Music Therapy helps children with autism and developmental dyslexia use and understand speech.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Music Therapy in the news! At the annual meeting of the American Association for the
Advancement of Science, researchers shared new studies, which support the use
of music therapy to improve language development in stroke patients. Gottfried Schlaug, associate professor
of neurology at Harvard Medical School reports that, people who suffered strokes
on the left side of the brain, affecting speech, can sometimes learn to communicate
through singing. More research was
shown to support that music education and music therapy, can help children with
developmental dyslexia and autism more accurately use speech.
Music is a multi-sensory experience that involves large
areas on both sides of the brain. Nina Kraus, director of Auditory Neuroscience
at Northwestern University, reports that the musically trained brain is better
at picking out specific sounds, patterns, and subtle changes in the human voice
needed for processing language and emotion.
How does this effect the child with special needs? These
studies have shown that areas in the brain that are enhanced in musicians are
deficient in the brains of children with autism and developmental dyslexia.
“Playing an instrument my help youngsters better process speech in a classroom,
and more accurately interpret the nuances of language that are conveyed by the
human voice.
At Joyful Music, we use
music therapy to help language development by singing songs, playing
instruments, movement to music, and sensory exploration with musical
instruments. We have seen dramatic changes in our students’ articulation,
intonation, and word phrasing. We focus on using the power of music to
encourage communication. Music therapy facilitates musical experiences to challenge
and motivate their body and mind.
Music Therapy and Autism
Tamela Ponder, MT-BC
2/24/2010 1:15:00 PM
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