Special Populations in Music Therapy Flashcards

When providing music therapy for a client with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), which area is MOST commonly targeted?

Answer: Social communication and joint attention

Music therapy with ASD clients frequently targets social communication and joint attention, as these are core areas of difficulty in autism.

A music therapist working in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) uses live lullabies. The MOST evidence-supported benefit is:

Answer: Stabilized physiological parameters such as heart rate and oxygen saturation

Research in NICU music therapy shows that live lullabies help stabilize premature infants' physiological parameters including heart rate and oxygen saturation.

For clients with Parkinson's disease, Neurologic Music Therapy is MOST effective for addressing:

Answer: Gait, balance, and movement

NMT techniques such as Rhythmic Auditory Stimulation have strong evidence for improving gait, balance, and overall movement in people with Parkinson's disease.

A music therapist working with veterans who have PTSD would MOST likely use music therapy to address:

Answer: Trauma processing, emotional regulation, and stress reduction

For veterans with PTSD, music therapy is most often used to support trauma processing, emotional regulation, anxiety reduction, and stress management.

Which music therapy approach is MOST appropriate for a non-verbal client with severe intellectual disability?

Answer: Improvisation using percussion instruments

Improvisation with percussion instruments is accessible to non-verbal clients with severe intellectual disabilities, as it does not require verbal or musical literacy.

In end-of-life care, music therapy MOST commonly serves to:

Answer: Provide comfort, facilitate legacy work, and support grief

At end of life, music therapy focuses on comfort, dignity, legacy projects such as recording personal songs, and supporting the grief of clients and families.