Most of the research on children with autism is focused on their social skills and emotional awareness. Although these are major need areas for children with autism, these skills aren’t the only skills that come up as “needs” in the assessment. The ability to attend, follow-though with an exercise, and inhibit behaviors are also areas of need; however, there is less representation of these skills in the research literature. Today, MTRB will take a look at a review of literature on attention in autism and generalize this information into the music therapy clinic. Continue reading
Author Archives: Blythe
MT for Arousal from Coma
Acquired brain injury may result in an altered level of consciousness including coma or a minimally conscious state. Different techniques have been attempted to help arouse a person in an altered state of consciousness. A new systematic review investigated different techniques represented in the research literature, including music therapy. Continue reading
Techniques for Improving NNS in Premature Infants
If you work with premature infants than you are probably familiar with efforts to increase Non-nutritive suck (NNS). Current research has shown that an external stimulus can increase NNS in infants, which may transfer into nutritive feeding and other gains. In this blog post we will take a look at two methods for increasing NNS: reinforcement and entrainment. Continue reading
MIT for Verbal Responses in Autism
Melodic Intonation Therapy (MIT) has long been used to promote functional speech in persons who have had a cerebral vascular accident. Studies on MIT date back more than 30 years and many studies have looked at child populations including children with apraxia (Helfrich-Miller, 1994; LaGasse, 2004), children with Down syndrome (Carroll, 1996), and now children with autism. Continue reading
Music for Mechanically Ventilated Patients
I don’t personally know any music therapists that work with patients who are mechanically ventilated for the purpose of reducing anxiety. These two research studies suggest that perhaps we should be doing just that. Continue reading
MTRB Podcast #4 – International Conference on Music Perception and Cognition
Live from Seattle and the University of Washington, we recorded another interview with two American music therapists and then had some roundtable discussions on the topic of writing as a clinician and research in music therapy.
Krystal Demaine is a music therapist in the Boston area working with several populations as a neurologic music therapy fellow, teaching at two universities, and a PhD student at Lesley University. Her poster at ICMPC was entitled “The Relative Roles of Melody and Rhythm in Music Therapy for Two Boys with Autism.”
Dwyer Conklyn is a neurologic music therapy fellow working at the Cleveland Clinic. He presented a paper entitled “Regaining Your Voice: Modified Melodic Intonation Therapy in Acute Care.”
MTRB Podcast #3 – International Conference on Music Perception and Cognition
Live from Seattle and the University of Washington on Wednesday, August 25, 2010, we discuss music research with four scholars from four countries.
1. Olivia Swedberg, USA: Discussing her paper on Music Therapy Voice Protocol (MTVP) for Singing Groups of People with Parkinson’s Disease.
2. Eun-Jeong Lee, Germany: Music therapist in Heidelberg talks about the use of the monochord in the oncology unit.
3. Joanna Kantor-Martynuska, psychology, Poland: Rumination and the effectiveness of mood induction with the use of music and speech; Physiological and self-reported music relaxation in people suffering from hypertension
4. Elizabeth Dennis – Institute for Music and Human Social Development, University of Edinburgh, Scotland: Can background music and caregiver singing benefit people with dementia? Results of a study in a Scottish home.
More lined up from the conference – we’re only half way through it!
What’s the “Scoop” on Auditory Integration Therapy?
When speaking with graduate students and colleagues, I have received more emails and questions about this topic than any other topic related to music therapy. Does Auditory Integration Therapy (AIT) work? Is AIT a form of music therapy? What is AIT??? A cochrane review may answer some of these questions! Continue reading
Effect of Vibroacoustic Music on Behaviors in ASD
Music emits vibrations and some practitioners use these vibrations as therapy. A new study investigated the effect of music vibrations on the challenging behaviors of persons with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Developmental Disabilities. Continue reading
MT for Agitation in Older Adults with Dementia
As mentioned in recent Music Therapy Research Blog (MTRB) post, there has been an heightened focus on research for older adult populations, in part due to the impending increase in the number of older adults. In this MTRB mash-up we will take a look at current research in music therapy for agitation in older adults with dementia. Continue reading