Research

 As I learn more and more about how music and song impact speech therapy, I am becoming more interested in my major and future career path. In my last post, I discussed how music and singing can affect a child in speech therapy. In this post, I will be discussing different information that I'm finding about my research question and how singing and music in speech therapy is helping adults.

  I have begun to look at other SLP's blogs to see what connections they have discovered between music and speech. Many of them have links to health articles about music therapy. This article discusses how the brain precepts music. It says that there are many connections and overlaps between listening to music and singing songs and listening and producing speech. It also offers tools for speech therapy to incorporate music and song into treatment. This Youtube video offers an example of the "fill-in-the-blank" method and how breathing and rhythm impact speech therapy specifically. Our bodies are very perceptive to rhythm and song, thus creating a great treatment methods for SLPs. The best part is that these techniques can be used for adults and children.

  In 2011, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was shot in the head during an attempted assassination in Tucson, Arizona. The bullet went through her head and damaged many parts of her brain. She went through serious surgeries, physical therapy, and speech therapy. One of the methods used in her healing process was speech therapy through music. In this video, Gabi is getting frustrated with speaking and saying the word "light". At 3 minutes and 15 seconds, she begins to sing "This Little Light of Mine". I am absolutely amazed by this. A woman who has been through serious head trauma (left brain damage) is learning to speak again through song. It is remarkable and inspiring. This video also offers so much information regarding the connection between music therapy and getting Gabi's language back. This is another way that I'm researching my topic. Youtube videos show great examples and offer fantastic information. Almost all of the methods used in the article above are used for Gabi's recovery. This is a great example of how music in adult speech therapy really works.