The Benefits of Music Therapy for Children With Special Needs

In this article I will discuss how music therapy is of benefit to someone with special needs. The reason I am discussing the benefits of music as a therapy for special needs children is because throughout the centuries, music was used as a means for healing. Also there is documented evidence of the benefits of music as a form of intervention to treat a range of physical, emotional and learning disabilities not only in children but in adults also.

This article discusses:

    How is music therapy conducted?
    Why music is of benefit to children with special needs?
    Using music at home for children with special needs

Music therapy can be conducted any number of ways. The qualified therapist will decide the type of music and type of therapy that would best suit the child.

Music therapy can be conducted with just one child or in a group setting. However it must be pointed out that group settings may not suit some special needs conditions especially where there are sensory issues and sensitivity to noise. In this case, the child would get more benefit from a one on one form of therapy where they could explore music at a quieter and uninterrupted level.

The therapist would also decide the type of musical program that would best suit the child's needs. As the child becomes more used to music as a form of intervention, the therapist can expand the musical experiences of the child and try new things.

In a group setting, the therapist would try to match similar needs of children in the same group so the entire group would benefit.

The music therapist would play some background music and have a large number of instruments for the children to play with as part of the music therapy. For children to want to do music therapy, it needs to be fun. Different sounds, different instruments and ideally some colour and novelty should be introduced.

The therapist will select the type of the music to use for the treatment and will instruct the children on what to do and when to do it.

When operated by a qualified instructor, many health benefits have been reported for special needs kids. These include greater motor co-ordination, greater sensory awareness, increased self-confidence, greater concentration and improvements in learning ability overall.

At home, do not be afraid to experiment. Classical music has been shown to help with some academic subjects and with keeping calm. Try keeping music in the background which is uplifting for day time and calming for night-time. Give your child a choice in the type of music they would like to hear and rotate the music from time to time to give your child new experiences.

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