'Agricultural specialisterne': rural employment revolution for those with Autism

[Visionary7903]

I mentioned, in the post just above this one, Giant Steps, a therapeutic day school that currently serves 127 students affected by Autism Spectrum Disorders. Each student at the school, based in the Chicago metropolitan area, receives music therapy from one of six music therapists. And all students receive two music therapy sessions weekly for 45 minutes each. Bridget Kulik is one of the music therapists employed at Giant Steps…

…Neurologic Music Therapy (NMT) uses standardized treatment techniques based on scientific research of music and the brain. NMT is defined as “the therapeutic application of music to cognitive, sensory, and motor dysfunctions due to neurologic disease of the human nervous system” (Thaut 2005, p. 126). I have the unique opportunity and privilege of being able to witness the power of music firsthand on a daily basis…

…For individuals with [Autism Spectrum Disorders], music can be quite motivating because it provides a sense of structure in an otherwise unpredictable, chaotic world. Every song has a definite beginning, middle, and end. Research indicates that the entire brain is activated while engaging in musical experiences. According to the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA), “Music therapy is the clinical and evidence-based use of musical interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional (2006, p. 1).” Music therapy is one of the only therapeutic modalities that achieves whole-brain activation, thus allowing an opportunity for “both hemispheres of the brain to work together” (AMTA 2006, p. 2). In short music therapy addresses non-musical goals through musical interventions. Music therapy has a specific therapeutic purpose and is focused on the process - how one person gets from one point to another.
In contrast music education emphasizes the product - the final outcome such as a concert or musical performance (West Music Company 2011).

…Commonly addressed goal areas include socialization, communication, starting/stopping, sequencing, and imitation…

There are a variety of Neurologic Music Therapy techniques:
Cognitive Techniques

• Musical Sensory Orientation Training (MSOT)
• Musical Neglect Training (MNT)
• Auditory Perception Training (APT)
• Musical Attention Control Training (MACT)
• Musical Mnemonics Training (MMT)
• Echoic Memory in Music (EMM)
• Associative Mood and Memory Training (AMMT)
• Musical Executive Function Training (MEFT)

Speech and Language Techniques

• Melodic Intonation Therapy (MIT)
• Musical Speech Stimulation (MUSTIM)
• Rhythmic Speech Cuing (RSC)
• Vocal Intonation Therapy (VIT)
• Therapeutic Singing (TS)
• Oral Motor and Respiratory Exercises (OMREX)
• Developmental Speech and Language Training Through Music (DSLM)
• Symbolic Communication Training Through Music (SYCOM)

Sensorimotor Techniques

• Rhythmic Auditory Stimulation (RAS)
• Patterned Sensory Enhancement (PSE)
• Therapeutic Instrumental Music Performance (TIMP)

One technique that has been successfully used on children with Autism Spectrum Disorders is Dr. Hayoung Lim’s approach - Developmental Speech and Language Training Through Music (DSLM). DSLM is the use of music in speech-language training for enhancing speech production and functional communication…

J Music Ther. 2010 Spring;47(1):2-26.
Effect of “developmental speech and language training through music” on speech production in children with autism spectrum disorders.
Lim HA.
Sam Houston State University, USA.

Abstract
The study compared the effect of music training, speech training and no-training on the verbal production of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders… Participants were 50 children with [Autism Spectrum Disorders], age range 3 to 5 years, who had previously been evaluated on standard tests of language and level of functioning. They were randomly assigned to one of three 3-day conditions. Participants in music training (n = 18) watched a music video containing 6 songs and pictures of the 36 target words; those in speech training (n = 18) watched a speech video containing 6 stories and pictures, and those in the control condition (n = 14) received no treatment. Participants’ verbal production including semantics, phonology, pragmatics, and prosody was measured by an experimenter designed verbal production evaluation scale. Results showed that participants in both music and speech training significantly increased their pre to posttest verbal production. Results also indicated that both high and low functioning participants improved their speech production after receiving either music or speech training; however, low functioning participants showed a greater improvement after the music training than the speech training. Children with [Autism Spectrum Disorders] perceive important linguistic information embedded in music stimuli organized by principles of pattern perception, and produce the functional speech.
PMID: 20635521 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

(sources: Music Therapy and Music-based Instruction Autism Asperger’s Digest;Untitled Document; Incorporating Music into Speech and Language Therapy for Kids with Autism Spectrum Disorders – An Interview with Dr. Hayoung Lim JKP blog - Jessica Kingsley Publishers; Effect of "developmental speech and language tr… [J Music Ther. 2010] - PubMed - NCBI)