Music Therapy, Sensory Integration and the Autistic Child

256 Pages·2002·5.97 MB·English

by  Dorita S. Berger

Music Therapy, Sensory Integration

and the Autistic Child
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Music Therapy, Sensory Integration
and the Autistic Child
Dorita S. Berger
Jessica Kingsley Publishers
London and New York
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any
material form (including photocopying or storing it in any medium by
electronic means and whether or not transiently or incidentally to some other
use of this publication) without the written permission of the copyright owner
except in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and
Patents Act 1988 or under the terms of a licence issued by the Copyright
Licensing Agency Ltd, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London, England W1P
9HE. Applications for the copyright owner’s written permission to reproduce
any part of this publication should be addressed to the publisher.
Warning: The doing of an unauthorised act in relation to a copyright work
may result in both a civil claim for damages and criminal prosecution.
The right of Dorita S. Berger to be identified as author of this work has been
asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act
1988.
First published in the United Kingdom in 2002 by
Jessica Kingsley Publishers Ltd
116 Pentonville Road, London
N1 9JB, England
and
29 West 35th Street, 10th fl.
New York, NY 10001-2299, USA
© Copyright 2002 Dorita S. Berger
Foreword © copyright Donna Williams
Second impression 2003
www.jkp.com
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
A CIP catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 1 84310 700 7
Printed and Bound in Great Britain by
Athenaeum Press, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear
In memory of my parents, Charlotte and Leon Schneck –

two special people who taught me to inquire
Contents

Foreword 11
Preface 13
1 Introduction: Who Defines “Appropriate”? 17
What’s in a “label”?
What determines “right” and “wrong” responses?
The brain does not know that it does not know
2 Aspects of Autism 26
General characteristics of autism
Autistic “aloneness”
Desire for sameness and structure
Learning to translate autistic behavior
References
Recommended reading
3 Aspects of Sensory Integration 35
Our emotional brains
The journey begins
From RAS to Ring
Filing into memory
Primary, secondary and tertiary memory
Opening the gates to learning – the neo-cortex
Touring the neo-cortex landscape
Sensory interpretation is individual
References
Recommended reading
4 Functional Adaptation Defined 49
Four basic human survival needs
Three basic levels of physiologic adaptation
Music Therapy for conditioned adaptive accommodation
References
5 Understanding Basic Sensory Systems 61
The vestibular system
The proprioceptive system
The tactile system
Visual and auditory sensory systems
The visual system
References
6 Are You Listening? 78
Part One: About Hearing and Listening
Audition – the act of hearing
It’s all in our heads
The coding of sound
Auditory scanning
Two ears, two sounds?
Sound coding tango
Hearing for patterns
“Hearing” and “Listening”
Dimensional hearing
Auditory integration
Recommended reading
7 Are You Listening? 91
Part Two: Dimensional Hearing and Erroneous Assumptions
About Jason
Some common erroneous assumptions
Auditory tracking
Auditory discrimination and memory
Auditory figure-ground
Auditory focus
Auditory depth perception and auditory sound location
Auditory integration reviewed
Jason revisited
Integration of auditory and visual processes
Auditory-motor coordination
References
Recommended reading
8 Elements of Music for Sensory Adaptation 112
Rhythm
Components of rhythm
Melody
Harmony
Timbre
Dynamics
Form
Review
References
Recommended reading
9 Music Therapy in the Realm of Sensory Integration 130
Integrating physiologic knowledge with therapy approaches
Evaluating physiology for adaptive goals
Aspects of music therapy treatment
Instruments for sensory integration goals
Instruction as therapy
Summary
Recommended reading
10 Formulating Music Therapy Treatment for Sensory
Adaptation Goals 152
Rhythm internalization
Adaptive responses to environment of auditory and visual stimuli
Auditory integration and discrimination
Auditory-physical integration, motor planning, vestibular actions,
body coordination in space

Auditory-visual integration: see-hear sound

Auditory-mental-physical coordination

Pacing of body movements, breath

Sequencing

Limit-setting and behavioral redirection

Creativity, self-initiative, task organization

Speech and language

Music therapy support for cognitive and allied therapies goals
How much therapy is enough?
11 Conclusion 166
We are emotional animals
Mind and emotion
Music in human adaptation
A word about group therapy
Finally…
Recommended reading
APPENDIX A THE ROLE OF MUSIC IN PHYSIOLOGIC
ACCOMMODATION, DANIEL J. SCHNECK AND DORITA S. BERGER 176
APPENDIX B SAMPLE ASSESSMENTS AND PROGRESS REPORTS 193
BIBLIOGRAPHY 237
INDEX 245