Developmental Disabilities & Music Therapy
For many children and adults with special needs or developmental disabilities, language and communication can be really challenging. In fact, for these individuals the different aspects of life such as communication, social skills, and behavioral skills can be difficult if not adequately developed in appropriate therapies.
One such therapy that assists individuals in the development of their life goals is… Music Therapy!
As a reminder, when used in therapy, music can:
- Assist individuals with making transitions from one activity to the next…from one life situation to another
- Increase an individual’s social skills and quality of life
- Create an ability to learn how to “take turns” with others
The National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) suggests a number of other benefits of Music Therapy for people with Developmental Disabilities:
- Developing, maintaining, and understanding relationships…establishing/re-establishing interpersonal relationships
- Increasing social interactions
- Fulfilling basic needs
- Developing a positive sense of self
- Dispelling pathological behavior
- Increasing social competency…the individual’s perceptions about social behavior
- Developing an awareness, a sensitivity to the beauty of music and using it to enhance all of the above
Additionally, there are so many ways Music Therapy can improve life skills:
- Increase sensory-motor skills
- Improve expressive-receptive language skills
- Increase cognitive skills
- Increase problem solving skills
- Improve social skills
- Improve auditory and visual-motor skills
- Increase impulse control
- Increase the ability to identify and communicate feelings appropriately
- Improve self-esteem and self-control
I currently have some openings for seeing children and adults with special needs and/or developmental disabilities. Please feel free to reach out to me if you or someone you know needs this kind of therapy in their life.
