Video Blog

This Music Therapy video with a child with Down syndrome shows how you can:

• Use a cabassa to help a child improve motor skills
• Use music to increase a child's endurance with challenging physical activities

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To read a transcription of this music therapy video, please click here.

 

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This music therapy video with a child with Down syndrome illustrates the following:

• Children with Down syndrome and other special needs are motivated by humor!
• You can use dramatic, funny reactions to inspire a child to learn, develop and practice skills.
• Academic goals, fine motor skills, gross motor skills, communication skills, etc. can all be learned through humorous activities.
• Use a funny, frustrated reaction to make a child laugh.
• Act very surprised or confused in response to a desired action that a child performs.
• If you can tap into what makes a child laugh, you have struck gold!

To read a transcription of this music therapy video post, please click here.

This music therapy video with a child with autism illustrates the following:

• Tailoring education and therapy to a child's learning style can help them succeed
• Combining music and movement can be highly engaging and motivating for a child with special needs
• Create personalized movement songs by putting your own words to a traditional melody such as "She'll Be Coming Round the Mountain"
• Once you find a motivating music and movement activity, use it to help a child to learn and communicate
• Music and movement activities can be used to expand a child's use of language on an Alternative and Augmentative Communication Device
• You don't need to be a musician to use music to help children with special needs

 To read a transcriptin of the Music Therapy Video Post, please click here.

This music therapy video with a child with autism illustrates the following:

• Non-musicians can custom write songs for their child or client with special needs by taking a familiar song and changing the lyrics
• The following melodies work great!

• Immediately generalize the target word or phrase in the song to a real life situation
• Use puppets to role model the word or phrase
• Use big dramatic pauses and an anticipatory breath to cue your child to fill in the word or phrase

To read a transcription of the Music Therapy Video, please click here.