Music Therapy by Larissa Woitulewicz MT-BC

Music therapy is not music lessons.  It is not just listening to music.   It is not just the introduction of a variety of musical forms to a student.

Music therapy IS an established health care profession along the same spectrum as speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapies and other creative arts therapies.  It uses music to address physical, emotional, cognitive and social needs of ALL ages.  Music therapy improves the quality of life for persons who are well and meets the needs of children and adults with disabilities  or illness...    American Music Therapy Association, 2009

In music therapy sessions, music is the primary tool used by a qualified practitioner to hep students achieve individualized non-musical goals and objectives.  At our school, the music therapist primarily addresses the unique cognitive, physical, communicative, daily functioning and social needs of the students to help them achieve and maintain maximum levels of functioning.  

Music therapy sessions are designed to create fun, successful, process-oriented experiences that can motivate students, while offering a unique and interactive medium for the students to develop skills that may be more difficult for the student to achieve using other approaches.

Finding cheap therapeutic items around the house

One of the amazing helpful items I use with my students is the stretchy shelf liner that can be found at a Dollar Store for $1.00 per roll.   This can be cut to size and placed under items on a table, desk or wheelchair tray in order that toys, dishes, bowls, etc. do not move around when someone is trying to utilize them.

Another helpful feeding item for an older child or adult with poor motor skills is a corning ware baking dish.  This dish has sides so food does not escape.   It also has enough weight that it does not move around when a person with poor coordination pushes at it too much.   This tip was given to me by my mother-in-law who is caring for her husband who has had strokes and parkinsons disease.  
                                                                                   
                                                 

For those parents who tube feed

As we all know accidents happen.  Sometimes the "button" that connects to a child's stomach pulls out or pops out.  Sometimes it needs to be  completely replaced.  A lot of doctors, hospitals or pediatricians may not carry the same style or size of g-tube button that you need.  It is very important that you keep an extra or several extras on hand in case of emergency.    Just a reminder to those of you who know and to those of you who didn't realize, it is good information.  I just came across this information in a book about children with Rhetts Syndrome.

Mobile Devices and Communication Apps :: AAC-RERC - Spread the Word

Mobile Devices and Communication Apps :: AAC-RERC - Spread the Word

Easy Resources for Outstanding Teachers--By Miss April Lorraine: Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD)

Easy Resources for Outstanding Teachers--By Miss April Lorraine: Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD): "Sensory integration is a very important part of our daily functioning! Some of us are affected more by sensory stimulation around us, so it ..."

Teaching Learners with Multiple Special Needs: 60 Things to Do With a Single Switch

Teaching Learners with Multiple Special Needs: 60 Things to Do With a Single Switch

stimr.com: Special Needs Children: Developemental Disabled: Small victories

stimr.com: Special Needs Children: Developemental Disabled: Small victories

Eating and feeding the Lili Nielsen Way

 When a child has fewer senses  that she can rely on, we have to be create opportunities for learning with her other senses.  If a child  is blind and has limited hand control, she is often fed by others.   The spoon magically appears, loaded with food after  a minor visual and/or tactile cue.

In order to help one of my students move towards self feeding skills, I have provided her with a spoon to hold in her hand, so she may accidentally "chew" on it.  This spoon can be dipped in food, handed to the child or inserted into her fist.   The child can sometimes end up reaching her own mouth with the spoon resulting in a delightful gustatory treat.  I often do this while I am feeding her with my spoon.

Generally, most know that teaching self feeding to a small child is a messy proposition.   This involves the use of bibs, towels,  food on the floor, spills on yourself and on the child.  The mess involved is no less when a child who is older but also a beginner in the art of eating.

A connection between the food and where it comes from is vital for the novice eater who is visually impaired.   This can be accomplished for child who can eat small chunks of food by sprinkling the food on the tray of a feeding chair, high chair or wheelchair.    The child can be guided to or accidentally "discover" the food that is on her tray.

If a child eats pureed food, this can also spread on her tray for her to dip her hands into and possibly put into her own mouth.  In a more advanced method, the bowl of pureed food can be set on her tray so she can explore the connection between the bowl, the spoon and the food by using her hands to explore what is in the bowl.

One five year old student who used the above method, ended up bathed in pudding, but successfully  fed herself about half of the above mentioned chocolate treat with an adapted spoon.


    
                        
                      

Basics of Active Learning

What is Active Learning?

As the name implies, Active Learning revolves around the learner being active.

Active Learning (AL) ... for Development, with blindness, cerebral palsy, developmental delay, deafblindness,...

There are many of different kinds of "Active Learning" for typical learners. This kind of "Active Learning" is designed for, and reaches learners with significant disabilities.  Originated by Dr. Lilli Nielsen, the Danish expert, AL is suitable for learners who have a developmental age of 4 or under.

http://www.lilliworks.com/AboutActiveLearning.htm

I have been working on my journey towards creating an Active Learning Classroom for almost 4 years.  This method works quite well with the children who I teach, children who are deaf-blind, have cerebral palsey, communicate only with sounds, gestures or eye gaze.

 When I began my journey, I had a fear of hurting the medically fragile children that I was assigned to teach.     As I watched the physical therapist and occupational therapist move the children around, I began to realize that most of the medically fragile children with severe multiple impairments are children first, and belong in environments other than just their wheelchairs.   I started to work with the children not only in their wheelchairs and their standers, but also on the floor.   I demanded that we put the children on the floor for rest time as well as during some of the work time during the day.  I began to work more playfully with them, guided by the Physical Therapist, Speech Therapist, and Occupational Therapist who work with each child.

