Rhythm sticks: bilateral coordination, following directions, impulse control, gross motor imitation Sensory cushion: sensory input, core strengthening, calming/regulation Visuals: engagement, facilitates learning and comprehension Egg shakers: gross motor, following directions, impulse control, cross lateral movement Weighted lap pads: sensory input, regulation, calming Drums: bilateral coordination, social (passing/sharing/turn taking), following directions, impulse control

Many children and adults need movement and sensory input to fully engage their brains for learning. Some people may knit to help them focus, doodle in class, or bob a pen up and down in a meeting. Others might walk a mile in loops around their kitchen while on a phone call. These types of activities allow their brains to focus, listen and learn. In a setting where children must remain seated and focused, small fidget tools can provide the sensory input and movement some ch

Weighted lap pads and weighted stuffed animals are great for calming the nervous system, increasing sensory input for sensory seeking kids, and increasing proprioceptive input. The deep pressure is soothing to children and can decrease sensory overload and aid in regulating the body. I recently made a few for my classroom groups and found an inexpensive way to make several. I am not an expert on a sewing machine so knew I didn't want to sew each individual sack of filler fo

Anxiety is common among children I see throughout the week. In a classroom setting anxiety can be raised by noise, other students, bright lights, not knowing what is coming next or how long the current activity will go on for. Anxiety can become exacerbated with a change in routine at school or at home or even on the way to school. During music therapy sessions we work on calming/grounding techniques using songs and chants. Why teach skills with a song? Singing lights up

Playing music or singing together releases endorphins in the brain. Endorphins help you feel focused, they reduce pain perception and improve mood. They are the natural chemical in the brain that give you the “I did it!” feeling. When we use music to teach a skill, complete a task or work through a transition these chemicals are released and help prime the brain for learning. When stress is reduced and that “I did it!” feeling floods the brain we can support and increase l

Often when working with a child to develop a skill we want to offer as many opportunities to practice that skill as possible. Whether it be working on a certain speech sound, developing a specific motor skill, sequencing words, or labeling, the more opportunities to practice the better. When we use music to target these skills we can change many elements of the music to keep the work exciting and novel. This way, the work does not feel like work as the child repeats a speech

When you're a kid, sitting can be really tough! We can help kids to remain seated with a couple fun tools. My favorite sitting tool is this sensory cushion (pictured above). In a one-to-one setting it is almost always my first question, "do you want the blue cushion or the green circle?" (the green circle is a flat place marker). Almost every answer (gestural or verbal) is for the blue sensory cushion. By beginning the session with this choice it helps to build their se

Playing small percussion instruments is a great way to target several important developmental skills. Children develop bilateral motor coordination while using a two handed instrument such as the wood blocks, claterpillar, rhythm sticks, sand blocks, and my personal favorite, the percussion frog. Playing instruments helps develop your child's attention and listening skills. Have them play fast or slow, soft or loud, up high or down low, etc. As skills develop you can inclu

Music can be a wonderful tool in aiding in transitions throughout the day, giving directions, and teaching calming strategies. This study takes a look at why music can be such an effective tool for children on the autism spectrum. The brain scans comparing areas of brain activity during spoken words compared with sung words are absolutely fascinating. Click here to read the article and view the brain scans. #autism #musictherapy #musictherapyinschools #individualmusictherapy

A review of "music and movement" therapies for children with autism: embodied interventions for multisystem development Authors Sudha M. Srinivasan and Anjana N. Bhat review the impact and effects of music therapy interventions for multisystem development. Click Here for full article #autism #musicandmovement #individualmusictherapy #Musictherapyinschools #MusicTherapy

The opportunity to make choices is an important part of child development, it helps children to feel in control of parts of their lives and develops a healthy sense of autonomy. For children that are exploring and learning about their environment there are many "no's" and "don't do that". The "terrible two's" derives it's nickname from this time of wanting to assert independence and although this can be frustrating for parents and caregivers it is a healthy and important p

Imagine a line down the center of your body, this is your midline! Crossing midline is very important for child development but is also beneficial for people of all ages. The right side of our brain controls the muscles on the left side of our bodies and the left side of the brain controls the muscles on the right side of our body. When we cross our midline with our arms or legs we boost communication between the two hemispheres of our brains. Crossing midline, or cross-later

Group drumming allows for opportunities for: Passing/sharing Developing gross motor skills Crossing midline! Listening Following directions Building attention awareness of others Developing pro-social behavior .....just to name a few! Today we drummed with Miracle Farms Speech Therapy summer camp (ages5-7). Group drumming is a wonderful way to target non-musical skills such as the ones listed above. We practice stopping and starting, playing specific drum beats (w

Elizabeth Stegemöller is a music therapist and neuroscientist who has been studying and working with individuals with Parkinson's disease. In this TED talk she highlights four important functions music has on the brain and how music therapy can be used as an effective tool to regulate and change the brain. TED talk on YouTube: Click here to watch #MusicTherapy #brain #Parkinsonsdisease

1. Mirror Neurons 2. From music making to speaking: Engaging the mirror neuron system in autism Above is a linked article for information regarding mirror neurons (article 1) as well as the use the use of music therapy to engage the mirror neuron system in individuals with autism (article 2). Mirror neurons are fascinating and have led to a greater understanding of how we empathize with others and have also given us an understanding of how to better treat individuals with com

Stroke rehabilitation through music therapy Melodic intonation therapy This article highlights the benefits of music therapy in stroke rehabilitation. I have observed neurologic music therapy to be effective in rehabilitation after a stroke. Neurologic music therapy is effective in increasing expressive language, improving gait, and improving motor planning skills after suffering a stroke. In my practice I have found the use of melodic intonation therapy combined with ther

Below I have linked a fascinating article exploring movement challenges in children on the autism spectrum and the role rhythm can play in addressing these challenges. In my work with children and adults on the autism spectrum I have observed motor challenges to be very common and have always been surprised this is not an area typically highlighted in the traditional diagnosis traits. I have found music therapy to be an effective method of supporting growth and development

​NMT and Autism: Neurologic music therapy interventions have been designed to utilize the way in which music interacts in the brain and use this to retrain the brain. NMT has proven to be effective in promoting neuroplasticity, the brains ability to change, and can aid in re-educating the brain. NMT is effective in building and developing skills of children with autism spectrum disorders. Music processing involves many areas of the brain (cognitive, motor and sensory) and m

Recently I was on the hunt for weighted stuffed animals to use with kids during music therapy. After a little sticker shock I set out to make my own. It was very easy, and very cheap! It was also great to choose the animals I wanted as well as choose the weight I wanted. Materials: Stuffed animal Scissors Needle and thread Funnel Balloons Directions: 1. Find the spot on the animal that was closed last, it's usually just an inch or two long and you can see the thread easily

Yesterday I had the chance to make music with the wonderful preschool down the hall from my studio, Hands on Art and Play Preschool. This was a wonderful and very sweet group of 19 preschool children. With this age I like to do a lot of passing, sharing, and moving together to help develop social skills such as turn taking, social awareness, communication, and motor planning. We moved in rhythm, played drums, learned new songs, and had a blast! Here is a great article on r