Music is more than just a fun thing to do with your child. Music is therapy. A therapy that can increase communication, socialization and support the communication goals of your child at TLC! Music Therapy helps with:
- Communication
- Socialization
- Gross and Fine Motor Skills
- Emotional Expression
Music Therapy Defined
Music Therapy is an established health profession in which music is used within a therapeutic relationship to address physical, emotional, cognitive, and social needs of individuals. Music therapy provides avenues for communication that can be helpful to those who find it difficult to express themselves in words. Research in music therapy supports its effectiveness in many areas such as: facilitating movement, increasing children’s motivation to become engaged in their treatment, providing emotional support for children and their families, and providing an outlet for expression of feelings.
Use Music For…
Communication and Socialization
When you are singing songs at home with your child choose a certain/ or certain words to leave out and have them fill in the blank in the song: This not only has your child verbalizing/ vocalizing words but also demonstrates their receptive abilities and that they are listening to you and capable of call and response. Think of it like conversation through song. Adding pitch or tone to words helps create a target for the brain, making the word retrieval or imitation easier.
Motor Skills
Let the instrument help your child stretch and grow. Move the instrument above them, below them then right to left to get gross motor movement across the body plains. It’s also a wonderful opportunity to practice location phrases. Let your child grasp a shaker or a mallet. Think of this as beginning practice for holding a fork or pencil correctly and independently.
Emotional Regulation
Music can be a great way to validate how your child is feeling and express those feelings in a creative way. Find music that matches their mood and encourage that expression. Your child can communicate those feelings through the music when they might not be able to use their words. This provides your child with a feeling of being understood and heard.
If you’re interested in more cutting edge information helping ensure your kids reach their full potential please sign up for TLC’s email list. As a special gift from TLC Speech Language Therapy we’ll send you our Birth to 5 communication milestone chart. It’s information you can use!
