The Use of ABA in Music Therapy

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is an approach used with children with communication and language disorders. Dr. Hayoung Lim, Director of Music Therapy at Oral Roberts University, focused on using music therapy and Applied Behavior Analysis to increase language and communication skills. In Applied Behavior Analysis all behaviors, including verbal behavior, contains three distinct parts:

• The antecedent – what causes the behavior, or events that lead up to a resulting behavior
• The behavior
• The consequence of the behavior – the result of a performed behavior.

Using these three distinctions, the therapist establishes a pattern of circumstances resulting in identified behaviors. Therapists use strong motivational variables to elicit the desired behavior. This acts as a reward for the child.  Since music provides a natural structure, it allows it to be a solid antecedent and a strong reinforcement or reward for children with communication and language disorders. Music may also function as an automatic reinforcer, which means the child may respond naturally to musical stimuli without prompting to obtain the desired behavior.

To incorporate ABA techniques in a music therapy session, I created a visual schedule to provide clear structure for the child. By utilizing visual strengths, this provides a receptive communication system to increase understanding. When using the picture schedule, children are able to see what happens first, next, and last, while also providing them with the opportunity to make choices. A reward chosen by the child is placed at the end of the session to reinforce the positive behavior. Using ABA techniques in a music therapy setting assists in learning how to communicate appropriately all while creating positive music experiences.

Considering Rhythm

Autism Spectrum Disorder is historically known as a social and communicative disorder, but children with ASD have shown an 83% difference in motor functioning compared to typical children. More recent research has placed an emphasis on sensorimotor skills as compared to more familiar impairments such as repetitive behaviors and social-emotional processing. 

The cerebellum is the area of the brain which is mostly responsible for motor coordination. The cerebellum determines whether or not a movement will be either graceful or jerky. It is encouraging to note that by activating the cerebellum, we are not only improving motor skills, but posture, balance and even speech are improved. Rhythmic cueing is the process by which movement is synchronized to sound. Music therapists have found that rhythmic cueing has been especially helpful in motor rehab and should be considered for children with autism. 

Rhythmic cueing helps individuals anticipate the following movement in a way that is predictable and efficient. When music therapists use this technique, we ensure that music is used to facilitate rather than to accompany the movement. The goal is for the rhythm to provide a timing cue that is functional for the movement. 

Ideas for sing music to help with sensorimotor regulation:

• Use dynamics to show force of a movement  
  • Playing softly takes a lot of motor control, especially when you are sensory seeking child.
• Use a range of pitches to provide an auditory cue for the size of a movement.
  • If you are singing, “And..jump!” sing “And” on a low note and “Jump” on a high note so that your child will be prepared for a large movement.
• Add song stimuli to increase engagement and motivation in rhythmic exercise
  • Think about how much more motivated you are to exercise when you are listening to some fun music!

Things to note:

• Live music has greater possibilities in that the music can be adapted in the moment to meet the needs of the client.
  • Remember: We want to facilitate rather than accompany the movement. This gives us the flexibility of a pace that is comfortable for the client, but that can also be altered depending on his/her progression.
• Preferred music is so important, but sometimes it can cause the client to focus too much on singing the familiar lyrics of the song rather than on the movement pattern.

Reference: Lagasse, A. Blythe and Hardy, Michelle W. (2013). Considering Rhythm for Sensorimotor Regulation in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Music Therapy, 31(1), 67-77.

Drumming 101

As an intern, I get to explore many different ways in connecting with the children that I see here at Therabeat. One type of intervention that is fun and also therapeutically challenging is drumming. Drumming is a great intervention because it focuses on all domains.

