00:07My name is Elizabeth Baldano. I'm a music therapist at the YAI NYL Gramercy School.
00:16Music therapy is a profession that's very similar to occupational therapy, physical therapy,
00:23or speech therapy and that it addresses developmental needs of the child. Music affects every different
00:29level of the child, physiologically, emotionally, cognitively, so it's just fun and it's natural
00:34and it's an easy way to get their attention. A child on the autistic spectrum who has trouble
00:45organizing their world finds it easier to organize within music. It can help them learn how to
00:51modulate their bodies, their internal rhythm, how to go from fast to slow and slow to fast,
00:57everything in between. We use lots of different instruments, rain sticks, kabasas, shakers
01:05of all sorts, xylophones, drums, things that are visually stimulating and stimulating it
01:11with their sounds as well.
01:13Nicholas plays the tambourine in music, in music. Good job!
01:22Good job, Nicholas! Good job!
01:26There are a lot of things that parents can do at home with their child musically to enhance
01:30functioning and to help them to develop and grow. A great thing to do is to accompany your
01:36child's activity with a song that you make up. For example, at bath time when you're getting ready
01:41and it's a transition, it's a transition to get into a tub and get out and dry and all that.
01:46So, a great
01:47thing for parents to do would be to make up a song to go with it. For example, take a
01:51familiar melody,
01:52ABC song, and you sing, um, Billy's time to take a bath. Let's get ready, take a bath. And then
02:02when they get into the tub,
02:03Billy's splashing with the water, the water, the water, splashing with the water, it's time to stop.
02:11There's a musical cue for the child to stand up, get out of the tub, and move on to the
02:15next activity.
02:17Rain stick! You want to play the rain stick? Yeah!
02:21For the past few years, I've been a music therapist at YAI at their preschool, and they serve children
02:27and adults and families affected by autism and other developmental disabilities.
02:32And through these music therapy sessions, we not only have fun and laugh and sing and play instruments,
02:39but we learn about ourselves. We work on our social skills. We work on acquiring language and using that language.
02:47We work on our bodies and how to move them. And through music, all of these things become fun.
02:53And this is how I make contact every day with a lot of children who might not otherwise make these
03:00kind of connections
03:01in their day-to-day lives.
03:05Do you want to sing goodbye? Yes!
03:12These shows are first and foremost all about having fun, but they're also about learning.
03:17There's a lot of science behind it. There's a lot of fun behind it.
03:22There's a lot of love behind it. I'm so excited that viewers at home can somewhat experience what I try
03:30to impart
03:31to these children every day.
03:32See you later!
03:34I can see you!
03:36See you!
03:37Next time!
03:39Next time!
03:40Give me stickers!
03:44Stickers! You want stickers?
03:47We'll do this for the next episode!
03:47Hey, guys!
03:48See you.
03:48You
