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From: Erika Shira
Date: 16 Oct 2008
Time: 15:30:22 -0500
Remote Name: 204.11.150.154
"Do these patients often resort to sung dialogue in conversation with less anxiety, or do you typically see much more fluent speech?" This has been answered somewhat in other threads; no, I don't think that many people, if any, would resort to singing during conversations. Some folks with DD/MH issues might (and many do so without having had MT), but I wouldn't imagine many typical folks would do this. The aim is that the brain becomes patterned to know how to produce words in a steady rhythm. "What have you seen to be the typical time frame of progress among patients?" Anything from a few sessions onward is beneficial. I'd say that in six months or so, many people have seen a lot of progress and might be ready to be done. With my folks who also have multiple MH/DD issues, a lot choose to stay and work on various issues on and off for a number of years. "Is it something that they can also practice at home?" Well, the bulk of the neurological work needs a music therapist present. The interaction with live music is what patterns the brain to know how producing spontaneous fluent speech feels. I suppose that someone could try something like singing spontaneous lyrics to a wordless piece of recorded music, but it would be less effective since they wouldn't have the immediate feedback of the accompaniment speeding up and slowing down, matching the person's mood and volume, etc. as happens when people make music together. It's a great suggestion though, and I've always thought that it's better for someone without access to treatment to try something that might be not-quite-as-effective rather than nothing at all. Thanks!