Dementia, a group of symptoms that affects social skills and memory to the point of hindering daily functioning, affects millions of older adults throughout the world. In Taiwan, approximately 5% of the aging population is diagnosed with dementia. Symptoms may include problems with memory, agitated behaviors, and negative emotion. Caretakers have identified agitated behaviors as the most challenging in caring for older adults with dementia, and many have been admitted to residential facilities for this reason. Effective interventions that minimize agitated behaviors is needed for the safety and comfort of both older adults with dementia and their caregivers. Traditionally, agitated behaviors have been managed with physical restraints or antipsychotic drugs.…
We all need to communicate. For most of us, that includes talking, listening, and paying attention to body language to name a few. An individual with a communication disorder has difficulty in one or more of those areas. They may not be able to read body language or have difficulty in speaking or simply cannot hear due to a hearing loss. A study entitled “Do Communication Disorders Extend to Musical Messages? An Answer from Children with Hearing Loss or Autism Spectrum Disorders” was conducted by a team of researchers at the University of Iowa and published in February of 2015. They wanted to “[compare] recognition of symbolic representation of emotions…
Continue readingCognitive abilities, including language, are deeply affected by Alzheimer’s disease, which is a progressive neurological disease. Areas of language that are commonly affected include naming, fluency, comprehension, and spontaneous speech. Since communication is an important part of social interaction, these language problems often lead to isolation for people with Alzheimer’s disease. Something can be done to address these social and communication needs. The quality of life can be improved for people with Alzheimer’s disease through increased social interaction and enabling them to remain socially engaged. One way to do this is by engaging them in conversations that, with appropriate prompts, enable them to recall and describe personal stories. Using music…
Continue readingThe term “iso principle” is unique to the field of music therapy. It was first introduced in the late 1940’s by Altshuler as a method of mood management in which the music therapist provides music that matches their client’s mood, then gradually changes the music to help the client shift to a different mood. While Altshuler’ original “iso principle” method involved a system of programmed classical music, the term has a much broader scope now. In its most basic sense, the iso principle means meeting your clients wherever they are at that current moment. If a music therapist is working with a hospice patient who is in a depressive state,…
Continue readingResearch indicates that music therapy can improve social skills in children with autism, however the researchers felt that more information was needed on the use of music therapy interventions to determine the impact of group music therapy. The objective of this study was to examine the effects of a music therapy group intervention on eye gaze, joint attention, and initiation of communication in children with ASD. These three behaviors were chosen to be able to measure specific responses that fall into the category of “social behaviors.” Social skills demand the interplay of perceiving multiple sources of sensory stimuli, placing context to understand the intentions of others, formulating a response, and then…
Continue readingBullying is a serious issue facing youth today. Bullying can lead to problems with socialization, anger issues, and an increase in behavior problems. Bullying is defined as “repeated act of intimidation or attack involving an imbalance of power with the intention to intimidate or cause harm to the victim.” Shafer & Silverman looked into music therapy intervention for bullies and victims of bullying and reported their findings in the November 2013 issue of The Arts in Psychotherapy. This was one of the first articles regarding music therapy and its potential for helping bullies and their victims. Music therapy techniques can be applied in school settings and may be effective when…
Continue readingAnyone who has interacted with typically-developing young children knows the benefits of imitating their actions. When a child realizes that someone else copied what she just did, she might look at the person in surprise, laugh, and do the action again to see if the same result will occur. The skills that are being supported here are attention, social interaction, and communication, which are important to a child’s development. Young children with autism have difficulty with social interactions, reciprocal communication, and joint attention. It has been observed that they also have undeveloped imitation skills. Sanefuji & Ohgami (2013) examined whether using a “being-imitated” strategy had developmental effects on the behavior…
Continue readingLosing a loved one is hard. For an individual with intellectual disabilities (ID), manifestation may come in unusual behaviors. Since the advancement of medical science, life spans have increased, including those with ID. Deinstitutionalization, which took place in the 80’s, allowed individuals with ID to leave large institutions, and live with loved ones or in small group homes where long-lasting relationships form. Unusual behaviors, such as the inability to communicate their feelings or “acting out”, exhibited by an individual with ID cause concern for caregivers and therapists. Some caregivers may feel that since the individual with ID may not understand, they may not allow them to participate in the planning…
Continue readingJoint attention is a skill that is learned at a young age and occurs when two people share a common focus on and interest in an object, event, or person due to one person alerting another. This skill can emerge as early as nine months of age and should be well-established by 18 months of age. Joint attention involves social and communication skills, and these cannot develop well without acquisition of joint attention. Children with autism have deficits in social and communication skills, and many speculate that an interruption in the development of joint attention in these children contributes to these deficits. Therefore, it is important to encourage the development…
Continue readingLaGasse, A. B. (2014). Effects of a music therapy group intervention on enhancing social skills in children with autism. Journal of Music Therapy, 51(3), pp. 250-275. Once again, we find ourselves looking for research that supports the effectiveness of music therapy with individuals on the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). This article examines specifically at how music therapy can make a difference in social skills training. Dr. LaGasse, a well-known researcher in the field of music therapy and autism, was able to complete this research funded by the Flagler Flutz Research Fund sponsored by the American Music Therapy Association. Located at Colorado State University, Dr. LaGasse used research assistants, other music…
Continue reading