Tag: CAREGIVERS

HOW TO UTILIZE THE GIFT OF MUSIC IN HELPING CHILDREN LIVING WITH AUTISM- FOR CAREGIVERS (Parents especially).

Posted on by Escape Global

I have worked with a couple of autistic children and one common thing I have noticed is that caregivers wish children will just respond using force. Force has never guaranteed response from anyone, it might work when you are present with them but when you are not with them, they will follow what they feel is cool. Here are ways to utilize the gift of music;

 Own your journey; this is the most important point in everything I’ll be sharing with you today. Many caregivers, parents especially have a pattern in their mind of how things ought to be based on a number of information they have read, seen or heard. They are quick to forget that every child is unique and how they are related with is key in healing. Owning your journey means taking it a step at a time and being thankful all the way. Be thankful for your child, be thankful that you are their parent and above all be thankful that Jesus has beautiful plans for them no matter the disability.

 Engage them in music at every instance: Studies show that children with autism can understand both simple and complex emotions in music and are more responsive to sensory stimulation compared with other children especially in music, even over speech or noise.
Music can positively impact children with autism in diverse ways. You can use songs to emphasize speech in children with autism who struggle with language. One technique is to sing with vocabulary cards in order to teach vocabulary skills, you can also play music videos like COCOMELON that teach all these using music. Singing can considerably enhance language skills in students with a type of autism that has language delays.
Music can be used to help a child with autism recollect important information when it is linked with a musical sound, like a melody or rhythm.
One critical study found that music can be used to focus students’ attention, keep those with disabilities on track and decrease their anxiety from stress. I once had an autistic patient who could hardly focus but would pause at the sound of a rhythm made, master it and give you the exact way he heard it.

 If you are musically inclined, try engaging them using music elements in the simplest form.
Music elements such as pitch, melody, harmony, rhythm and so on. When children listen to a piece of music, the combination of musical elements are in it. However, some children with autism are auditory sensitive and it makes them experience a lack of forbearance for sounds.
You can help them by using separate musical elements to simplify their music. For example; start with a song, you as the caregiver can try teaching in stages by isolating pitches on the piano first. As they get comfortable with it, you can slowly introduce the other elements one at a time. be sensitive to know when they are not interested in one element and when they are interested in another.

 Compose songs with the child’s name as song title, it has a way of building self-confidence. For example, in this part of the world, many people have native names. If your child has a native name, you can make use of the name interpretation to compose a song and still mention his or her name in it. It gives a feeling of being loved, being known and all the god feeling.

 Employ music to help the aggression they feel. Autistic children are most times frustrated because of the difficulty they experience in expressing themselves but music can help as it can keep them calm by lessening their feelings of anger. Try different genres of calming and sensory music, see what works best for your young one.

This is not an exhaustive list on how to utilize music in helping children living with autism and like I mentioned earlier, it’s a journey you should take at your own pace encouraging yourself and your child as you walk through it. This journey will be both beneficial to you and your child.
You are doing a great job and I’m rooting for you always.

Need counsel? Need help or have questions? Feel free to drop them here or if for confidentiality’s sake you don’t want to, kindly write to me; mercykayt@gmail.com.


Thank You.

LINKS:

O N E – S I D E D

Posted on by Escape Global

Heaviness is what I’d have loved to title this ‘cos I could literally touch this in the hearts of caregivers this past week.
From the mothers whose kids had difficulty in breathing and were battling with issues at home to the mother who looked clueless not knowing whether to cry or just do something else to the mother who could still manage the occurrence to the Father who was pissed off with his wife to the parents who did not know where the money for the next medication will come from but experienced a miracle right there in my presence.

You are probably wondering how I knew all of these case scenarios? Well let’s just say I administered music for a longer time this very day so I could see deeper, I could see unhappy and happy homes, confused and hopeful people but let’s just say the negatives were more.
They were caged with a lot of worries that had kept them mute, I knew they needed to release whether by speaking or sighing or nodding to the truth that all was going to be well.

Under my breath I asked God to heal hearts, homes and their children because I could barely bring them to a point of singing talk less of talking, everyone’s head was bent deep in their problems.
The only thing I knew to do was to administer music without expecting any response, I serenaded the atmosphere with music for a long time.
I sang these words;
I no go fear
I no go worry
This too will pass and
It won’t be long.

While I sang I saw some nod, I saw others rest their heads to sleep over everything bothering them, I saw babies sleep soundly and a baby grin widely at me❤
Right in my presence, a good Samaritan walked in and gifted two out of the mothers with money, these mothers were having a hard time containing the fact that their kids were ill but somehow this kindness shown by the Good Samaritan made them hopeful.
What a miracle! I thought to myself

I learnt a vital lesson from this session is that sometimes the only way to release in the atmosphere of music might be through a smile, nod, sigh and rest. Sometimes it’s okay not to have them voice out their concerns but to allow it die a deep death within them such that it never resurrects again.

