MUSIC

THERAPY
AUTISM
ALZHEIMER/ DEMENTIA
DYSLEXIA
INTRODUCTION
DEFINITION OF MUSIC THERAPY
1. According to the Canadian Association for Music Therapy
(CAMT), music therapy is defined as the skilful use of music and
musical elements by an accredited music therapist. Music therapy
combines music with the personal qualities of the therapist in order to
rehabilitate, maintain, and improve the lives of persons with emotional,
cognitive, social, spiritual, psychological and physical needs.

2. Music possesses the following characteristics which makes it
a valuable therapeutic tool. Music reflects the entire spectrum of human
emotions, it is a form of expression that is nonverbal; it can reduce
anxiety and tension, it can help induce sleep, provide tools for pain
management, and it promotes relaxation. Music can speak on
emotional, intellectual and physical levels, and can break down cultural
and/or linguistic barriers while uniting people in a common experience.
DEFINITION TO AUTISM,
ALZHEIMER/DEMENTIA AND
DYSLEXIA
Autism is a mental condition, present from early childhood,
characterized by great difficulty in communicating and forming
relationships with other people and in using language and
abstract concepts.

The term 'dementia' describes a set of symptoms which can
include loss of memory, mood changes, and problems with
communication and reasoning. These symptoms occur when
the brain is damaged by certain diseases and conditions,
including Alzheimer's disease.

Dyslexia is a disorder that involve difficulty in learning to read
or interpret words, letters, and other symbols, but that do not
affect general intelligence.

( AUTISM,
ALZHEIMER)
Music therapy can stimulate individuals to reduce negative
and/or self-stimulatory responses and increase participation
in more appropriate and socially acceptable ways.
- Hard time with socio emotional functions
- Musical instruments can be used as a buffer
- Positive changes in mood and emotional states
- Opportunities to interact socially with others
A study published in the Journal of Applied Behavioural
Analysis states that music therapy can help dramatically
reduce vocal stereotypy (repetitive singing, snorting, and
slurring)
(AUTISM, ALZHEIMER)
Music therapy can enable those without verbal language to
communicate, participate and express themselves non-
verbally. Music therapy also assists in the development of
verbal communication, speech, and language skills.
- Difficulties with communication lies in their fundamental
inability to understand and use symbols and their
representations
- Using familiar songs can soothe and take the edge of
difficult moments (verbal communication failed).
(AUTISM, ALZHEIMER)
Memory recall which contributes to reminiscence and
satisfaction with life.
- Patients have poor memory recall.
- Musical memory refers to the ability to remember music-
related information, such as melodic content and other
progressions of tones or pitches.
- Hearing to favorite songs, plays musical instrument to
increase better development rhythm, timing and
coordination.
- Patients enjoy and happy, gives more input to relaxation.
(AUTISM, ALZHEIMER)
Music provides concrete, multi-sensory stimulation (auditory,
visual, proprioceptive, vestibular, and tactile).
- Our ears probably provides second most vibrant source of
sensory stimulation.
- Auditory stimulation - for mood enhancement, relaxation,
and cognition.
- Natural sounds - for mood and meditation. (rain, wind
blowing through pine trees)
- Mozart symphony (to stimulate cognition), and the
favourite music is best to stimulate reminiscence.
- Therefore, a variety of sound stimulation is important.
(DYSLEXIA)
There is no relationship between a lack of musical ability (or
amusia) and dyslexia.
- Morais et al. (2010) - music (tones) and language
(phonological units) are different.
- They present the argument that the inability to
discriminate pitch (amusia) had no bearings on ability to
understand phonology (i.e., persons who are deaf who
read).
(DYSLEXIA)
Three reasons why the theory that music training helps with
dyslexia is wrong:
1) the quality of studies that make that claim are poor;
2) the current studies imply causality when, in fact, they
only show an association;
3) a couple of studies have shown there is no link between
ability to hear (e.g. with Deaf children) and the ability to
read.
(DYSLEXIA)
The development of the ability to operate explicitly on
phonemes and syllables with the development of the ability
to operate explicitly with notes and intervals
- Children with dyslexia performed poorly on phonological
tasks and musical tasks.
- Music, through its ability to be "emotional," may be very
useful for "motivational support" in speech therapy.

IN MY OPINION
AGREE THAT :
- Music therapy really helps patients with autism and
Alzheimer.
- Improves the memory of patients through multi-sensory
stimulation.
- Increase the accuracy of coordination, timing and the
rhythm of patients memory

IN MY OPINION
I DO NOT AGREE THAT:
- There is no relationship between a lack of musical ability
(or amusia) and dyslexia.
- Any attempts to treat dyslexia through music therapy are
unwarranted.
- The quality of studies that make that claim are poor, the
current studies imply causality when, in fact, they only
show an association, a couple of studies have shown
there is no link between ability to hear.
- Music, through its ability to be "emotional," may be very
useful for "motivational support" in speech therapy.
IN MY OPINION
REASONS:
- Relationship between musical ability and dyslexia
Research has shown, in fact, that children with dyslexia have
a harder time discriminating between different auditory cues.
This deficit appears to be related to their dyslexia since the
ability to discriminate the onset of a sound is a precursor to
the ability to discriminate phonemes (Goswami 2009).
Translation: there is still hope that music training (especially
the ability to discriminate pitch differences) may help with
phoneme discrimination.
REASONS:
- There is a difference between music training and music
therapy.
Music training involves any and all aspects of learning
music: playing an instrument, music theory, singing, reading
music, and writing music.
Music therapy involves the application of music-based
interventions on non-musical treatment goals.
Music therapy is "musician-proof" and has nothing to do with
the musical ability of the patients.
REASONS:
-The idea that music therapy "works" only because of the
association between music and language.
Music therapy works because many of the brain processes
shared with the brain processes used to process music
(Language is just one of them).
Music - touches on brain areas responsible for motor
movement, coordination and balance, emotional regulation,
language production, executive functioning, auditory
processing, learning and memory, state regulation, and a
host more.
CONCLUSION
1. Music therapy works on a number of different levels and in a
number of different ways.
2. It has been proven that music, especially pieces with a strong
rhythmical element, can affect heart rate and breathing, and
promote the release of endorphins, or natural painkillers.
3. It has also been shown to reduce muscle tension, and can be very
helpful in promoting relaxation.
4. Music can also be helpful in releasing memories or negative
feelings that may have been repressed, which can help to change
behaviours and affect behavioural issues.
5. Playing music can also improve skills such as communication and
physical coordination.
6. Music influence on our brain - music therapy can be used to target
physical, sensory, cognitive, emotional, regulatory, and
psychosocial goals.

Thank You