Fw: running the show...

[Dori Berger]

Dear Carla:
First, you might want to jot down the name of my soon-to-be
released book: Music Therapy, Sensory Integration and The
Autistic Child, published by Jessica Kingsley (London).  Should be available
by year's end.  I think it will help you organize your 'goals' for special
needs kids.
Let me recommend the following:
      1.  Divide your job descriptions in two:
                    ---  music 'therapy' for special objectives;
                    ---  music 'enrichment' for social skills development.
IEP's are only required for 'special needs' students.  Those IEP's
will involve sensory, physiologic, self-control, attention, language
issues, among other things.   These are difficult to accommodate
in group settings.   Your administrators must understand that
'progress' depends on "intensity of intervention".  Goals for
individual therapy differ from goals in groups, by definition!  This
might change their minds as to how your time is best used.

        2.  Specific music 'therapy' groups should NOT be larger
than 5 students, at most 6 with aides to assist.   There is no way
that a therapist can achieve any goal if most of the time is spent
corralling kids and sustaining attention.   So if you separate 'therapy'
from 'enrichment',  you can specifically identify those 20 or so kids
that need 'therapy'  for goal documentation,  and those that can
benefit from simple 'enrichment' activities.   (Of course everyone
benefits from music anyway, it's a question of accountability).
I've had 'enrichment' groups that were integrated with higher-functioning
special needs kids.   This worked well because role-modeling was effective
in assisting high-functioning special needs.
These groups were no larger than 18-children, however.  And, activities were
strictly 'enrichment'.  For the special needs kids in these groups, my goals
were simple:  social interaction,  positive imitation and interaction with
peer,  language development, and physical coordination, (I do lots of
movement activities with large groups), attention, following directives,
modulating to changes,
self-expression, feelings recognition, etc.  These are goals that everyone
can participate in, but address special needs deficits
of the higher functioning special needs child. (even those with
physical disabilities).

         3.  Your 30-hours should include planning and logging time,
and not be all contact time.   This will burn you out in twelve minutes.
And a student cannot benefit from your knowledge if you're not up
to par.

          4.  So far, I have found formal "testing" to be totally
irrelevant.  The best "testing" is to develop tasks that will point out
specific deficits that need to be addressed.  (My book explains how to
assess what you're looking at!).   That means, looking at things like:  does
the child have auditory sensitivities and other hearing issues;  is there
eye-hand coordination,  is there eye-contact with a task (i.e., does the
child look at his hands while playing a xylophone, for instance);  how does
the child move;  is there a mid-line orientation;  can the child play the
drums bilaterally (moving arms parallel, and alternately), and a myriad of
other aspects involving sensory and physiologic issues.
If a child has sensory and physiologic deficits,  these needs to be
addressed BEFORE any cognitive issues, since the brain is too busy focusing
on keeping the body upright and moving in space!

Lots, and lots to think about.  I suggest you have discussions with the OT
and PT's, to determine their evaluation of physical needs.   This should
guide you in your own assessment (not testing, but assessing) so you can
better understand what a child's "behavior" or "response" is about,
physiologically.   (Wish my book were out already!).

This is a started kit.  I urge you not to rely on arbitrary tests.  To date,
there are no good tests to assess music therapy needs.   It's not that
"a kid cannot keep a beat",   but rather,  WHY the kid cannot keep a
beat, how does that implicate other things, and what can you, with music, do
about that.

Hope this helps rather than further confuse you.

Best of luck,
Dori Berger, MA  MT-BC,  author,
      Music Therapy, Sensory Integration and The Autistic Child
         (in publication, Jessica Kingsley Publishers, UK).
      Toward The Zen of Performance:  Music Improvisation Therapy
        for the Development of Self-Confidence in the Performer
           (1999, MMB Music, St.Louis).  (may be viewed on Amazon)
dsberger@mags.net
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Carla Durham <musicladycarla@webtv.net>
>To: mt-pro@lists.shsu.edu <mt-pro@lists.shsu.edu>
>Date: Wednesday, September 05, 2001 11:00 PM
>Subject: running the show...
>
>
>I need some advice...
>I am MT-BC employed by the  public school system in my town for 30 hours
>a week.  The school  wants me to target kids with autism, non-verbal,
>and developmental students.  This year starts my second year here.  I
>have the only program in the public schools in the state of Alabama and
>do not have anyone to look to here as an example.  Currently I have 63
>students (only 20 of those have autism), 2 pre-school classes, and 3
>music classes at the developmental program in the high school.  I see
>those students 2 times a week for thirty minutes in a group setting.  I
>am VERY overloaded.  I have consulted the MT & Special Education book
>sold by AMTA.  I follow the guidelines from AMTA about writing
>Individual Education Plans and being involved on that team and would
>like a music therapist who shares that same philosophy to help me narrow
>down my program.    The assessment I wrote was geared towards children
>with autism and the scores vary depending on functioning level.  Is
>there another test that will help me limit my numbers?  I am talking to
>a speech therapist at my school as well as my boss but need help from
>fellow professionals.
>What is a normal case load for a 30 hour a week MT?  I feel the group
>sizes are too big-what is best size and how can I make groups smaller
>when the kids I see at school are seen by not only me, but a load of
>other people as well.   I want to be effective with therapy but the
>numbers are not allowing that to happen at the moment.   Thank you for
>your time.
>Sincerely,
>Carla Durham, MT-BC
>
>
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