Music Makes Sense: autism

Showing posts with label autism. Show all posts

Friday, March 21, 2014

App of the Week: Singaling

I love trying out new apps for the iPad. And don't forget...many of the same apps are also available for Android.

Singaling was free one day in the iStore and I snatched it up! It usually sells for around $2.99.*

This is a fun app just to play around, but I think it also has some good possibilities for use in music therapy. Singaling is basically a vocal sound processor. It creates cool effects for vocals. You can sound like a heavy metal rockstar or add your voice to a classical choir in a cathedral. It also has some fun effects like "chipmunk" or "outer space."

After reading my short review, it is worth your time to take a look at the demonstration video that follows. The app is incredibly robust with features, but has a clean look and easy to use interface. This is a great advantage for our clients, their teachers and parents.
The app's main screen has large buttons and sliders, so that with a simple touch, different effects can be turned off and on even while singing or inputting sound. The presets are awesome! There are many different styles presented in a handy scroll list.

Kyle Coleman Debut Album To Be Released on World Autism Day

World Autism Day will occur this coming April 2. Kyle Coleman, a 25 year old who has autism, will release his first vocal album to coincide with the events on that day.

Kyle's story is pretty amazing. He has a really nice voice for singing, but did not tap into this hidden talent until 2009 when he began some music therapy! Since then, his singing has allowed him to express feelings and thoughts that he had never been able to share. He went from only ever having said a few words in his lifetime to producing an entire album!

Friday, March 2, 2012

Positive Results Reported From Gluten-Free Diet

So many of our young clients with autism are on special diets that we hope are helping improve social behaviors and communication skills. The research literature has been back and forth in supporting the effectiveness of diets like gluten and casein-free programs.

The most recent research looked at a large sample of surveys given to parents of children on gluten and casein-free diets. The results of this study showed that there was improvement in social behaviors and communication for those children who had also had gastrointestinal problems before the diet.

All music therapists working with children need to keep up with the research in this area. Parents often ask us our opinion and we should be prepared to offer a response based on the research rather than anecdotal evidence. We should also be observant of our own clients who start or stop special diets so that we can be part of the team that tries to determine the risks or benefits of the treatment.

You can find the full story about the new research in Science Daily.

Friday, February 3, 2012

Kids With ASD More Likely to Use Non-Social Media Tech

The Daily Muse

Welcome to the Daily Muse feature of Music Makes Sense! This daily update brings you up to the minute news about music and music therapy as it relates to our professions, events and individual lives. You can follow the daily entries by subscribing to Music Makes Sense on Twitter or by "Liking" the Facebook page for Music Makes Sense. Enjoy, and thanks for reading!

The iPad is rapidly taking the world by storm! Not only is it changing the way we operate and communicate, but many music therapists can tell you how it is changing the way they practice music therapy.

There are many apps that provide access to songs and recordings so that music therapists can carry less stuff! If you have ever seen a music therapist, then you know they can often look like a musical pack mule!

Other apps are very useful in therapy. Apps for communication and on-screen music-making are easy to access and program for individual clients. These apps are much more user-friendly than the old-school augmentative communication devices.

Children with autism are one group of clients that really seem to enjoy using touch-screen devices. I know many music therapists who are using iPads very successfully with their clients who have an autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

While I think that the iPad can be very useful in a therapy setting, there is some new research that might give us pause in thinking about promoting the unsupervised use of iPad and iPad-like technology.

A group of researchers from Missouri found that individuals with ASD spent over 60% of their free time using non-social media such as videos and games rather than social media such as chatting or e-mail. You can find the research abstract here.

Have you seen this phenomenon in your work? Either as a music therapist, parent, or teacher?

Do you think this is something we need to be concerned about? And what do you think we can do to encourage more social media use with those clients who have ASD?

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Music Helps a Little Girl With Rett Syndrome

Music is Medicine for Eagle Girl With Disorder

Here is a feel-good story for the week! People with Rett syndrome often respond positively to music. This story from the Idaho-Press Tribune tells us about a young girl who successfully used preferred music to make it through some dental work. There was not a music therapist involved in this story, but I love it when people intrinsically use the power of music to help themselves! Enjoy!

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Berklee Highlights Music Therapy For Autism

Music therapists Marcia Humpal and Dr. Darcy Walworth recently combined efforts for a presentation on using music to work with children with autism. The presentation was titled: "Autism Speaks and Sings: The Power of Music Therapy in the World of Autism." The news story has some nice information and comments from the presenters. This would have been a great thing to see!