In a recent study, Kat Fulton explains the benefits in drumming with special needs children. She describes drumming as targeting physical, social, emotional, and cognitive areas as well as being a great tool for collaboration with other therapies. Within the physical domain, drumming is used to celebrate the child's individual abilities and their strengths are highlighted. It increases the child's range of motion and improves gross motor development. In the social domain, drumming is used to assess how the child interacts with others. The child may learn to take turns repeating various rhythms and have an opportunity to lead which rhythms to play. When connecting with a child emotionally, drumming is a catalyst for breaking down boundaries. Emotions can be expressed and interpreted on the drum that might not be able to be expressed otherwise. Within the cognitive domain, drumming can be used to teach counting, sequencing, memorization, basic arithmetic, and music theory.

Ways drumming interventions can be used during a music therapy session: 

• explore movements

• Increase social interactions

• express various emotions

• Improve cognitive skills 

In using this knowledge, I decided to develop an intervention to help the children that I see achieve their goals in an exciting and motivating way and what better way to address these goals is through drumming! During the intervention, Drumming by Number, four drums are labeled 1,2,3, and 4. Each drum is then assigned a specific rhythm. The client plays the rhythm when the drum number is called out. Lastly, the rhythms are put to an upbeat pop song such as "Happy" by Pharrell Williams. This intervention is great for addressing sequencing, memorization, music theory, and increasing concentration in a fun and musical environment.

Reference: Fulton, K. (2011). 1:1 Drumming With A Child Who Has Special Needs. Retrieved September 22, 2016.

The Benefits of Family Music Classes

One of my favorite services that Therabeat Inc. provides are the family classes. There is something very special about watching parents and their children (and even siblings!) interact through musical interventions. Music is such a powerful tool for fostering joint attention and cooperation. It should come as no surprise that music has the ability to positively improve the relationship between a parent and their child.

In this particular research study, it was concluded that parent-child music groups facilitated harmonious communication. The hello and goodbye songs facilitated development of coordinated routines and there was evidence of mutual cooperation when the parents attempted to scaffold their child’s participation by comforting them and engaging in social referencing. Each child’s attention was captivated by the musical tasks which motivated them to participate. The parents found delight in watching their child participate while the child experienced play exploration, shared excitement, and cuddling. Each of these factors contributed to positive emotional ambiance. Another perk of the family classes is that the parents actually get to see first-hand the progress their child is making. Many times, the parents are amazed at how their child will respond in the music group compared with how they typically respond at home. Music is a beautiful avenue for bringing people together and don’t we need more of that in this world! Consider having more musical interactions with your child and maybe even join a Therabeat family class. It will definitely be worth a try.

Pasiali, Varvara (2012). Supporting parent-child interactions: music therapy as an intervention for promoting mutually responsive orientation. Journal of Music Therapy, 49(3), 303-334.

Back-2-School: Music in Math

Recent music neuroscience research indicates that steady beat affects attention behaviors in young children. From the earliest developmental stage, music and math are related in the brain. According to Dr. Kamille Geist, musical elements such as steady beat, rhythm, melody, and tempo possess fundamental mathematical principles such as spatial reasoning, sequencing, counting, pattern identification, and one-to-one correspondence. Children are able to distinguish patterns in musical interventions, and are able to transfer that knowledge academically. In this particular study, it is shown that beat is processed in the premotor cortex of the brain, which is also used to help focus one’s attention. The results of this study indicate that children have the potential to be more engaged when listening to steady beats than when listening to verbal instructions only. Therefore, it is conceivable that listening to a steady beat pattern during mathematics teaching interventions in the early childhood classroom could promote better attention and increased engagement in young children.

In using this knowledge, I decided to develop an intervention to help the children that I see be more confident in their math skills, but have fun doing so. In this intervention, shapes are represented as movements known as body percussion. Body percussion is keeping a beat with our bodies while stomping, clapping, patting, or snapping. First, clients are able to distinguish between the different shapes then we pair a movement with each shape. They then create their own song using the different shapes and forming patterns, cognitively connecting the shape with the movement. Lastly, their original song is set to a pop song, which provides us with a steady beat. All the while, they are learning mathematical concepts in a fun and musical way.