Welcome back to Reading the Research, where I trawl
the Internet to find noteworthy research on autism and related subjects,
then discuss it in brief with bits from my own life, research, and
observations.
Today's article talks about what makes music therapy more successful for little children on the autism spectrum. I was curious about this form of therapy, because my understanding of it was basically: "play music for a kid. Good things happen." While I like music a lot, I wasn't sure how or why that was better than an iPod with a decent selection. I was further perplexed that one of the major organizations for autism in my area offers this therapy year-round to over a score of autistic kids. Naturally, I was incorrect in my understanding of what music therapy is.
Music therapy is what I personally recognize as a major part of Kindergarten, actually. Or at least my particular upbringing. Children don't just listen to music, they are encouraged to play it, using their voices, instruments, or other objects. This allows for creative expression, physical activity, and reduced anxiety at the bare minimum. I remember being encouraged to sing and play simple instruments throughout my childhood, but especially in the elementary school years, when basically no one could sing well or hold a beat anyway.
I had all that, but what I didn't have was a dedicated teacher with whom I had rapport. And that's what this study suggests for an optimal result. Music therapy already has good results, regardless of whether the teacher and the child develop a relationship. But it's a better result when the therapist is emotionally and musically attuned to the child.
Not really surprising to me, honestly. If a child feels like an outcast or an outsider, or feels like they're a burden or having a lot of trouble, having an extra person in their life to cheer them on and support them is bound to be beneficial. That's the premise of the Stephen Ministries, which assigns people in hardship a personal pastoral friend to talk with and be guided by during those hard times. Frankly, I wish more organizations had the same idea. Just knowing someone is "on your side" and cares about you can be a major relief.
In addition, music therapy has the added bonus of exercising sensory processing, emotional attunement, cognitive regulation, and it can teach music. Maybe I'm the only one in my generation who thinks that last one is important these days, as I think it's been shoved out of most school programs at this point in favor of even more academics, and so their precious sports programs won't have to experience budget cuts... But the remaining three are definitely important to brain development and living life, particularly for autistic people and people with intellectual disabilities.
Today's article talks about what makes music therapy more successful for little children on the autism spectrum. I was curious about this form of therapy, because my understanding of it was basically: "play music for a kid. Good things happen." While I like music a lot, I wasn't sure how or why that was better than an iPod with a decent selection. I was further perplexed that one of the major organizations for autism in my area offers this therapy year-round to over a score of autistic kids. Naturally, I was incorrect in my understanding of what music therapy is.
Music therapy is what I personally recognize as a major part of Kindergarten, actually. Or at least my particular upbringing. Children don't just listen to music, they are encouraged to play it, using their voices, instruments, or other objects. This allows for creative expression, physical activity, and reduced anxiety at the bare minimum. I remember being encouraged to sing and play simple instruments throughout my childhood, but especially in the elementary school years, when basically no one could sing well or hold a beat anyway.
I had all that, but what I didn't have was a dedicated teacher with whom I had rapport. And that's what this study suggests for an optimal result. Music therapy already has good results, regardless of whether the teacher and the child develop a relationship. But it's a better result when the therapist is emotionally and musically attuned to the child.
Not really surprising to me, honestly. If a child feels like an outcast or an outsider, or feels like they're a burden or having a lot of trouble, having an extra person in their life to cheer them on and support them is bound to be beneficial. That's the premise of the Stephen Ministries, which assigns people in hardship a personal pastoral friend to talk with and be guided by during those hard times. Frankly, I wish more organizations had the same idea. Just knowing someone is "on your side" and cares about you can be a major relief.
In addition, music therapy has the added bonus of exercising sensory processing, emotional attunement, cognitive regulation, and it can teach music. Maybe I'm the only one in my generation who thinks that last one is important these days, as I think it's been shoved out of most school programs at this point in favor of even more academics, and so their precious sports programs won't have to experience budget cuts... But the remaining three are definitely important to brain development and living life, particularly for autistic people and people with intellectual disabilities.
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