May 31 2008
Music and Autism
Yahoo News is carrying a story today about Oliver Sacks, who will be appearing at the Harlem Abyssinian Church during the World Science Festival. Sacks has a new book out called Musicophilia: Music and the Brain, and in it he explores how people with certain neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s and autism positively respond to music.
This is particularly interesting to me because I know at times, Gus has done well with music as a sensory aid. Even this past week, his teacher used music to calm him when he was getting upset about people talking in the room. Whenever he’s having a bad episode of crying and confusion, soft classical music can soothe him enough to make it to bedtime. And other times, he just enjoys it so darned much! I might approach his teacher about trying to use it more in the classroom.
I think I may also have to check out the book and perhaps review it here. What are your thoughts about the prospect of using music as a healing method?
