Last week I spoke about the significance of intrinsic motivation. This is important not just for children on the spectrum, but for all. This week, I would like to write about the significance of “active participation.”  Lets begin with a definition of “active participation.” When I looked up the definition, this is what I found:… Read more »

I think on an intuitive level, all can agree on the importance of an activity being intrinsically motivating. But why, why is it important? To begin, we all know, that it is almost effortless to engage in an activity that we truly enjoy. We seek out those activities, healthy activities, that we are good at,… Read more »

  I recently read a post on differing approaches to working with autism that is not exposed to parents and caretakers. As I commented on the post, it got me thinking about the fact that autism, like anything else in a family, affects the whole family.  Autism by its nature not only isolates the child,… Read more »

I spotted an article written by another Music Therapist entitled “Music Therapists Do It Differently,” by Rachel Norman (http://soundscapemusictherapy.com/2013/10/14/music-therapists-do-it-differently/ )  The article is about how when walking by a Music Therapy room it may only look like people are having fun, playing, or singing along with the music, but there is much more going on… Read more »

This week, Music Therapy once again exhilarated and moved me. However, this week I was only the observer, not the one conducting the session. I remembered being a college student and going away to the regional Music Therapy conferences, and for a few days, being away from the academic responsibilities, not yet being a Music… Read more »

There are several elements of music that Music Therapists employ in order to meet and accompany our clients in movement forward. This week, the element of rhythm and its importance in forward movement seemed to be a theme for my week.  All of life happens in a rhythm, appropriate for the situation: night to day,… Read more »

As the little boy continues the game of “I want blue truck,” and rolls the truck as the therapist puts both parts to a tune, the little boy quickens the process to see if the therapist will continue to follow him and giggles. “She is still playing with me!” He has initiated an activity in… Read more »

Does music help a child relate to others? How can music help us relate to others?  I noticed an article by Oliver Sacks this week that was very relevant to my thoughts on the subject. The article “The Musical Brain: Novel Study of Jazz Players Shows Common Brain Circuitry Process in Both Music, Language” essentially… Read more »

Last week, after writing my blog, I asked my son to edit it before he left for school. He said, “Sure, but would you get my guitar first?” I thought he was going to take it to school, so I asked if he needed his case. He replied, “No, I need it so I don’t freak… Read more »

Imagine a world where we asked our kids to do something and they did it right away, happily and without reserve or complaint. As parents, teachers or other authority figures, there are days where one may wonder, is this even possible? Is it possible that kids can move forward and take care of responsibility independently… Read more »