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Post by momofrussell on Feb 21, 2005 12:14:11 GMT -5
Ok... I wanted to start a new thread and post about this form I have to fill out AGAIN. LOL It is CLEARLY something for therapists and teachers to fill out, but yet they want the parents to fill them out also... There are 4 areas, Cognitive, Communication, Social/Behavior and Sensory/Motor Functions and questions or I should say observations and you are to answer YES, NO or SAME to each of these. This is applying music to all of this and how you see the child respond to music. Now, at school Russell has music in his weekly curriculum and the MT does come into the room probably once a week for group stuff with the kids... so this would be 1:1 above all of that. At home the only time we have music on is when ELMO is singing to Russell LOL.. so my observations are VERY skewed at the very least. We DO sing to Russell and well, we sing a brush your teeth song, but other then that, I HAVE no observations of my son with and without music... Here is the form.. what it says (my scanner is acting screwy so I have to type it) and for each item you answer the YES, NO or SAME ************ Demonstrates increased alertness, attention ect... Attends to task: aprox lenght of time _________ Demonstrates increased ablilty to follow 1 step instruct. Attempts disliked or difficult tasks Demonstrats increased vocalization/verbal. Gestures/signs Verbalizes/Sings single words to complete phrase Verbalizes/sings phrases / complete sentences Demonstrates inscreased eye contact Remains in group setting for increased duration Takes Turns Demonstates increased motivation to complete tasks Grasps objects/instruments Moves body in unison movements Moves body in bilateral movements Movies body across midline Why do you believe MT is NECESSARY for this student to benefit from his/her S.E. services? _________________ *************** Now, call me crazy but there is NO way I can fill this out based on Elmo and Russell. I also do NOT like these types of forms, they really bug me LOL. And I am crabby at the thought that my answers to this sway their decision. So.. that is what I have to fill out....  Paigesmom.. I will copy and paste this to an email and send to you also... thanks for helping me! A. |
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Post by meghans_mom on Feb 21, 2005 15:31:52 GMT -5
Hey A - how long do you have to fill out the form? Now...I know you're all mad about filling out the form (and it IS dopey...not only because they use wording noone undertands!!) -- so don't get mad at me, 'cause it's just a suggestion - but take a half-hour each day for a few days, throw on some music...and watch Russell do some of the things he normally does - see if he DOES do a few of the things (trying something he dislikes, pays attn. longer) - then you can compare to what he usually does everyday without music.
I'd think they want to see more 'yes'es than not, right?
hugs & good luck -- I know what a pain these things are and I usually just put them off 'til I no longer can :-D
laurie
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Post by momofrussell on Feb 21, 2005 16:47:23 GMT -5
Ok, Laurie those thoughts have come in my mind too! Oh, and WHY would I get mad at you? LMAO!
But this is what I guess I don't understand about the MT (and I should go read your links but I will be lazy and maybe you can just answer my question LOL). I asked the MT gal if MT is when you put on say, BACH and have your child work on tasks normally done without music...and she said they CAN do that but it's usually where they play music and songs and get the kids to follow the music/directions. So... what good is MT if Russell is going to be learning how to do the "Itsy Bitsy Spider" ? I mean, he KNOWS how to do that. The gal made it seem like the "following directions" and other things are when they are singing and doing songs together... so what IS the point?
I think I am missing some of the big picture somewhere. I tried to ask the MT gal about this but I am still not understanding. She said that if Russell can watch Elmo and follows directions from Paula Abdul in the one video, then THAT is what MT is about??? I don't get it...
I am all for doing what you suggested.... did I mention to you I am lazy? LOLOL...I will do it though! I will do some family thing at nights... see how that goes...
But i still just don't understand it all....
A.
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Post by PaigesMom on Feb 21, 2005 19:08:22 GMT -5
This is a hard thing to 'talk' about via typing, because there is SO MUCH to say.
Music therapy is about interacting and engaging with others in appropriate play as well as improving cognitive ability. Music is motivating - motivating to the point where if a child 'feels' a rythm they will attempt to do things that they might not have ordinarily attempted to do.