This is the #DiaryofAnAspiringMusicTherapist, Episode 8

You mean a lot to me and I love reading from you!

M U S I C A L D E C L A R A T I O N

Posted on by Escape Global

You know when they say your words are weapon and you can either use it to your favour or use it to the detriment of yourself.
I was yet again in the company of parents who we normally care givers at the Emergency Paediatric Ward of the hospital.
They were a mix of tribe, largely Igbo and few northerners. I wasn’t nervous per say doing this with them even though I didn’t envision it while leaving for the hospital.
I think one of the things this journey is teaching me is to expect the unexpected and be prepared to deliver value at anytime.

I sat in the middle of the ward, strumming my guitar so the lyrics could pour forth, gradually the lyrics were on my lips and I had their attention.
If you’ve been following me, you’d know that I love short spontaneous music and I use it a lot in the hospital because I know it’s easy to remember few lines than lengthy lines and since one of my target is memory, having them remember the music when they hit despair then I know doing spontaneous music will work.

So the first song I did was on Peace and Health because lately I’ve been so endeared to the importance of always being at peace, I decided to gift them with a spontaneous music on Peace. These were the lyrics;
Peace to your body
Peace to your soul
Peace to your mind.

It initially took a while for them to learn this because they didn’t feel good enough to sing so I encouraged them by singing one line then patiently wait for them to sing the next. They were doing so well and at each point they did, I made statements like Fantastic! Awesome! Just so they’d be encouraged. I made sure they declared these lyrics over their kids.

They finally perfected this and then I thought to do another spontaneous that had the fusion of Nigerian Pidgin, Igbo and Hausa language so I asked for the meaning of peace in both languages and I got them.
Here is the Lyrics;
You no go beg!
You no go borrow
Zaman Lafia, Udo!

This was really the most interesting for them because they felt like someone could do a song in their language, there was this sense of belonging.
I made them declare this over themselves and family, making them realize that there’s life in the words they speak and situations should not determine what they speak, little did I know that there was a mother among them who had been declaring very negative words. One of the mothers pointed to her saying ‘You see what we were saying! Just try not to speak negative when things go bad’.

We sang these words again deliberately and the joy! So pure. I feel this moment with these parents changed me more than it changed them because I have become so conscious of what proceeds from my mouth.


I’m thankful that I do this, I leave wards feeling very fulfilled each week and the fact that I bring light, hope, joy, peace to lives humbles me.


This is #TheDiaryofAnAspiringMusicTherapist Episode 7

I’m sure you know by now that reading from you gives me much joy and I always look forward to it!

C A R E G I V E R S

Posted on by Escape Global

This past week was eventful for me, it challenged my mental capacity and ability to be creative on the spot.

I was in the Paediatric ward again with my musical instruments and I met what I didn’t prepare for. I had just stepped into the ward only to find that a nurse whom I had promised to do music for some weeks back was on duty. When she spotted me, she reminded me of my promise to share the joy of music with her, this time around adding that I share with everyone in the ward, she said to me “You know they didn’t have valentine with their family”.

I thought through this and decided I was going to do it, I have been so used to bedside music that this was sort of a challenge that I needed to surmount. When administering Bedside Music I could engage a patient in a conversation while trying to figure out his or her interest or the ailment thereby creating music of hope, joy and love but this was a lot different, it meant that I had to address every parent in the ward.

For some minutes, I was just running through chords on my guitar and thinking of Music that will suite the atmosphere, how to address them and so on. I finally got my balance and stood up to address them like a Choir Director (lol), told them of the song we were going to sing and of course taught them. They learnt so fast and in few minutes, I was on my guitar accompanying the music. For me this was so beautiful because initially the ward was echoing with cries from the babies but I noticed that as we sang together there was this calm from the babies.

We were soon done with the first song, Yes you saw that right, first song! They requested for another song because they felt it really lifted their spirits, so I taught them another song and boom! they were singing it so well. I again accompanied the singing with the guitar, it was everything refreshing.

In that moment, it became more real to me that the families of patients need the therapeutic effect of Music also, many of them are walking through very depressing season watching someone dear to them fade away due to an illness, It would interest you to know that some have seen their loved ones die in the space of 1 year, few months and weeks, I mean in succession yet they still spend their earnings and income to make sure this very one’s life is battled for.

I dedicate this post to them and I hope for opportunities to bring soothing relief to what they feel via Music.

This is the #DiaryofAnAspiringMusicTherapist Episode 5.
Kindly drop your comments and feedback, I always love reading from you!