Music Therapy And Individuals With Disabilities
Everyone loves music and many are aware of the therapeutic effect that comes from a favorite tune in a time of stress. People spend more than 30% of their time on their smart devices in audio apps like Spotify, so we know music is important to humans. For individuals with developmental disabilities, such as autism, music is a powerful therapeutic and educational tool. As both a learning tool and a tool for emotional and behavioral interventions, music therapy is an important and welcome addition to any therapy services program. As Lexington Therapy Services expands, we are happy to add music therapy to the list of programs we have to help influence positive changes in the lives of our members. Music therapy is something we are very excited about, but many people don’t know what the program entails, so we wanted to fill our readers in on what music therapy is and why it’s an important program at Lexington.
What Is Music Therapy?
Music therapy is a well established therapeutic technique that uses musical interactions to help an individual improve a specific function or set of functions. Music therapy should not be confused with musical instruction, which uses music in order to develop skills with an instrument or the voice. Instead, music therapy uses musical exercises to help individuals develop communication and social skills, behavior and emotional skills, and even motor skills. Music experiences are used to reinforce positive outcomes, all while enjoying the experiential benefits of music.
What Can A Musical Therapist Do?
Similar to other therapy services offered at Lexington, our music therapy program takes members through individual assessments and figures out what approach would work the best for them and then builds a therapeutic treatment plan using evidence-based practices to influence positive growth. A therapist might use simple songs, pieces or musical styles to suit or even influence the mood of a member and this data can be used to reinforce emotional and behavioral responses. Music therapy can be used to improve speech through custom written songs that isolate and encourage speech sounds, increase fine and gross motor skills with percussion, and even put academic information into the form of song to help with retention. A musical therapist might also use instruments or their own voice to respond to members and encourage them to create a sort of musical language, which encourages confidence, communication and a wide range of emotional response. Music therapy is very diverse and can help people improve in a range of areas.
Music Therapy At Lexington
Music therapy can be extremely beneficial for people with developmental disabilities, so Lexington Therapy Services is excited to announce that we have a dedicated music therapy program right here in the valley! Would you like to inquire about enrollment or get some more information? Contact Lexington Services now at 623-850-8420 or send us an email to therapy@lexingtonservi.wpengine.com to find out more!