Transcript Chit Chat in B Flat

Chit Chat in B Flat
A Joint Music Therapy and
Speech and Language Therapy
Group
Elinor Everitt and Alison Webb
[email protected]
Introduction
• This was a group for 4 AAC users which we ran
during the academic year 2007-8, in a Special
School for children with severe learning
difficulties in Cambridgeshire .
• The children selected were AAC users, who
each had a VOCA and who had received group
SALT for 2 previous years, focusing on them
using their aids, but motivation had been a
challenge in the past for some of the AAC users.
• We wanted to explore whether music would
motivate them to use their aids more
spontaneously.
Reasons for starting the group
• Money - Pilot Project could run using Specialist
School Status funding
• Shared caseload and waiting lists
• CPD – Elinor wanted to know more using AAC
and VOCAs and I wanted to build on my music
training
• New approach –motivation was an issue with the
AAC users in other groups
• Would the musical element be more effective in
promoting communication than SALT alone?
The group
The staff
• Elinor Everitt – Music
Therapist
• Alison Webb – Speech
and Language Therapist
• Classroom Teaching
assistant (varied from
week to week)
The Students
• Becky – 12yrs. ASD.
Using Dynamyte 3100
• Danny – 13 yrs –
Angelmann’s syndrome.
Using Dynamyte 3100
• Alex -14 yrs – ASD. Using
Dynamyte 3100
• Jonathan -15 yrs – ASD.
Using Vantage
How we ran the group
• We tried to balance the content between communication
through their aids, or through music.
• The SALT was responsible for ensuring that low tech
alternatives, such as symbol charts were available; the
necessary vocabulary was programmed onto the aids;
and demonstrating and assisting the students in using
the aids.
• The MT was responsible for writing specific songs for the
targeted vocabulary; providing the musical structure,
using improvisation and musical accompaniment ; and
interpreting and developing the students’ musical
contributions.
• A TA attended each session to support and enable the
students to transfer their learning to the classroom.
Aims
• To give the students a fun experience while
using their communication aids
• To encourage their use of communication aids –
develop vocabulary and sentence structure
• To teach them to control their environment using
aids
• To interact with their peers while using their aids
• To encourage spontaneity and interaction
• To enable non verbal self expression through
music
Format of the group
• The group was held at the same time each
week in the Music Therapy Room.
• The length of the session increased from
25 minutes to 45 minutes, as the students
adapted to the group.
• We had 15 minutes after each session to
evaluate the session, write individual
student records and plan for the following
session.
Sample session
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Hello song
Favourites song
Stop/go
Pairs - Students share an instrument with
an adult and improvise together
Choosing instruments
Goodbye song
How we developed the activities
• Hello song - hello + name on VOCA
• Shopping theme song – new
vocabulary, e.g. toiletries, and
sentence structure “I buy …”
• Choosing instruments - “I want
____” Students can then choose to
play in a loud/quiet manner
Evaluation
• The students used their aids spontaneously, and discovered new
vocabulary. It helped us identify difficulties in understanding
concepts.
• Throughout the sessions, the students used their aids to make
requests, comment, choose and instruct their peers.
• They seemed to respond using their aids quicker than in a nonmusical AAC activity.
• Their group awareness increased, for example, they watched each
other carefully and listened to their peers and responded to what
was said on the aid.
• The students perceived the session as fun, rather than work, and
this is invaluable in increasing the different contexts in which they
use their aids. The group has offered them another experience in
which to use their aids.
• Musical games encouraged interaction between peers – for
example, choosing whose turn it was next (this also developed turntaking, listening, waiting and sharing skills); telling a peer when to
start and stop playing, or to play loudly or quietly.
• For most of the students this has been an enjoyable experience,
with them clearly showing excitement, pleasure and anticipation of
an activity.
Case Study - Becky
• Navigates around new VOCA and finds
vocabulary
• Uses longer sentences without prompting,
particularly those sentence structures that
have been modelled.
• She has asked spontaneously where the
other students were, and has expressed
emotions “feel sad”, given information.
• She understands the structure of the
group, and anticipates the next activity.
• She has shown enjoyment of the musical
activities
The Future
• We have both learnt new skills, that can be
transferred to working with other students in the
school, and other clients. We also feel that
individually we could sustain similar groups
without the support of the other therapist for a
short period, which is more cost effective.
• We cannot say that music is the best medium to
foster communication skills, but we both feel that
it has been a positive experience for students
and therapists alike. The students’
communication and interaction skills have
developed – however we cannot prove that the
joint working or music has been the reason.