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Friday, September 16, 2011

Zero Tolerance Gone Wild!

NH School Confiscates Autistic Boy's American Flag: 'Considered a Weapon'

This news story is another indictment against the controversial policy of "Zero Tolerance" for weapons in schools. I also think the teachers at this school missed an opportunity for some teachable moments and have instead turned the situation into a fiasco.

I am the first one to admit that you sometimes need some quick "duck and cover" reflexes in the special education classroom, but if a small flag on a wooden pole is now considered a weapon, then we are going to have to close down the schools! When I go to schools for music therapy, I have to imagine that almost everything in my bag is potentially a flying projectile (i.e., shaker eggs, tambourines) or useful as a poker or club (i.e., maracas, drum mallets), but it simply comes with the territory. It is my job as a therapist to know what instruments are appropriate for each client and to teach them the proper use of new instruments as they are introduced. This does not mean, however, that something might go awry! I remember quite vividly being the target of a flying paddle drum mallet that landed right between my eyes! Ouch!

I can certainly imagine that allowing a child with an autism spectrum disorder to carry around a flag on a wooden stick all day might cause some problems. But rather than take it away as a "weapon," how much better would it have been to treat the flag as a special item due some respect. The teachers could have involved the student as a leader in the pledge of allegiance at the beginning of the class, for example and then put the flag up high in a prominent place in the room for the day. A substitute transitional object could have been found for the student to hold onto and then redirect him to other tasks. The teachers could have taken the program even further by incorporating patriotic pictures and stories into the learning for that day. I don't think this would have been out of the ordinary since we just memorialized the tenth anniversary of September 11th. Of course, every situation is unique, but it does seem like some kind of strange political agenda got in the way of handling this situation more appropriately. That is too bad.

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Wednesday, July 27, 2011

The Daily Muse: Darius Rucker Rocks Out With Young People With William's Syndrome

Welcome to the Daily Muse feature of Music Makes Sense! This daily update brings you up to the minute news about music and music therapy as it relates to our professions, events and individual lives. You can follow the daily entries by subscribing to Music Makes Sense on Twitter or by "Liking" the Facebook page for Music Makes Sense. Enjoy, and thanks for reading!

Children with William's Syndrome often have a very strong interest in music. The may also have strong musical skills in relation to their other ability levels. There is a special camp that goes on every summer in Nashville for some of these kids and teens that brings them together with songwriters and famous musicians. This year they got to sing with Carrie Underwood, Darius Rucker and Wynonna!

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Monday, July 18, 2011

The Daily Muse: New Study Describes Neonatal and Perinatal Factors Related to Autism

The Journal of Pediatrics will be publishing a meta-analysis of studies related to the causes of autism as evidenced by perinatal and neonatal factors. The article will be published in the August issue, but is out now on-line for those lucky enough to have a subscription access. The news story is here and the abstract for the research can be found here. This meta-analysis does not discuss the effects of vaccines since most of those are not given during neonatal care. My eye did, however, catch the finding that children born in the summer months may have an increased risk for autism. The authors hypothesize that this may be due to factors during pregnancy such as the greater prevalence of viruses during the winter months, nutrition or vitamin deficiencies. Overall, I think it is very helpful research, although it will probably create more questions than it answers!

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Friday, July 8, 2011

The Daily Muse: Clair Mac's Gonna Have a Great Day!

In April, Brian MacDonald's music video and original song won the tubecontest.com contest for best inspirational song. You really should go and watch the video here! Brian was able to write a catchy tune and spotlight his sister who has autism in the video. He really was able to capture some great moments on film and it is terrific that his video won 1st prize! Congratulations Brian, and I hope that you and your sister continue to have great days!

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Monday, June 27, 2011

The Daily Muse: Kids with Autism Get a Chance to be a Radio Host

I have often used song-writing or asking questions about song lyrics to help children with Autism to be more creative in answering questions as well as be consistent in a 2-3 part communication exchange. I love this idea being tried at the University of Colorado where kids with Aspherger's Syndrome get a chance to be a radio interviewer. Not only is this an age appropriate and fun thing for a kid to do, but it is the perfect situation to teach about asking open-ended questions and then following up with another question on the same topic. You can find the full story here.

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Tuesday, June 21, 2011

The Daily Muse: Is Silicon Valley a Magnet for People With Autism?

Here is the headline: "Autism More Common Near Tech Hubs." Although I find the article highly speculative and they do not offer proof of the correlation or even links to the research behind the article, this is an interesting phenomenon. What do you think? Is there any truth to the idea that autism may run in families that have talent in the area of math and engineering?

