Toddlers who started to hear after undergoing a "cochlear implant" implant have to make up a long gap before they can speak. A new study that will be presented at the "Brain, Therapy and Creativity" conference at the University of Haifa found that music therapy can help them in the rehabilitation process towards language acquisition
Music therapy can help in the process of language acquisition in toddlers who have undergone cochlear implant surgery - according to a new study by Dr. Dekla Kerem from the University of Haifa. The research will be presented at the "Brain, Therapy and Creation" conference that will take place the day after tomorrow, Sunday (13.12/XNUMX) at the University of Haifa
Some of the babies who are born deaf and cannot for various reasons benefit sufficiently from a hearing aid, may gain 90% of normal hearing thanks to an operation during which a "cochlear implant" is implanted in the ear, but after this operation, the toddler - who had heard nothing before - goes through a long period of rehabilitation until he can start talking
In the current study, which was the doctoral thesis of Dr. Kerem at the Danish University of Aalborg under the guidance of Prof. Toni Wigram, the researcher tried to check the unique contribution of music therapy to the process of communicative rehabilitation of two- to three-year-old toddlers with a cochlear implant and specifically - to the encouragement of the spontaneous communication of these toddlers .
"Communicative behaviors, especially those initiated spontaneously by toddlers, are important for the development of normal communication because they serve as prerequisites for the development and acquisition of language. Since music contains many components that are also the components of language, such as pitch, intensity, rhythm and emphasis, it is suitable for communication with these children at this stage when they are still unable to use language", Dr. Kerem explained, adding that the toddlers who are in the rehabilitation stage are exposed to constant pressure from the environment - mainly From the parents - to start talking and sometimes this pressure even makes them shut themselves off. Therefore, music therapy makes it possible to strengthen them and thus, reduce a little the pressure of the environment to talk and respond verbally.
In the study itself, each child went through 16 sessions - when he observed, he went through different activities related to music (experiments with percussion instruments, vocal games and listening to simple songs) and in the other half he played with different (non-musical) age-appropriate toys and games. All sessions in their entirety were recorded with a video camera and analyzed afterwards. The findings revealed that during the music therapy sessions, the frequency and continuation of the spontaneous behaviors tested were significantly higher than in the game sessions.
From the findings of the study, the researcher made various recommendations regarding the way these children are exposed to the world of music - the exposure to music should be gradual, with various experiences that involve basic musical elements (such as intensity, rhythm and melody) and are done using the voice, playing simple percussion instruments, "conversations" in gibberish , and more. The parent interviews conducted at the end of the study indicated that the parents attached great value to music therapy and expressed interest in applying the various experiences they had seen.
"In the transition to the hearing world, music, as a means of communication, may be a bridge between the world of silence that the child has known so far and the world of sounds to which he was exposed after the operation. The professional staff and the parents can learn how to more correctly expose their children to music and how music can be used even without knowledge of special musical skills in order to encourage spontaneous communication of these children, one that will also be enjoyable and satisfying for both parties. In addition, there is also potential to apply the methods and approach in this study to help encourage communication skills in children with other communication problems. The therapy through music is starting to penetrate more and more, but there is still a lot of work to improve awareness of this important field", stated Dr. Kerem.
A conference on "Brain, Therapy and Creativity" will be held this coming Sunday (13.12/XNUMX) at the University of Haifa. The conference will deal with the variety of therapeutic ways and methods through art - literature, theater, clowning, movement and more - and the relationship between artistic therapy and neurobiological mechanisms in the brain. Among the panels that will be held at the conference: the place of the body in brain processes that enable creation; Mind, drama and empathy: the connection in therapy; creativity in the service of recovery from trauma; Treatment through arts for children and adolescents with emotional and behavioral problems and more.
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