Music Therapy for Previously Deaf Children

Miss-Delectable

Miss-Delectable

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Music Therapy for Previously Deaf Children ? New Tang Dynasty Television

New research conducted in Israel and led by Denmark’s Aalborg University once again highlights the incredible qualities of music.

These sounds and others were played by Dr. Dikla Kerem to two and three-year-olds who have an elaborate hearing aid called a "cochlear implant" surgically placed in their ears. Dr. Kerem examined the value of music therapy in the post-surgery rehabilitation process.

Infants who are born deaf and have this procedure can regain up to 90% of their hearing capacitiy. However, the procedure itself is only the first step in a longer process. There is a period of rehabilitation during which the person must adjust to living in a world with sound.

[Dr. Dikla Kerem, Researcher]:

"On the one hand their being able to hear is extremely exciting since they are exposed to a multitude of hearing stimuli all at once, yet on the other hand, it can be overwhelming and confusing."

One of the things Dr. Kerem discovered is that music therapy significantly enhances the toddlers' spontaneous communicative interactions, compared to play-based communication.

They showed increased initiative, imitation, turn-taking and synchronization. The result reinforced Dr. Kerem's hypothesis that music could be a bridge from the world of silence to the world of sound and speech.

[Dr. Dikla Kerem, Researcher]:

"After the operation, the child's whole environment — family, professional staff and others — put pressure on the child to start talking, to fill in what he had missed all that time he could not hear. One should understand that he does not have any language and speech skills and this is the place where music therapy comes in and suggests something else, something that enhances nonverbal communication and exposes the child to music and to its elements, such as pitch, intensity, nuance, etc."

Dr. Kerem's sessions with the children were extremely emotional for both parties.

[Dr. Dikla Kerem, Researcher]:
There were many instances during this research when I was very moved, I was part of their exposure to music. It was very touching to see those children get excited, enjoy and revel in all that was opening before them from a world that was new to them."
 
"After the operation, the child's whole environment — family, professional staff and others — put pressure on the child to start talking, to fill in what he had missed all that time he could not hear. One should understand that he does not have any language and speech skills and this is the place where music therapy comes in and suggests something else, something that enhances nonverbal communication and exposes the child to music and to its elements, such as pitch, intensity, nuance, etc."

And I have seen what happens when that pressure makes the child's life all about "hearing" and gets consumed with it. The child starts to feel the pressure too and try to meet the expectations that everyone demands from him/her. What happened to the parents, professional and others meeting the child's needs? It is not the child's job to meet their needs.
 
These children have Cochlear implant if I read it correctly. I think if they are struggling with speech, I'm afraid that music will be even more complex for them. As people like me who can understand speech ok cochlear implant but feel like listening to music is like listening to pots and pans. Ever since I switch to Cochlear implant from hearing aids, I've stopped listening to music for some reasons.


But I don't see the harm done with Cochlear implants using music therapy. the biggest harm would be refusing to sign to them if they need it. They are 2 or 3 years old, it should be part of their milestone to communicate with their family, rather it is signing or speaking. Like "Mama" or "I'm hungry"
 
Oh my! This brings back my memories of preschool teacher putting five of us behind the piano and she played a piece. We had to step out behind the piano and guess what kind of music she just played. Ballet, cowboy, etc. This is insane. She could've use that time teaching us more important things.
 
Buffalo said:
Oh my! This brings back my memories of preschool teacher putting five of us behind the piano and she played a piece. We had to step out behind the piano and guess what kind of music she just played. Ballet, cowboy, etc. This is insane. She could've use that time teaching us more important things.
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That sounds like a fun game. My daughter would love it. :shrug:
 
hey, I heard that listening to splashing and listening games in pools are fun games too. (you get my point? Because your daughter have to take off her processor... you just don't go around doing that to deaf people when they are talking about their experience)
 
faire_jour said:
That sounds like a fun game. My daughter would love it. :shrug:
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I had to take music growing up and I was always a nervous wreck when having to play the instruments or sing. It was a nightmare. I begged my mom to waive me from music class and I would come home crying often of a situation that was so humiliating in music class. Finally, my mom got the message and got me waived from it in the 5th grade. Never took it again in my life.

Pls do not disregard another deaf person's experience or opinion. In Buffalo's case the teacher wasted time playing music when other things could have benefitted her and the other students.
 
Lighthouse77 said:
hey, I heard that listening to splashing and listening games in pools are fun games too. (you get my point? Because your daughter have to take off her processor... you just don't go around doing that to deaf people when they are talking about their experience)
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I wouldn't be offended at all. I wanted to know why that game would be "horrible". It is just a game. And it a a perfectly developmentally appropriate use of time in preschool. Shel's story I understand. That is a class with a grade and all the pressures that come with it. I just don't understand how a guessing game in preschool is bad.
 
faire_jour said:
I wouldn't be offended at all. I wanted to know why that game would be "horrible". It is just a game. And it a a perfectly developmentally appropriate use of time in preschool. Shel's story I understand. That is a class with a grade and all the pressures that come with it. I just don't understand how a guessing game in preschool is bad.
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Teacher's expression when none of us get it is bad.
 
Maybe for you, but have you consider your daughter everytime she have to take off her Processor in pools and can't join the fun? Ruldolph the red nosed raindeer come to mind when hearing kids won't include her to their games because she can't hear. Her feelings Will be hurt.
 
Lighthouse77 said:
Maybe for you, but have you consider your daughter everytime she have to take off her Processor in pools and can't join the fun? Ruldolph the red nosed raindeer come to mind when hearing kids won't include her to their games because she can't hear. Her feelings Will be hurt.
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Why would she be friends with little douche bags who would exclude her?
 
What if they aren't douche bags? what if they really were having fun????? and she doesn't know what's going on. but anyway, why are you doing it to us if you don't like kids doing that to your child?
 
Lighthouse77 said:
What if they aren't douche bags? what if they really were having fun????? and she doesn't know what's going on. but anyway, why are you doing it to us if you don't like kids doing that to your child?
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How am I doing anything to anyone?

You said they would leave her out because she can't hear. Why would she spend time with someone like that?
 
faire_jour said:
How am I doing anything to anyone?

You said they would leave her out because she can't hear. Why would she spend time with someone like that?
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sometimes we have no choice and at a lot of schools, there is the same problem, the student of the child does not get a choice about how the others will treat them.

Personally, I was treated like a second class person and the migrant worker kids had more rights than me. Now, as an adult, I still get treated as a second class citizen in most cases.
 
you said you wouldn't feel offended if hearing kids decided to come up with a fun game in the pool.

And you think this music guessing game would be a fun game for your daughter because she have CI. Not all games are fun when you are at a disadvantage so don't go around saying "Oh, that sound like a fun game" after Buffalo was sharing her story. And now you say, "why would my daughter hang out douche bags like them"
 
faire_jour said:
Why would she be friends with little douche bags who would exclude her?
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I think Lighthouse was referring to as unintential exclusion of your daughter because too often, hearing children get so into their fun and games and forget about making sure their deaf friend is included. That happened so many times with my hearing friends. That didnt mean that they were douchebags although there were some douchbags who went out of their way to exclude me and I wasnt friends with them.
 
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