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Saturday, June 11, 2011

The Daily Muse: Gene Mutations May Explain Autism

Some interesting new research about the origins of autism is pointing to gene mutations that affect synapse development in the brain. The news story mentions how just one set of changes in the genes can set the stage for either autism or William's Syndrome, two very different forms of autism spectrum disorder. The new research also seems to help explain why autism is now seen as a spectrum disorder since there is such a huge variety of symptoms, traits and abilities depending on the person. The random genetic mutations would help to explain the wide ranging differences. You can find the story here at Disability Scoop.

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Saturday, May 21, 2011

The Daily Muse: Autism and the iPad Continue to Impress!

Here is the headline: Autistic Children Use iPad at Toronto School to Reach Out and Communicate. This story caught my attention because I had recently heard about a little "dust-up" in Texas regarding a school district fighting the use and purchase of iPads to use with some of their students in special education. This district was worried that if they purchased iPads for students with special needs, then they would have to buy them for every student. Instead of buying something for a few hundred dollars that is proving to be a revolutionary aid to communication, they wanted to spend thousands of dollars on more traditional augmentative communication devices that didn't "look" as trendy, but cost many times more than an iPad! But the stories and research about the incredible success children are having using new mainstream, touchscreen devices continue to proliferate. Hopefully, school administrators will step up to the plate and act like the leaders they are paid to be!

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Saturday, May 7, 2011

The Daily Muse: Wretches and Jabberers Released Nation-Wide on May 12th!

"Wretches and Jabberers" is a movie with a funny name, but a serious subject. This documentary movie chronicles an international trip by two older men who have autism. After struggling through life with the symptoms of autism, they both later discovered that they could communicate through typing! This opened up a world of opportunities! The movie is being released in a limited national event on May 12th. Unfortunately, I am not near a city where it is showing, but I hope that it continues to enjoy some popularity and spreads to more cities! You can find out where it is showing here. I have also embedded the movie trailer for you below. If you are able to go and see it, please come back and let us know what you thought!

The Daily Muse: A Step Forward in Early Detection of Autism

Recent research has been indicating that some lack of joint attention and use of gestures can be a predictor for autism in children as young as 12 months old. A new study coming out reports on a screening program that looked at some of these indicators. The researchers explain that the screening process might not be ready for widespread use, but it is an important milestone in making the process a reality. The story is brought to you by FoxNews.

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Tuesday, April 26, 2011

The Daily Muse: PBS Discusses Autism

PBS just finished a series of programs on PBS Newshour about autism. Natalie Mullis at KeyChanges Music Therapy Services pointed out that Robert MacNeil received some criticism for his handling of certain questions during the show. He is supposed to address some of the feedback on the show tonight. It will be interesting to see how this is handled. The show was actually a series of broadcasts about autism and covered a wide range of topics related to autism spectrum disorder. I think it was very informative and thought provoking and you can find it here.

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Saturday, April 16, 2011

The Daily Muse: A Music Therapist Explains Why Music Is So Powerful For Some Children With Autism

I recently highlighted The Music Therapy Show with Janice Harris. Not only does Janice have a great weekly blogcast radio show, but she also has a terrific blog! Here is an article she wrote about why music interventions can be so effective in engaging children with autism. Great examples and very easy to understand explanations! She really helps people understand how music makes sense!

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Five Considerations for Autism Awareness Month

I don't usually commemorate national dog catcher's day or beautician's day, although I very much appreciate their contributions to society! There are a few of these modern days of remembrance, however, that should receive some of our attention. Designating February as heart health month makes a certain amount of sense since cardiac disease is one of the most widespread problems in America. I think the month of April also deserves special attention as Autism Awareness Month. I have written many posts about music therapy and working with people who have autism and have often found that specially developed music interventions can be a powerful therapeutic tool for children and adults with this syndrome or anyone with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. Here are five things to think about during this month as we pay special attention to autism:

A Brief Overview of the Son-Rise Program

I presented this for an autism communications class on November 22, 2010.

(Notes: Some of the videos are longer than 2-3 minutes. I used the videos to highlight specific things I was referring to in the presentation and did not always show each video in its entirety. I wanted to have examples of the way the son-rise program suggested setting up the "playroom" and what it looks like when the teacher or parent "joins" in with the child in behaviors. You may want to watch 2-3 minutes of each video and then move along in order to better recreate the sense of the live presentation. Enjoy!)

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