A-Z List
Language Disorders
Annotated Internet
Internet Address: http://www.speech.kth.se/
This Department of Speech, Music and Hearing in Stockholm, Sweden has large groups of researchers working in the areas of Speech Communication, Music Acoustics, Hearing Technology, and Speech Signal Processing. Each group has its own website that can be used by music therapists to stay updated on the latest research results.
Internet Address: http://www.fluentspeach.com/
Stuttering in the Precision Fluency Shaping Program is treated as a behavioral problem and is not thought of as a consequence of a complex emotional disorder. This program suggests relearning to speak from the very beginning by producing elementary sounds, syllables, words, and finally complete sentences. This site can be used by music therapists to gain more knowledge about different methods of treating stuttering.
Internet Address: http://www.thinkingpublications.com/index.tdml
This site offers a wide variety of practical easy-to-use speech-language pathology materials (books, games, reference materials) that can be used by professionals who work with children, older students, and adults who have difficulty speaking, listening, and/or thinking. University textbooks are offered in the areas of language development and disorders of children. Music therapists will definitely benefit from using this site to attain additional materials and knowledge for treating communication disorders.
Internet Address: http://www.mmbmusic.com/s49_3.html
This site offers not just a history of Studio 49, but also describes quality percussion instruments that can be used by music therapists. Some of these instruments include vibraphones, marimbas, glockenspiels, xylophones, and tubular chimes. This site can link you to Art Therapy and Music Education sites to see how these instruments can be used in different areas of development. Percussion instruments are especially useful tools for music therapists. Such a wide variety of percussion instruments will give music therapists a chance to expand treatment possibilities while working with patients with communication disorders.
Internet Address: http://www.speechdynamics.com/
This site offers a wide variety of new products and ideas that can be implemented in already existing methods of treating speech disorders. It offers notes taken at the national oral-motor therapy seminars. It also offers an on-line learning packet that might be useful to review by music therapists. Major areas of disabilities this site is targeting are: hearing impaired clients, adults with apraxia and dysarthria, multiply handicapped clients, and cognitively disabled clients.
Internet Address: http://home.att.net/~bkbrunk/prodlist.html
This article offers Music Therapy songs and activities in books for people with special needs, including language disorders. You can order these books and work on communication skills at home. This is meant to help those without access to a Music Therapist get help through music.
Internet Address: http://members.aol.com/kathysl/ld.html
A person having a learning disability is defined as a person having trouble with one or more pyschological processes involved with their understanding or use of language. One developmental learning disability this article discusses is language disorders. Some symptoms of this include; stuttering, slurred speech, delayed speech or mutism. Music Therapy focuses on improving communication skills by using a positive reinforcer in a non-threatening environment.
Internet Address: http://www.jkp.com/catalogue/music.new_usi_v2.html
This author describes how sounds made by the human voice can be imitated through music. He focuses on the benefits that children, mentally disabled and physically handicapped people can receive through music. His theory is on voice work and how music can help improve one's communication skills.
Internet Address: http://www.autism.org/music.html
Music is effective because it is nonverbal, a positive reinforcer and an immediate motivater. Most important, music works because everyone responds in a positive way to music. Music therapy works with autistic children because it is a non-threatening communication bridge. Music therapy focuses on such skills as social interaction, eye contact, and speech. Autistic children's speech consists of anything from mutism to foreign sounding jargon. Autistic children have an unusual sensitivity to music, which is why it is such a successful form of therapy for these children.
Internet Address: http://gamstcweb.gisd.k12.mi.us/gisd/spec.html
This article is an advertisement for special education services that are provided for people including those with language disorders and autistic children. It also is a list of educational opportunities offered by this team of professionals at the special education service center. These services include treatment facilitated by a music therapist.
Internet Address: http://www.maltedmedia.com/books/papers/s5-compo.html/
Balch, B., & Bathory-Kitsz, D. (1992). Composing a new language.
This article is a proposal for using music as a replacement for loss of language. It describes using music to access type and depth of loss, progression of loss in disease, and as a prognostic indicator following injury. The authors state that due to the power of music, it is being used therapeutically. They define music as a unique substance that is being heard at all cognitive states of mind, including comatose. They also state that the music memory is less likely to be lost after an accident than the cognitive memory and therefore is used to help therapeutically after accidents have occurred.
Internet Address: http://www.autism.org./music.html
Staum, M. (1997). Music therapy and language for the autistic child.
This Internet source illustrates how music therapy can be a utilizing tool to encourage development for social, emotional, cognitive/learning and perceptual motor areas. It explains that music therapy may be effective since music is a nonverbal form of communication, a natural reinforcer, and provides motivation for practicing nonmusical skills. This method of therapy has been shown to work especially well with the autistic child who works well in a nonverbal and non-threatening environment.
Internet Address: http://www.wildwood.edu/education/mtlearningenvt.html/
Wildwood Programs. (1996). Music and the learning environment.
This Internet source is a reference for music and the learning environment. It explains that music, through its elements of melody, rhythm and form, offers a predictable, safe, and temporal structure for learning. It can create an environment that enhances a child’s ability to learn by structuring activities so that a child can have the opportunity to: model, imitate, repeat, interact, and provide feedback to the music therapist and his/her peers.
Internet Address: http://elwood.pionet.net/~hub7/irv.htm#melodictherapy
The Effects Of Music And The Brain
The effects of music and the brain. (1997).
This article explains how music can be used to target learning, memory, and social interacting skills. It describes how music tends to exercise the whole brain and mind by strengthening synapses in all of the brain system. It may also increase the brain’s capacity and resources by increasing the strength of connections among its neurons.
Internet Address: http://www.Kaddath.mt.cs.cmu.edu/91-4.html
This internet site is a testimonial from Richard Lawrence about how music and singing effects language skills. He describes different types of languages and explains how they are heard differently. For a person with language disabilities, learning to speak through song is important.
Internet Address: http://www.agsmith.com/mt.htm
This internet site describes the evolution of music therapy since World War II. It talks about how music therapy is used with all physically and mentally challenged patients. There are a lot of different activities mentioned, many of which are specific to the problem. Music can help with speech and other disorders, including social and emotional problems. People who could not speak, move, or dance may be able to do all of those things.
Internet Address: http://peabody.vanderbilt.edu/courses/Spring_98/sped1010/s98projects/katy_andrea/autism.htm
This internet site discusses work with autistic children. Music therapy is a relatively new field. It deals with all physical, mental, and emotional disorders. Music is a wonderful way to communicate without actually having to speak, so music therapy is especially appropriate with autistic children because many of them have difficulties with verbal language.
Internet Address: http://www.nyu.edu/pages/music/music/nrobbins.html
The Nordoff-Robbins center is located in the center of New York University. They treat outpatients in a program for children and adults with various disabilities, including language disorders. Both individual and group therapy is available. This is a good program, because not only can the patients get the individual attention needed in private therapy, but they can also develop social and people skills through involvement in the group therapy setting.
