Essay On Music Therapy And Autism

I knew about music therapy before my paper because I was actually going to major in it for college. It is interesting because I honestly knew so little on how and what music therapists really do in their sessions. One thing I learned and found extremely interesting was how music therapy can help children with autism identify emotions. Music therapy can help individuals identify the correct emotions and expressions of themselves and others around them. An example is if the music therapist plays a sad song, the child will internally feel a little sad inside, they can sing words or say expressions that relate to sadness, and then they can look in the mirror and see their own sad face while also looking at the music therapists sad face (Music Therapy Center of California, 2005, p. 4). I thought it was so interesting to know that music can help children understand emotions. Music therapy can help to lessen negative self-stimulation and it can increase participation and social skills among peers in more acceptable ways (American Music Therapy Association, 2012, p.1). Another big thing I learned from my research is how much music therapy can help a child with autism’s language skills. Music therapy can help children who do not have verbal language express themselves and communicate. The music can also let them participate freely. The connection between the actual music and the interaction of play, such as listening, taking turns and responding helps them with their communication skills (American Music Therapy Association, 2012, p.1). Some personal experiences that I can account for is when I volunteered for a musical theater production called Razzle Dazzle. This was a music production with adults with disabilities. Their disabilities ranged from Down syndrome, to autism, to simply just an intellectual disability. One man by the name of UNKNOWN, was a dancer in our show.

In a setting with someone with autism spectrum disorder, music therapists make use of music as an educational tool to encourage learning. One of the purposes of music therapy for someone with autism is to provide the student with an initial assistance using melodious and rhythmic strategies, followed by fading of musical cues to assist in simplification and transfer to other learning environments. Music therapy has been proven to decrease symptoms of children with autism, and could even facilitate motivation and social interaction. Even autistic children, who rarely or never speak, can respond to music; sometimes they may even sing along. Music therapy provides a tool that can link the gap between a non-communicative child and one who can

Music being a lifeline for individuals with all types of isolating emotional, physical, neurological and psychological conditions, has incredible effect to the autistic children. It enables the autistic children to interact and communicate to others and have improved learning

The modern practice of music therapy, however, didn’t become widespread until the 1940s, when hospitals employed musicians to aid in the treatment of veterans (“American Music”). Today, in the United States music therapy is defined as “the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional who has completed an approved music therapy program.” The goals of music therapy for children with autism generally include engaging the strengths of the child to ensure that they have the skills to be successful in

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a group of conditions of the brain development. (Vries, 2015). The main characteristic of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), is that they have difficulties to adapt and interact with other people. Also, individuals with Autism have problems with their development of verbal and nonverbal communication. They show a repetitive behavior that is usually recognized during the first three years of life. Approximately one of sixty eight children are affected with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in the United States. (Vries, 2015).

Through the use of music children with autism are able to express themselves better in these social situations. Children with autism are found to not be as engaged with others in social situations as other children. Children with autism are found to have impairment in their communication skills when they want to express themselves in a social situation (Gattino, dos Santos Riesgo, Longo, Leite, & Faccini, 2011). A study done by Kim, Wigram, and Gold found that music therapy promotes social skills, motivational and emotional development in children with

First, clarify the differences between a music therapist and a music educator. Point out that while the educator focuses on teaching musical skills and knowledge, the therapist addresses nonmusical skills (such as motor, social, cognitive, and communication skills) through participation in musical experiences. Next, the team should consider whether the child is making reasonable progress in other therapies, or if perhaps another approach, such as music therapy, may benefit the child educationally. Some of the criteria to consider when deciding if a child would benefit from music therapy include the following: (Patterson,

Music Therapists (MTs) borrow from a range of non-music based therapy models in their development of Music Therapy-specific treatment models. Many widely used Music Therapy (MT) techniques have their roots in psychological theories and treatment models. Cognitive Behavioural Music Therapy (CBMT) draws on the widely-used and extensively researched psychology approach, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), to address CBT goals through MT interventions. Despite the many parralels between CBT and MT there is limited literature on CBMT; the existing literature indicates that CBMT may be an effective treatment for clients with a variety of needs. Improvisation in CBMT makes up an even smaller portion of the literature, however the theoretical underpinnings of the CBT approach are congruent with the use of music improvisation.

There are multiple ways to heal and multiple benefits that come out of healing. One of those healing methods is Music Therapy. Music Therapy has been shown to help many people of all age groups, a specific group being children with autism. It helps benefit children with autism by improving their communication and social skills. Just simply listening to music calms and puts the brain at ease. Music Therapy is beneficial to this specific group because though they may have deficits socially, they show none when it comes to musical affect. This form of therapy allows autistic children to improve those social skills in a fun and engaging way.

There are thousands upon thousands of illnesses in the world. You can have cancer, heart disease, schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s, tuberculosis, pneumonia, autism, and endless other ones. There are numerous ways to help these diseases and music therapy is one of them. Music is a very powerful thing. It makes us feel invincible and it inspires us to do great things. It changes us. Music is the one thing everyone can relate to. Music is very beneficial and supportive to people with autism.

According to the American Music Therapy Association (A.M.T.A.), music therapy is “the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional who has completed an approved music therapy program.” As a generally new and upcoming industry, music therapy is often underestimated. By incorporating different areas of the brain, music can reduce stress, ease

This research is proposed to better understand the impact of music therapy on cognition in children with Retts Syndrome. The knowledge presented is based on my own findings from a review of the empirical and theoretical literature relevant to this topic. It is important to study the effect music therapy has on Retts Syndrome candidates in order to better teach necessary knowledge needed in life.

A doctor shares the diagnosis of Down Syndrome with parents of 1 in 691 live births (NADS). Years ago, before research found the basic cause of the disorder, people with Down’s Syndrome were placed in institutions to live. Some people still believe that children born with Down’s syndrome are not capable of learning. In a group of children where all hope seems gone, music therapy has been found to be very beneficial. It can enhance physical, social. intellectual, and emotional development of the children.

Music therapy, a clinical use of music interventions to accomplish therapeutic goals, involves a broad range of activities including playing an instrument, singing, or listening to music. Similar to occupational and physical therapy, this expressive arts therapy remedies psychological conditions, such as depression, anxiety, or hypertension to maintain the well-being of an individual. Likewise, music has been a therapeutic tool that has shown positive effects to parts of the brain including regions involved in emotion, sensation, movement, and cognition. Although music therapy is a somewhat new-found treatment, it is used prominently today. Administered by a trained therapist, this type of therapy is used in correctional facilities, nursing homes, hospices, and special education schools.

A song or a piece of music has the power to transform an individual and take them not only to a different state of mind, but quite possibly a different consciousness. Making or singing music also has the power to transform an individual. “There is a resemblance of music in pitch, volume, rhythm, melody and structure to the natural human expression of emotion in voice, demeanor and behavior” (Ushedo, 2006, 1). Making music can create an environment where it indirectly teaches individuals communication and social skills through the emotions brought out by the music. The social interaction between individuals with behavioral problems has been aided by using musical activities. It can “encourage or motivate communication through musical activities, which are responsive to the child to promote eye contact, turn taking, sharing, joint attention” (Stephenson, 2006, 297). While creating a calmer and more relaxed environment with musical activities, behavioral problems can be aided through the use of this form of music therapy.