Re: Music therapy

[Guest guest]

I have heard of it. My 20 month old is very responsive to music

and it is one of the few things that motivates him. So if music motivates Garrett, I would

encourage you to pursue it. You can try

music therapy through the school. If

they baulk, you can still pursue it through things like music classes,

Gymboree, etc. I play music during

Spency’s OT, PT, and SLP sessions. The way I got him to start eating was to put

music on while he was eating. It really

is all considered music therapy. The

idea is to use music as a motivator.

Good luck.

Bec

Music

therapy

I was wondering if anyone knew of any good resources

or had any experience

with music therapy and your autistic child. Our

developmental pediatrician

has recommended it for Garrett, but our district

doesn't offer it. We have

an IEP meeting coming up in a few weeks, and I am

trying to decide if I

should press the issue and force them to provide

it or just let it go.

Garrett is a very musically oriented child and I

am sure he would enjoy the

therapy. I am just not sure which way to go

with the issue.

mom to Garrett age 4 Hypoplastic Left Heart

Syndrome, Heart Transplant

9/29/98, stroke, GE Reflux, Hypercalciuria,

Asthma, and last but not least

Autism

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[Guest guest]

I just wanted to add my 2 cents on the music therapy. I have 2

children in the spetrum. A 3 yr old boy who is high functioning and

a 23 month old. My youngest is completely non-verbal. He has an

Occupational Therapist, Speech Instructor and Special Instructor. We

just recently started Music Therapy. His reaction is fantastic. He

loves to dance and he mimics any dance steps he sees. Right now it

appears that he would rather sign than speak.

I find that if I play music for him it allows him to communicate in a

way he would not have otherwise. Its like with Autism they speak a

language different from ours. And we are looking for a way to

identify the language they speak so we can teach them ours. I always

think of Dances With Wolves, the movie. He spoke english and she

spoke indian and through identifying something they both understood,

she taught him Indian and he taught her english.

Anyway back to the discussion I find that the addition of music seems

to make my youngest more open to the instruction we offer sometimes

he mimimcks the sounds but he is more apt to copy movement. I use

sign and speech with him. If your school baulks any type of class

that does dance or gymnastics will work as well.

[Guest guest]

A ino lady, that I used to email back and forth to, taught her son to

talk by singing what she wanted to say to him. A while of that and he began

to speak instead of singing what he wanted.

Holiday Greetings

Betty -60 - Effexor, Omega 3's

grandma and guardian to

- 11 yo-- Bipolar/ADHD on Depakote, Adderall, Omega 3's

Evan - 8 yo nonverbal autism on 4 mg Risperdal

- 6 - Bipolar/ADHD/RAD/PTSD on Tegretol, Adderall, Clonidine .1 mg,

Omega 3's

mother to , -31- their mom - Bipolar/ADHD on Topamax

wife to Bob -71- Effexor and too many more to remember

[Guest guest]

<jefishe@s...> wrote:

>> I was wondering if anyone knew of any good resources or had any

experience with music therapy and your autistic child. Our

developmental pediatrician has recommended it for Garrett, but our

district doesn't offer it. We have an IEP meeting coming up in a few

weeks, and I am trying to decide if I should press the issue and

force them to provide it or just let it go.>>

===============================

Hi , it's hard to tell about the " push " factor with school

districts. Can you have Garrett's doc recommend it in writing? What

about other supporting evidence - any other professionals that may

have seen Garrett and can offer an opinion?

Also, speaking of 'supporting evidence', here are a couple of

articles that might help.

From the Center for the Study of Autism ... go to the website at

http://www.autism.org/music.html to get the whole article.

" ...Music Therapy is particularly useful with autistic children owing

in part to the nonverbal, non threatening nature of the medium.

Parallel music activities are designed to support the objectives of

the child as observed by the therapist or as indicated by a parent,

teacher or other professional.

---------------

Here are some excerpts from an article that's posted on the Music

Therapy Association of British Columbia, Canada website.

Go to the website at http://www.mtabc.com/autism.html to see the

whole thing.

" ...The literature about persons with autism contains many

generalized statements, about the effect of music upon these

individuals. Comments that autistic individuals show an uncommon

interest in music abound. Indeed, many studies show music and music

therapy techniques to have significant, positive influences in the

treatment of autism....

FOR PERSONS WITH AUTISM, MUSIC THERAPY CAN:

....Interrupt patterns of isolation and social withdrawal and enhance

socio-emotional development

....Facilitate communication, both verbal and nonverbal

....Decrease behaviours characteristic of disturbed perceptual and

motor functioning, and enhance appropriate and integrated perceptual

and motor development

....Facilitate creative self-expression and promote emotional

satisfaction "

====================================

Anyway, good luck ... let us know how it's going.