When I discovered the works of Lili Nielsen I read avidly.  I found out the uses of the Little Room*.  This is the first piece of Lili's equipment that I used.  When creating a Little Room environment or mobiles for children who are multiply impaired, it is important that the developmental level and capabalities of the children using them be considered.   In typically developing children a 6 month old is not to play with a mobile created for a new born, as this 6 month old can now grasp, tear things apart and put them in their mouths.  Using the same idea,  if  working with a child who is blind, and able to grasp to bring things to his or her mouth, the mobile or Little Room should be set up with the safety of the child in mind using nothing that is toxic, a choking hazard, is too sharp or breakable.

 It takes observation to find which things each child responds to.   If you do not have the ability to make or purchase more than one Little Room,  it is important to have interchangeable items so that 

each child is able to have an individual lesson when placed in the Little Room.   This environment is easily prepared for individual children when the items are placed nearby the environment.

For "mobiles" which I have discussed earlier, It is easy to purchased second hand baby "gyms" such as those created by Fischer Price or Playmobile and resdesign them for your particular classroom.   It takes a lot of experimentation to find which items work for which children.   I have used  several sets of metal chimes which are universally enjoyed by the children, but a clay set of chimes does not hold anyone's interest.

It is fun and educational to watch children as they respond to an environment that is more free and allows them to explore at their own pace.   

stimr.com: Playing with Severely Impaired Special Needs Kids ...

This link  and the following links from stimr.com was published from videos shot in my classroom.   William Crandell, my paraprofessional is a creative man who finds multiple ways to play and interact with each child.
He begins with a playful attitude and the faith that each child is an inttelligent and worthy individual.  It makes me smile that his approach to the children comes from the fact that he is a musician, he is playful and he is a father.   He brings creative energy to the class, always trying different ways to elicit responses in the children.
stimr.com: Playing with Severely Impaired Special Needs Kids ...: "As professionals working with children that have severe disabilities we have found that there are ways to play with common toys and connect ..."

stimr.com: Playing with Severely Impaired Special Needs Kids ...

stimr.com: Playing with Severely Impaired Special Needs Kids ...: "As professionals working with children that have severe disabilities we have found that there are ways to play with common toys and connect ..."

stimr.com: Playing with Severely Impaired Special Needs Kids ...

stimr.com: Playing with Severely Impaired Special Needs Kids ...: "As professionals working with children that have severe disabilities we have found that there are ways to play with common toys and connect ..."

stimr.com: Playing with Severely Impaired Special Needs Kids ...

stimr.com: Playing with Severely Impaired Special Needs Kids ...: "As professionals working with children that have severe disabilities we have found that there are ways to play with common toys and connect ..."

More on reading!!!

Since language is very difficult to acquire for a child with severe disabilities, reading is extremely important.  I read to my children as  infants, toddlers,  young preschoolers, elementary aged and up to age 10.   This not only encouraged them to read, but created a rich living vocabulary and imagination that allowed them to express themselves and more ably explore their universe.

We don't know the mental capabilities of these children with severe disabilities.   We do know that sensory and intellectual stimulation on a daily basis is vital for the development of any child.  

A fun way to incorporate language learning into book reading is to incorporate objects, puppets,  switch operated toys, smells,  and motions.  You can then create a kit that will enrich the reading experience as well encourage language development.  

Remember, books are always available at your local library for free.   All you have to do is provide proof of residency.  Extremely low cost books are available at books sales, yard sales and thrift shops.  In this category you have to be patient and it is the "luck of the draw".

An idea for activities and kits:
 The Mitten by Alvin Tresselt
A well written book that I like to read during the winter time to add to my winter themes.  It is based on an old folk tale, involves themes and concepts of winter time dressing,  sharing, winter animals and smaller/ bigger, inside/outside, warm/cold.  The book uses repetitious language and the pictures are simple with clear outlines.    There is another book out based on this folk tale by Jan Brett with beautiful illustrations, but the illustrations are too cluttered for children with possible visual limitations.

Materials:
In order to illustrate some of the concepts used in this book:
*I would have on hand  oversized winter cap, boots, mittens...   Two mittens  in the same color that are child - sized; and one that is adult sized.  

*Small stuffed animals or miniature plastic toys that are similar to the animals in the story

                                   *for children with visual impairments, recorded sounds from the animals in the story as well as tactile samples of furs similar to the fur of the animals in the story; this would also work for children who are visually/auditorially impaired

                                   *Optional - a pan of snow or ice cubes

How to do it:

You act the story :

Talk about cold and the weather outside.  Allow the children to interact with the snow or ice cubes; at least allow the cold to briefly touch a child.  Vocabulary:  Winter, cold, ice, snow, BRRR

Talk about what we wear in the winter:   vocabulary:  hat, mittens, boots, coat scarf
When you introduce the word, allow the child to feel the object, play with it.   Place the object on the child so they know what you do with it.   Help them feel where it is.

When you read the story, use the objects to enhance the reading of the story.   Start the story with all of the children wearing two mittens, when the child loses a mitten, have the children "lose" one of their mittens.

Continue reading the story to the end, using the miniature animals, allowing the children to feel before placing them in the mitten.  Children can help to place the animals in the mitten.  Have them feel the mitten get bigger and bigger.   At the end of the story,  pop a balloon and have the animals fly all over the place.

You can add to the story by reading extra stories about the different animals, introducing them one by one, having the children touch good quality representations of the animals, as well as fur types from the different types of animals.  Online videos are excellent for this.

For further language development, add one or two step push button talkers that allow the children to "read" the repetitious parts of the story.

Use your imagination, have fun.   You can even write your own version of this story using your child's name and the animals they wish to use.   You can do this online or with paper and pencil and crayons or cutout pics from magazines or the internet.