There are many different ways a person with autism can be affected by music. For example, certain music can foster a desire to communicate with others.  This is often in due part because music can help break the patterns of social isolation. Music can also be used to motivate spontaneous movements while...

I believe that love and learning are two experiences a child shouldn’t have to earn. Sometimes life presents you with learning opportunities quite naturally, like when you touch something hot it hurts, or when you stay up late for too many nights your attention starts to blur. Another form of learning...

I have now been in the music therapy business for 17 years. A lot has happened in this time.  Back in 1991 faxes were still being well-used, email was not a household term and most people still had a cassette player handy. No one knew what an MP3 player was, let alone an iPod. Pearl Jam, and Nirvana...

During a particularly difficult time for me at a personal level (I was working many long hours while attempting to care for my two young children then 4 and 5) I began to feel overwhelmed and out of touch with what was important.  I know there are many of you in this position – managing work, obligations...

Entrainment is when one vibrating object is placed next to another vibrating object and they both move towards becoming the same vibration.  It is also known as phase-locking or a sympathetic response. As you can imagine, entrainment can have its benefits as well as some difficulties depending on what...

A quick visit to Wikipedia describes “communication as the process of transferring information from a sender to a receiver with the use of a medium in which the communicated information is understood by both sender and receiver.” Communication therefore requires that all parties understand the common...

Early one Thursday morning I was referred to a patient on the Mental Health Inpatient Unit at a local hospital. As one would expect I went into the unit anticipating to work with someone coping with depression or psychosis. What I didn’t expect was an 6 foot, 18 year old boy who immediately presented...

Music as therapy is becoming the new “it” discussion. With high profile books such as Oliver Sack’s “Musicophilia” and Daniel Levitin’s bestseller “This is Your Brain on Music,” music as therapy is making its’ way into mainstream media. Both books identify music as a very complex brain...