The majority of music therapy work with children takes place in schools. This book documents the wealth and diversity of work that music therapists are doing in educational settings across the UK. It shows how, in recent years, music therapy has changed and grown as a profession, and it provides an insight into the trends that are emerging in this area in the 21st century.Collating the experiences of a range of music therapists from both mainstream and special education backgrounds...

This practical resource is brimming with ideas and guidance for using simple ideas from speech and language pathology and occupational therapy to boost communication, sensory integration, and coordination skills in children on the autism spectrum. Suitable for use in the classroom, at home, and in community settings, it is packed with easy-to-follow, goal-oriented activities and lesson plans centering around arts and crafts, music-making, cookery, sensory activities, and skills for daily l...

Do you support a child or adult with sensory perceptual issues or cognitive impairment?For people with challenging sensory and cognitive conditions, everyday life can become so unpredictable and chaotic that over time, lack of engagement can often lead to a state of learned helplessness. In this insightful text, Paul Pagliano shows how ‘learned helplessness’ can be transformed into learned optimism through multisensory stimulation, and explains how a programme of support can be des...

Children with Regulation Disorders of Sensory Processing struggle to regulate their emotions and behaviors in response to sensory stimulation. This book explains how to recognize these disorders, which are often misdiagnosed, and offers practical ways of helping children with regulation disorders.The authors describe the everyday experiences of those who interact with infants and children with Regulation Disorders of Sensory Processing. They explain the distinguishing characteristi...

Narrative play is a way of communicating with children using imaginative stories and narratives to share and make sense of life events. This book describes using narrative play therapeutically with children who have lived in multiple families, children who have problems with social understanding and children who have learning difficulties.Ann Cattanach explains how children's stories and narratives, whether they are about real or imagined events, can be interpreted as indicators of...

People living with severe or profound multiple disabilities (PMLD) can often struggle to connect with the world around them. This book shows how, through enjoying dramatic interaction, they can develop their communication skills, learn to deal with emotions more effectively and gain a greater understanding of their physical and social environment.This guide presents a variety of ways in which drama can be used as a medium for assisting the social and emotional development of people...

For people with dementia, the world can become a lonely and isolated place. Music has long been a vital instrument in transcending cognitive issues; bringing people together, and allowing a person to live in the moment. Connecting through Music with People with Dementia explains how a caregiver can learn to use melody or rhythm to connect with someone who may be otherwise non-responsive, and how memories can be stimulated by music that resonates with a part of someone's past.This u...

Music is a powerful means of engaging children with developmental disabilities such as Autism Spectrum Disorders, Down's Syndrome and Cerebral Palsy. This lively music activity book shows how music can be an effective and enjoyable way to enhance the education and development of children with special needs.Packed with inspiring tips, activities and song ideas, this practical resource will have everybody singing, clapping and playing along! It explains simple and fun ways of using s...

Introducing drama to the learning experience is guaranteed to enrich a child's development, and is an especially effective approach for children with special educational needs, including those with autism spectrum disorders. This practical handbook offers teachers an array of simple and easy-to-implement theatrical techniques that will enhance students' learning and encourage artistic expression.The author demonstrates how dramatic play doesn't have to be restricted to drama lesson...

Many aspects of drama therapy make it an ideal technique to use with students with special learning needs. This practical resource book for professionals covers the broad spectrum of students attending special needs schools, including those with attention deficit disorder, autism and Asperger syndrome, and students with multiple disabilities.Paula Crimmens places therapeutic storymaking within the context of drama therapy and offers practical advice on how to structure and set up s...

Children with autism often have an intense natural musicality. This book explains how music and language 'work' as systems of communication, and why music holds such a fascination for many young people on the autism spectrum. There are strategies for showing how music can be used to support language development and even substitute for verbal communication. Exploring the progression from a young child's intuitive engagement with music, to using it as a scaffold for communication, socialisat...

Write Yourself is the ideal introduction to how to facilitate groups and individuals in finding inspiration for their creative personal writing voices. This book explains how and why writing is such an illuminative, healing, and cathartic process, and provides many practical exercises that encourage the exploration of emotions, memories and experiences. Chapters cover the use of writing with a variety of client groups, including those made up of people suffering from depression, anxiety or...