Music therapy for toddlers' communication rehabilitation

Music therapy can assist in the speech acquisition process in toddlers who have a cochlear implant, according to a study by Dr. Dikla Kerem of the University of Haifa. This study was a doctoral thesis for Aalborg University in Denmark, carried out in Israel, supervised by Professor Tony Wigram and presented at a “Brain, Therapy and Crafts” conference at the University of Haifa.

The rehabilitation process for an infant who was not born with hearing ability is a long process before he or she can begin to speak. According to this study, music therapy provides a useful approach towards that goal for therapists and parents.

According to Dr. Kerem, “toddlers undergoing rehabilitation are under much pressure from their surroundings – especially the parents – to begin talking, and sometimes this pressure makes them become introverted. As such, music therapy lends itself to strengthening these children’s nonverbal communication and thereby lessens the pressure on them for verbal exchange and response.
Further, the study found that a undirected approach used by a therapist helped the process in music therapy as well and in play to a greater degree than in a directed one. Dr. Karem explains, “Music therapy is gradually penetrating the field of rehabilitation, but there is still a lot of work to be done in improving awareness of this important area.”

To read more about this study’s protocols, visit here