes an intervention study whose purpose was to investigate the effects of a
musical presentation of social story information on the behaviours of students with autism. A social
story is one that is specifically constructed to fulfill an objective with a student. Each story was read
to the students and it was also sung to an original melody. Four students with autism were chosen
who were recommended for the study by their teachers.
Peter
Target behaviour: Use of violent language and assumption of roles of TV characters (called TV talk by
his teacher)
Results: Behaviour did decrease with implementation of story, although only a small difference in
results when the story was read compared to sung.

Brian
Target Behaviour: difficulty following directions the first time they are stated
Results: decrease in behaviour but no difference when story is read or sung

Nathan
Target Behaviour: use of loud voice
Results: decrease in behaviour and also a significant decrease in behaviour when story was sung

Justin
Target Behaviour: use of loud voice
Results: some decrease in behaviour although less than the others and no difference when story was
sung.

Generally speaking, there was a decrease in behaviours in all four cases, however there was not
always a further decrease when the story was sung. Data was also erratic most of the time so
averages needed to be constructed. Although musical adaptation did not always demonstrate a
significant difference, it can be stated that it at least was as effective as telling the story the
traditional way.
This technique could be useful to schools because it is possible to be implemented by someone
other than music therapists. Educational assistants who are able to carry a tune would also be able
to use these techniques in conjunction with any programs that they were already using to facilitate
communication and to engage in behaviour intervention.

Snoezelen rooms

definition:
Snoezelen is a concept in which an indoors environment is created mainly to provide comfort by
using controllable stimuli. The specially furnished rooms offer a multitude of sensorial stimulations.
The user can discover the world of senses by experiencing both - the individual but also the
combined effect of music, notes, sounds, light effects, tactile stimulation and aromas. The room-
design has a positive therapeutic or educational effect on the user.
-Adapted from the International Snoezelen Association www.isna.de

Discuss the location of local snoezelen rooms (Our Lady of Lourdes, Kingston and Rideau Regional
Hospital, Smiths Falls) and show pictures of a snoezelen room that is in Nova Scotia.

Discuss the applicability of music in these rooms: in Kingston each piece of furniture is created so
that they connect to a central stereo system. Specific music is selected and furniture vibrates to the
rhythm of the music. Music is also used for relaxation as well as for stimulus in play time.


Implications for Music Educators (7-10 minutes)

Discussion of article

Music teachers can use talent often exhibited by autistic children to highlight abilities. One
example discusses how one autistic student displayed less inappropriate behaviour when attending
music with a regular class as opposed to with a special needs class. Teachers should also bear in
mind that autistic children work better in a structured environment. Music educators who have
students with autism in their classes could make use of a standard lesson plan format and familiar
songs and activities in order to benefit the autistic student. These modifications are relatively easy
to follow and do not take away from the needs of the other students. The music classroom is
probably the only school environment where social and academic integration of students can occur
relatively easily and naturally.

Conclusion and Importance to Fourth Year Music Education Students: (5 minutes)


The idea of inclusive education is gaining increasing popularity as the years progress. Therapy
such as snoezelen rooms are also relatively new in schools such as the one found in Kingston and so
more time is required to develop an accurate sense of their impact on students with autism. More
research is also needed in the area of music therapy and autism in mainstream music classrooms
now that more and more students are entering these settings.
This topic is especially important to a fourth year music student because it is a very real possibility
that they will find autistic children in their classroom due to the trend of inclusive education. Any
information that is available at this stage of education could prove to be a valuable resource that
would help a new teacher to better understand their special students, and to better fulfill their
needs.

Changes to the Original Outline:

Upon reflection of the presentation, I realized that there were several things that had changed in my
outline, or that I had added to emphasize certain points.

1. I learned that it was Music Therapy Week during the week of my presentation so I made sure to
make a reference to it.
2. I changed the order of the definitions of autism and music therapy so that I was introducing the
concept of autism first.
3. I added a video to emphasize concept of autism.
4. I added a video to show the use of music for autistic children.
5. I decided to use this website as a means to present the concept of social stories and snoezelen
rooms (pictures).
6. I elaborated much more on the concept of social stories in order to provide a clearer definition of
the term.