Gainesville Music Therapy - Special Needs Research/News: 07/01/2006

Special Needs Research and News

Gainesville Music Therapy parents receive frequent e-mails with the articles of interest to the special needs community, including research on Autism, Down Syndrome, ADHD, etc.; conferences and trainings being offered in the local area; and information on music therapy practice. If you would like to receive these articles, and/or our monthly newsletter by e-mail, please e-mail us to join the mailing list.

Monday, July 17, 2006

New autism test to provide results in an hour

ARTHUR MACMILLAN EDUCATION CORRESPONDENT

SCOTTISH scientists are developing a revolutionary testing device to slash the time taken to diagnose autism in children.

Researchers at the University of Aberdeen believe their computer-based system will save parents months, even years, of waiting on the NHS for help.

The time taken for a diagnosis in Scotland, where between 7,500 and 8,000 children suffer from autism, varies from between six months and three years, according to support groups. However, Dr Mark Mon-Williams and colleague Dr Justin Williams believe their device could diagnose, or rule out, autism in an hour.

They have been given a #178,000 grant by Scottish Enterprise to prove their test works. It could then be marketed commercially.

Dr Williams said: "At the moment, the tests are crude and can involve anything from bouncing a ball or weaving a shoelace through a hole to test co-ordination. An assessment of motor skills by an occupational therapist can take about three hours. Our machine could probably do it in about an hour."

The machine involves taking computer-based measurements, which track children's movement and reactions to certain stimuli. About 60 patients have been involved in a trial.
Dr Williams said: "Different movement paths, especially jerky or erratic patterns, can indicate brain disorders such as ADHD and autism."

Dr Mon-Williams added: "There is a lot of criticism of testing at the moment. A lot of the tests are repetitive, involve a lot of people, and they are expensive and time-consuming.
"We believe this is a relatively low-cost solution for the health service, as it will free up clinician and occupational therapist time."

John McDonald, chair of the Scottish Society for Autism said: "There is a long way to go, but anything that can make a positive contribution to reducing the time taken for a diagnosis, and the distress caused to parents, should be supported."

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Thursday, July 13, 2006

Music therapy helps develop communication and motor skills

By Brandie M. Jefferson, Associated Press Writer July 4, 2006

BEVERLY, Mass. --Seventeen-year-old Tony Bacon sat at the parlor window seat, his eyes glued to the driveway. He settles into the same spot every Wednesday afternoon.

"What are you waiting for?" his mother, Susan Williams, asked.

"Music therapy," he said, his words coming out fast and slurred.

Over the next 45 minutes, Tony, who has autism, and Krystal Demaine sit face-to-face in the sunroom. She'll play guitar while he'll beat on a drum.

Demaine, a 2000 graduate of the Berklee College of Music's music therapy program, has been making the trek to Tony's house for the past four years, using the oohs and aahs in "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" as exercises in enunciation, volume and breath control. Beating along to "Blackbird" on the drum wasn't just fun, it was an exercise in coordination and motor control.

It's all part of a session known as music therapy that is used in hospices, hospitals and schools to help people with different medical conditions develop everything from language skills to motor coordination. Music therapy can provide a drug-free way to regulate moods in people with depression or foster socialization in people with limited means of communication.

At the Berklee College of Music, which has had a music therapy program for the past decade, there are about 100 students enrolled in what is the only undergraduate music therapy program in the state and one of 70 in the country.

Music therapists are professionals that use music "to address nonmusical goals," said Al Bumanis, spokesman at the American Music Therapy Association.

Therapists are not trying to create an orchestra, but take advantage of the ways mind and body are stimulated when people listen to and make music so they can hone motor and brain functions, he said.

Suzanne Hanser, founder and chairwoman of the Berklee program, tends to talk about "spirits" and "creative potential" when she describes the benefits of music therapy.

"One doesn't need to intellectualize, one doesn't need to understand very much, music impacts a person viscerally, physically, immediately, and directly," said Hanser, who did postdoctoral training in clinical gerontology at Stanford University School of Medicine and is currently a research associate at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and president of the World Federation of Music Therapy.

Demaine, who also has a certificate in neurologic music therapy and a master's degree in education, said a patient in therapy is working on a lot of things at once.

"I'm using my hands, I'm using my eyes, I'm using my ears -- I'm using all these different senses and I'm receiving something that makes me feel good," she said.

Tony's mother said she enrolled him in music therapy because she thought it could help his communication skills.

