The Sound Path

Abstract

David is a three-year-old boy with congenital blindness. He attends a full-day child care program and receives special education and related services through a contract with the local school system. His class spends large blocks of time on the playground daily. The playground, however, appeared to be a scary place for David. Unlike his classmates without disabilities, David did not have fun on the playground, and he appeared lost in this large space. He held a teacher's hand or was held by a teacher much of the time and did not play on the available equipment unless directed by a teacher. Sometimes he pushed a toy shopping cart on a concrete track for riding tricycles. Yet when David bumped into the fence, he did not back up and change directions; rather, he stopped and cried. He engaged in frequent head shaking and body rocking. There were few contacts with peers, unless they initiated to him, but those initiations were infrequent.

The role of emotional skills in music education

“…One of the two studies is an intervention (Kern & Wolery, 2002); the other is a basic research paper (Montgomery & Martinson, 2006). The two articles share some ideas, such as the importance of the music teacher and the music therapist working together to help disabled children achieve extra-musical skills.…”

“…However, due to the idiosyncrasies of the two studies, the results of each one are discussed individually. Kern and Wolery (2002) conducted a case study of a three-year-old child with congenital deaf-blindness. After an intervention programme based on the child's active musical practice, the authors noted a significant improvement in his attitude and enhanced development of his communicative capacity and self-esteem.…”

Promoting the Musical Engagement of Autistic Children in the Early Years Through a Program of Parental Support: An Ecological Research Study

“…This project, "IMAGINE: Autism," 1 sought to explore the development of musical capabilities and potential of autistic children in the early years when supported by parents, using a newly developed set of resources in the form of a set of cards. "Action cards" had been successfully used in the context of supporting early years practitioners and parents in their working with and caring for children on the autism spectrum before (for example, DeLoach, 2019; Kern & Wakeford, 2007), but the new materials are unique in being based on the Sounds of Intent in the Early Years (SoI-EY) framework of musical development, which focuses on children from birth to 7 years (Voyajolu & Ockelford, 2016). The SoI-EY framework is adapted from the Sounds of Intent (SoI) framework of musical development for children and young people (through to adulthood) (Welch et al, 2009).…”