The music therapist at the nursing home we are volunteering at was able to recommend a music therapist that she knows for Kevin. The therapy sessions are in our home. We had our initial assessment on November 17 and have had two therapy sessions.
Music therapy is something I’ve thought about trying for a while - so I am very excited for this opportunity. Kevin loves music - listening to music, playing the piano in our house, and recently we discovered that he likes playing the drums at church. All of Kevin’s favorite movies and tv shows have music as a major theme (Sesame Street, Thomas the Train, Little Einsteins, and of course Disney movies).
I am very impressed with how well the therapist understands how to communicate with Kevin who is nonverbal. She provides many alternative ways for Kevin to make choices. When given two choices I have even seen Kevin pick the left choice (he usually picks the right side). This is also another opportunity to use his Talker to communicate. Kevin is given the choice to do MORE or ALL DONE with an instrument. And like when we read books, he can use the Talker to "sing" HELLO or GOODBYE in the Hello and Goodbye songs.
At our last session (which was his third meeting) Kevin put his spoon down (a comfort and visual stimulating object) and didn’t pick it up until the session was over. This is big! I also noticed that he used the drum mallet more purposefully instead of using it to flip in front of his eyes for visual stimulation. His attention span was a bit longer with the instruments during this last session too.
The photos below show Kevin's interest and eye contact with the therapist.
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