The therapy "forces language when they sing," she said and now it's easier for Tony to communicate with others. "He's able to express his needs," she said, making life easier for them both.

"I think there's something so basic, but so complicated about rhythm. I think really helps organize the brain," she said.

Berklee students pursuing the field of music therapy spend most of their time off-campus, in hospitals and at schools where they work with patients under the supervision of professional music therapists, many of whom are Berklee graduates themselves. Upon graduation, they must pass a national certification test to be recognized as music therapists.

"Our students are invested in the community," Hanser said. The school, with the help of corporate partners, endowed a part-time music therapist job at the McLean Hospital in Belmont.

Adam Sankowski, a 2003 graduate of the program, had his first out-of-classroom experience as a student at the Kennedy Day School, run at the Franciscan Hospital for Children in Boston.

He said the first few classes he took were "kind of heady. ... It wasn't until I went into the field and started observing that it kind of clicked into place."

Sankowski has come full circle; he now works part-time at the Kennedy Day School where he uses therapy to foster socialization. Many of his patients are nonverbal and use machines with recorded phrases -- such as "good morning" -- to communicate.

The idea, he said, is to make the setting similar to any other group of friends hanging out. "People are talking, everybody takes turns," he explained, "we try to create that same thing but in a musical context."

So the first song the group sings every day is a greeting, used both to help the children interact and help them learn to use the technology that they depend on. Several of the students have such limited use of their bodies that all they can do is hit a switch with their heads. But during music therapy, hitting that switch lets them sing along with their classmates.

Getting Berklee students into the community is not just good experience for them, Hanser said, but it exposes doctors and other caretakers to what she does, "so that they can understand that it is an art and it is also a medical science and it is based on current theories as well as research."

For instance, in a 1986 paper published in the Journal of Music Therapy, Hanser described the effects of music therapy on women in labor. For 10 contractions, women listened to music designed especially for them -- songs they had used before as part of relaxation techniques. That was alternated with five music-less minutes for the duration of labor.

The women had fewer physical pain responses -- tense muscles, clenched teeth raised shoulders and, requests for pain killers -- while music played.

And recent research at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation suggests listening to music can reduce chronic pains and depression by up to a quarter.

But it wasn't the hard evidence of research that brought Sankowski to the program at Berklee.

"I had always liked playing guitar, but I didn't think I was going to be a rock star. I wasn't sure what I was going to do, but I made the decision that music was going to be a big part of my life," he said. "It's more about connecting with people."

© Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Study Expands Knowledge About Autism

PITTSBURGH, PA, United States (UPI) -- U.S. researchers say they believe they`ve identified why people suffering from autism think in pictures.

The researchers in the National Institutes of Health-funded study found autism might involve a lack of connections and coordination in separate areas of the brain.

In people with autism, brain areas performing complex analysis appear less likely to work together during problem-solving tasks than in non-afflicted people. The researchers found communications between those brain centers in autistics appear to be directly related to the thickness of the anatomical connections between them.

In a separate study, the same research team found that, in people with autism, brain areas normally associated with visual tasks also appear to be active during language-related tasks, which might explain a bias toward visual thinking common in autism.

'The findings may one day provide the basis for improved treatments for autism that stimulate communication between brain areas,' said Dr. Duane Alexander, director of NIH`s National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

The research was led by psychology Professor Marcel Just at Carnegie Mellon University and Dr. Nancy Minshew, professor of psychiatry and neurology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

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Saturday, July 01, 2006

Test Could Spot Autism at Birth

06.26.06, 12:00 AM ET

MONDAY, June 26 (HealthDay News) -- Scientists believe they've found a way to spot autism as early as birth by seeking out key biological abnormalities in the placenta.

Early diagnosis of autism, a developmental disorder that affects a child's social learning and communication skills, can greatly improve the chances for successful treatment, experts say.

Previous studies noted the presence of "trophoblast inclusions" -- an indicator of cellular abnormality -- in the placenta as a marker for Asperger Syndrome, an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Researchers at the Yale University School of Medicine studied the placentas of 13 children diagnosed with ASD to determine if there was a similar marker.

Compared to the placentas of 61 healthy children, the 13 placentas of Asperger-affected children were three times more likely to have trophoblast inclusions, the Yale team found.

