Category Archives: Past Posts

Midwestern Region recap

We are both in the Midwestern region of the American Music Therapy Association, which is small, but mighty in terms of research. In this podcast we recap concurrent sessions highlighting research by professionals, the student research session, and the importance of research into music therapy education. We also recorded a podcast with Janice Harris from the Music Therapy Show, so check that out as well.

Sensory and ASD

In the process of writing a grant application for a music therapy research project focused on ASD, I have been reading a lot of current research. Something that has been more prevalent in the research over the past two years is a consideration of sensory needs in ASD (see Kwakye et al., 2011 or Marco et al., 2011 to read about sensory and autism). Within this literature I found two articles investigating sensory supports for children with ASD.  Continue reading

Should We Challenge Our Ideas About ASD?

A recent article challenges us to take a different look at autism – to consider that the typical approach may not be the only or the most effective approach in treating children who have an ASD.  This week we’ll consider this perspective and look at a few non-music research studies that challenge how we typically think of ASD. Continue reading

MT for Children with CP: Study of Patterned Sensory Enhancement

One of the movements that can be worked on in the music therapy session is the sit-to-stand. This movement not only involves a large amount of muscular control, but also involves balance, making it difficult for persons who have motor impairments. This week we will look at a study of Patterned Sensory Enhancement (PSE) for the loaded sit-to-stand movement in children with Cerebral Palsy (CP).  Continue reading