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The Healing Powers of Music Therapy
Imagine a world where sounds had no meaning to you other than a jumble of discordant noise
that hurt your ears.
Imagine not knowing that the words that came out of people's mouths meant something, that
each world was a symbol that stood for something else.
Think what it would be like if the lawn mower, the telephone, and the human voice all sounded
the same to you. This is the world of many nonverbal autistic people.
Due to severe sensory integration issues and other factors as of yet to be discovered,
many people on the more severe end of the autism spectrum cannot interpret the sounds
they hear. This is a big reason why they can't talk -- they don't realize language has meaning
-- and why noise bothers them so much.
Now imagine a child a bit higher functioning. She has some words, and she understands what
words are for, but she struggles to put them together. It is a lot of stress on her system
to be able to search for the word that matches what she is thinking and feeling and use her
possibly under-developed vocal muscles to say them.
It does not come naturally for her.
Now enter the idea of music therapy for both these children and for everyone on the autism
spectrum.
What is the advantage of music therapy over speaking?
Music is a more primal, natural, patterned way of communicating. People with no communication
abilities have been shown to respond to and seemingly connect with music therapy.
People with autism like patterns. Music is full of patterns. Music has rhythm. It is
something that they can feel, rather than think about. It is something they don't have
to interpret. And it can be used, some say, as a bridge to learning about speech or improving
an autistic child's speech and communication abilities.
What is music therapy?
Music therapy is different than learning to play an instrument. It is not instruction
in music. Rather, a music therapist uses a variety of tools, knowledge and creativity
to create musical environments where an autistic client feels comfortable.
A music therapist will create appropriate musical environments based on each person's
needs. The great thing about music therapy is that it requires no verbal ability. A person
can pick up a bell, *** a piano, or shake cymbals without needing to talkāand in this
way they can start to communicate with others through music. In some ways, music is an ancient
form of communication -- perhaps our oldest form.
Music therapists can build relationships with previously unreachable children by using the
power of music to reach them. They can help clients build communication skills, lower
their anxiety and improve their overall ability to function.
Why does music therapy work for those on the autism spectrum?
For higher-functioning students on the autism spectrum, music can be a creative outlet in
addition to helping regulate behavior. Music therapy helps children focus and relieves
anxiety and frustration. When people on the autism spectrum are in a musical environment,
they are able to interact with his peers, and often their conversational skills are
more appropriate.
For additional information on music therapy as well as other innovative therapies to help
people on the autism spectrum, see the book, New Hope for Autism by Craig Kendall. For
more information on this book and to sign up for my free newsletter click on the link
below, or go to http://www.aspergerssociety.org/newhope