"We knew that trophoblast inclusions were increased in cases of chromosome abnormalities and genetic diseases, but we had no idea whether they would be significantly increased in cases of ASD," study author Dr. Harvey J. Kliman, research scientist in the department of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences at Yale, said in a prepared statement. "These results are consistent with studies by others who have shown that ASD has a clear genetic basis," Kliman said.

Results of the study are published in the June 26 online issue of Biological Psychiatry. The researchers said they expected to further examine the presence of trophoblast inclusions as an indicator of ASD in future studies, with a larger study base and more in-depth analysis.

"If the work is confirmed by the next series of studies, then the finding of trophoblast inclusions at the time of birth in the absence of any obvious genetic abnormalities would be an indication to have a child examined by a specialist to determine the presence of ASD," concluded researcher Fred R. Volkmar of the Yale Child Study Center.

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Autism Speaks new Kellogg's Promo

AUTISM SPEAKS AND KELLOGG COMPANY TEAM UP TO BRING AUTISM AWARENESS TO THE BREAKFAST TABLE THIS SUMMER ON MORE THAN
FIVE MILLION RICE KRISPIES CEREAL BOXES

-- An Innovative Way to Inform Parents About a Disorder Now Affecting One in Every 166 Children --

(NEW YORK, NY – June 27, 2006) – Autism Speaks, a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing awareness of autism and raising money to fund autism research, announced today that it is partnering with Kellogg to bring its message of autism awareness to the side panels of more than five million Rice Krispies cereal boxes. The special Autism Speaks cereal boxes will hit store shelves beginning this month and will appear throughout the summer. In addition to explaining what autism is and that it is increasing in prevalence, the side panel describes some of the most common early signs of autism and encourages parents to talk to their pediatrician if they suspect something might be wrong.

Note: Electronic versions of the cereal box images are available upon request.

The Kellogg’s Rice Krispies awareness initiative coincides with a multi-year Autism Speaks/Ad Council PSA campaign launched in April. Aimed at the general public, the ads stress that autism is more common than people think (1 in 166 children is now diagnosed with autism) and encourages families to learn the signs of autism and talk to their doctor if they suspect their child is not meeting developmental milestones. The campaign was created pro bono by advertising agency BBDO and is running across all media platforms, including print, broadcast and cable TV, radio and the internet.

“We are incredibly grateful to Kellogg for helping us to reach millions of parents with this critically important information about the early signs of autism,“ said Suzanne Wright, co-founder of Autism Speaks. “Parents need to be aware of these ‘red flags’ and talk to their doctor as soon as possible if they suspect a developmental delay. Early intervention is our best weapon against autism.”

”Kellogg has a long history of offering information on health and wellness on product packaging. We’re pleased to be able to share this important information about autism with consumers,” said Jose Alberto Duenas, director, marketing Kellogg Company.

About Autism
Autism is a complex brain disorder that inhibits a person’s ability to communicate and develop social relationships, and is often accompanied by extreme behavioral challenges. Autism spectrum disorders are diagnosed in one in 166 children, affecting four times as many boys as girls. The diagnosis of autism has increased tenfold in the last decade. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have called autism a national public health crisis whose cause and cure remain unknown.

About Autism Speaks
Autism Speaks is dedicated to increasing awareness of the growing autism epidemic and to raising money to fund scientists who are searching for a cure. It was founded in February 2005 by Suzanne and Bob Wright. Bob Wright is Vice Chairman and Executive Officer, General Electric, and Chairman and CEO, NBC Universal. Autism Speaks and the National Alliance for Autism Research (NAAR) recently combined operations, bringing together two of the leading organizations dedicated to accelerating and funding biomedical research into the causes, prevention, treatments and cure for autism spectrum disorders; to increasing awareness of the nation’s fastest growing developmental disorder; and to advocating for the needs of affected families. To learn more about Autism Speaks, please visit www.autismspeaks.org

About Kellogg Company
With 2005 sales in excess of $10 billion, Kellogg Company (NYSE: K) is the world's leading producer of cereal and a leading producer of convenience foods, including cookies, crackers, toaster pastries, cereal bars, frozen waffles, and meat alternatives. The company's brands include Kellogg's, Keebler, Pop-Tarts, Eggo, Cheez-It, Nutri-Grain, Rice Krispies, Special K, Murray, Austin, Morningstar Farms, Famous Amos, Plantation, Ready Crust and Kashi. Kellogg products are manufactured in 17 countries and marketed in more than 180 countries around the world. For more information, visit the Company’s web site at www.kelloggcompany.com.

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