autism

Do Behavior-Based Therapies Work?

July 6, 2011
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I recently read an interesting article on one of my favorite blogs, Reports from a Resident Alien. In this article the blogger, a college-aged woman with Asperger’s, is complaining about the prevalent use of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) as a therapy approach for autism.
(ABA, for those who don’t know, is a highly popular therapy that [...]

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Book Review: House Rules by Picoult

May 4, 2011
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I’m on a bit of a Picoult kick right now. Years ago, I read My Sister’s Keeper and loved it. Last month I read my second Picoult book, Sing You Home, and loved it. And now I have just finished reading my third Picoult novel, House Rules, and wouldn’t you know?
I loved it.
The basic premise [...]

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How Should We View Autism?

February 2, 2011
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There’s an alien living in Ohio.
Well, not really, but the blogger at Reports from a Resident Alien calls herself…well, a “resident alien.” And she admits in her tagline that “(t)his ‘Earth’ place sure is weird.”
Reports from a Resident Alien is one of my favorite blogs. Chaotic Idealism (her user name) lives with autism and blogs [...]

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[Video] The “Right-Left” Song: An Intervention for Children

June 10, 2010

One of my readers, Jeremy, left a comment awhile back asking me to share a song/intervention he’d heard me describe before: the “Right-Left” song. Well, Jeremy…here it is!
I can’t take credit for writing the “Right-Left” song–a wonderful music therapist named Michelle Hardy wrote it. I heard her describe it in a workshop several years ago, [...]

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71 Things Everyone Ought to Know About the Brain (Part 2)

November 12, 2009

This post is the second in a two-part series of ideas, facts, and resources all about the brain. They are based on a workshop I attended last weekend called “Linking Neuroscience to Clinical Practice.” The fabulous speaker was Dr. Martha Burns.
The first article, published on Tuesday, listed the first 35 points.
71 Fun Facts About the [...]

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The Traumatized Brain: Discover 3 Ideas that Will Change How You Work With Clients

November 5, 2009

If you are a music therapist, you probably know that our national conference is next week in San Diego (Yay!). This will be a time for us to learn, meet-and-greet, and get inspired being around like-minded people. There are hundreds of presentations and so many people to connect with–I can’t wait!!!
On Saturday November 14, I’ll [...]

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Mr. Teachout, Here’s Why We DO Need to Know About the Power of Music

November 3, 2009

A couple weeks ago, an article titled “The Mystery of Music: What about it has such power over human beings?” appeared in the Wall Street Journal. The author, Terry Teachout, wondered why it’s important for us to understand music’s effect on our emotions (he was inspired by a study showing that music can influence a [...]

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Autism, Dying, Newsletters, Cancer, Alzheimer’s, SmartPhones, & Streakers

September 8, 2009

(And, yes, I somehow manage to touch on ALL these topics in this post. Keep reading…)
NEWSLETTERS
I am very excited to announce the launch of the Music Therapy Maven email newsletter! This newsletter is easy to subscribe to (just fill in your name and email address below) and absolutely free. Each newsletter will include original content [...]

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Crossing the Midline: What’s the Big Deal?

May 21, 2009

Crossing the midline.
That’s a goal (or objective) frequently used in music therapy sessions. I have used it for children with autism, children with developmental disabilities, and for trauma-influenced children. It also seems to be a common therapeutic goal for occupational therapists.
A Sample Intervention
There’s an intervention I use in my weekly sessions with trauma-influenced kids. I [...]

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