music therpy is coming to our area

[sabrina dreams]

hi i need your help music therpy is coming to tampa bay area first of it's kind here and will be taking new members in oct . i want to know would it be good for lang. my daughter like jojo circus ,abcsongs, and wiggles so i think it will help her. we tried aba for a week in speech and she shut down for 2 weeks in lang. i'm lost but want to go for it . and ideas please help? nicole w.

[puzzleman]

Go for it! Music has helped my son Luke in many ways and it calms him down when he is on the verge of a tantrum. He like to sing the songs in the car and even though the songs get a little boring (repetitive) he is still communicating.:)

[woodsie]

Your comment(1/1/06) about music helping your son, was that prescribed music therapy that you had to pay, for or was that just doing lots of singing with him? I have a background in music myself and understand it's emotional theraputic effects, but I do not know much about music therapy used for ASD kids. My son is nine(PDDNOS) and he loves to sing and loves music, but whether playing specific music to him would improve his behavior or communication is questionable in my mind. I would like to hear from anyone who has experienced this whether it helped or not. Is it true that specific Mozart peices help kids focus?:confused:

[EmilyRoss]

I am a board-certified music therapist and I specialize in ASD. Music isn't a miracle fix, but it can be a "way in", most profoundly when nothing else is getting through (like when a child isn't responding to more direct or confrontational approaches such as ABA).

Music is effective because it stimulates more parts of the brain than speech - the left hemisphere deals with the rhythm and form while the right hemisphere processes the melody and emotional content. This gets the synapses firing back and forth across the brain which is great. More information can get in.

Also, since music has structure, it has a level of predictability (a listener can feel when a phrase is coming to an end) and kids with ASD like predictability! With a music therapist who works with improvisation, MT can also be a means for expression - and for a nonverbal child (or adult) this can address emotional needs in a unique and powerful way.

... In my opinion, Mozart is nice - but not magic. Any instrumental music by quality baroque or early classical composers (Bach, Vivaldi, Telemann) is as good, as well as instrumental music with a steady beat (such as dance music and folk music) from any culture. Good luck! If you are looking for a music therapist in your area, see the American Music Therapy Association website: www.musictherapy.org