Autism Therapy : Music Helps Redirect and Motivate an Upset Child
This music therapy video of my work with a child with autism illustrates the following...
- Music can be a effective part of an autism therapy approach and it can help redirect a child
- Using pauses in music to encourage eye contact and expressive communication
- Using visual phonetics to help a child learn how to form sounds (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=De5nVclM4Y8)
- Combining music, humor and fun to motivate a child to work on therapeutic goals
- When working with a child who is non-verbal try limiting the amount of spoken language that you use. Too much speaking can overwhelm and confuse a child who is non-verbal.
To read a transcription of this music therapy and autism video, please click here.
This is the first time that I've visited the rhythm tree, and what an amazing and educational introduction it was! I loved that moment when you set aside your own agenda, not quite sure what was going to happen, putting the drum down to the right in the hope that it would open something up - maybe even doing it just to buy you some time - and bang, out of nothing is created a beautiful and spontaneous fun game that completely grabbed the child, and you too by the looks of it! Thank you so much for sharing this with us, and for speaking so articulately and insightfully about it afterward.