It's not just about 'teaching' fingerplays - yes, they do learn them, but it's about what goes on in the brain as they are learning - Itsy Bitsy Spider (and I'm only using this as an example b/c it's been used here already) is just the 'song itself' - there is so much more, its hand movements, it's fine motor skills, eye hand coordination, cognition (ie. what did the spider do next, and even rain can wash him away, the sun dries the rain, etc.), speech - it's not really about a spider climbing a waterspout . MT is very interactive and fun, which motivates our kids to learn and to do things. I guess that is the best way I can explain it. Everything listed on that checklist is something that is worked on in MT. I would say that the more NO's you give, the more likely he is to get the service. If he's doing alot of those things then they 'on paper' wont see the need.
When Paige was a baby EVERYTHING I did with her was soooooooo overly animated, I mean, sooooooooo animated. I did everything to make her try to imitate me, make sounds, move, etc. regardless of what it took (and what a fool I looked like doing it). And I mean even in public places. I would do things like "ooooooooohh, oooohhhhhhhhhhh, oooooooooohhhhhh, Paige, Paige, Paige, look, look, look, there's a cow, cows say mooooooooooooooo, mooooooooooooooooooooooo, mooooooooooo, see the cow, see the cow - and then I would MAKE UP a song about cows right away, "The cow is in the field, the cow is in the field, Hi, Ho, the farmer Oh, the cow is in the field- the cow eats the hay, the cow eats the hay, etc. .........." You get it, I'm sure.
My husband thought and still thinks I'm a complete nut,and he wouldn't be caught dead making up songs, but it works and music is a definate motivating factor for her.
If you want to fill out the form, I would be more than happy to help you 'give answers' . Music isn't for everyone, but I think it's worth a shot.
Hope this helps,
Paiges Mom, the singing fool,
Debbie
P.S. And OMG, my 3 year old son, he just thinks I'm hysterical making up funny songs and jumping up and down pointing and singing about things like toothbrushes and shoes - he loves music as well.
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Post by momofrussell on Feb 21, 2005 20:36:05 GMT -5
Thanks Debbie, you have explained it a bit better for me.  You know, I have a few years of college in child devel and so this shouldn't be so foreign to me, but it just wasn't making sense... glad you cleared the way for me! OH, and you have the form a bit backwards... it is how the child DOES do with music, so the more YES answers would get him MT... not the NO's... The last time I filled out the form I barely answered the front and just wrote something on the back (because that is what they requested) and it got denied. So, I obviously need to include more YES answers so they know how well he does with music.... why oh why can't it just be the teacher's observations LOLOL!!! I will work on the form a bit and do some "experimenting" with Russell and attach a note again to the form with what Russell does when we sing, and when he watches the videos. Oh.. and Debbie... with two little ones in my house... we have been doing SILLY songs for years heehee.... I got my husband singing some of them!!! LOL And we too have a silly song about brushing teeth! Russell loves the song! heehee... he even knows when to stop.. by the way I end the song.  Thanks again girls!!! A. |
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Post by PaigesMom on Feb 21, 2005 22:24:01 GMT -5
Oh, lol, I was reading the form like "does he do these things" - if not, we'd work on them in MT, not, does he do them when he listens to music. That just does not make any sense to me, OF COURSE he would do those things when he listens to music, any kid would, wouldn't you think? I'm glad to know I'm not the only nutball  out there singing songs about toothbrushes......maybe we should compare songs "mine goes brushing, brushing, brushing and STOP.....then we laugh and I go, ready, set, go, brushing, brushing, brushing and STOP" .......LOL, kind of incorporated stop and go into that little personal hygiene lesson, lol. Debbie |
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Post by christie on Feb 22, 2005 0:31:46 GMT -5
A ~ YIKES, all I can say is honestly between school forms and insurance forms I am sick to death of filling them out and Chris is only 12 LOL can you see me in a few more years CC |
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Post by meghans_mom on Feb 22, 2005 7:56:13 GMT -5
Hey A - I think MT goes beyond doing things to music (ie - Head, SHoulders, Knees, Toes and doing the actions along w/ the music)...from the MT website:
"Music therapy is a professional health discipline that uses music as a therapeutic stimulus to achieve non-musical treatment goals. Research supports parallels between speech and singing; rhythm and motor behavior; musical mnemonics and rote memorization; and overall ability of preferred music to enhance mood, attention and behavior to optimize an individual's ability to learn and interact."
Let us know how things work out & good luck! hugs, laurie
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You know, I have a few years of college in child devel and so this shouldn't be so foreign to me, but it just wasn't making sense... glad you cleared the way for me!
