Music Therapists: Ideal Partners in Providing Inclusive Learning Opportunities

Pamela J. Winton, Ph.D.

FPG Child Development Institute at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Early childhood inclusion embodies the values, policies, and practices that support the right of every infant and young child and his or her family, regardless of ability, to participate in a broad range of activities and contexts as full members of families, communities, and society. The desired results of inclusive experiences for children with and without disabilities and their families include a sense of belonging and membership, positive social relationships and friendships, and development and learning to reach their full potential (DEC/NAEYC, 2009).

The publication of the above definition of inclusion by the two major early childhood professional organizations (Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children and the National Association for the Education of Young Children) was a seminal moment in advancing the principle of inclusion; that is, the rights of young children with disabilities to be cared for and educated alongside their typically developing peers and to participate in a broad range of activities as full citizens of society. Music therapists are in an ideal role to help support the implementation of the practices associated with the inclusion principle. 

This article first shares a summary of the policies and research evidence that support early childhood inclusion, then outlines how music therapists can be critical partners in implementing practices that are associated with high quality inclusion, using the Recommended Practices in Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education (DEC, 2014) as a guide.

Policy Support for Inclusion

The principle of inclusion is supported by decades of legislation related to basic equal rights to educational opportunities. Starting with Brown vs the Board of Education in 1954 and moving through the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA), the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Rehabilitation Act (Section 504), the rights of individuals with disabilities to have equal access to education and developmental services within community settings with their peers has been reinforced again and again.

To hear a parent talk about the benefits of early childhood inclusion, visit the video library of the  California’s Desired Results Access Project (Edelman, 2014).

To learn more about policies that support inclusion review the CONNECT Foundations of Inclusion online curricula and short overview video.

Research Support for Inclusion

Research studies over the years have yielded important information about early childhood inclusion and the factors that influence its acceptance and implementation. A summary of key conclusions or “synthesis points” drawn from a review of the literature is available from the National Professional Development Center on Inclusion (2009). Among these findings is that inclusion has numerous benefits for children with and without disabilities. However, it is important to note that to achieve desired outcomes for children in inclusive environments, certain factors are important, one being that children receive specialized instruction and support to meet their individualized needs. 

The most recent compilation of practices that support inclusion, based on a combination of the best available research evidence and validation from the field, is the Recommended Practices in Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education (DEC, 2014). The purpose of this document is “to provide guidance to practitioners and families about the most effective ways to improve the learning outcomes and promote the development of young children, birth through five years of age, who have or are at-risk for developmental delays or disabilities (p.1).” The document highlights “those practices specifically known to promote the outcomes of young children who have or are at risk for developmental delays/disabilities and to support their families in accordance with the DEC/NAEYC (2009) position statement on early childhood inclusion” (p. 3), thus making a strong connection between the practices and inclusion. The practices are specific, observable, and focused on practitioners who work with young children, birth-5 (through kindergarten), who have or are at risk for developmental delays and disabilities but are not limited to those eligible for IDEA services (e.g., children with severe challenging behavior). They build on, but do not duplicate, standards for typical early childhood settings (e.g., Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8 (3rd ed.), 2009). The practices are organized into eight topical areas: Assessment, Environment, Family, Instruction, Interaction, Teaming and Collaboration, Transition.

Music Therapists and Implementation of the DEC Recommended Practices in Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education (2014)

As partners with families, teachers and other specialists in supporting children’s learning and development in natural environments, music therapists are in an ideal role to implement the DEC recommended practices as part of their delivery of services and supports. To provide specific information about how a music therapist could use the practices as a guide, the following five DEC Recommended Practices in the topical area Interactions are listed. Interaction is defined as follows: “Sensitive and responsive interactional practices are the foundation for promoting the development of a child’s language and cognitive and emotional competence” (DEC, 2014, p. 13). Also included herein are examples of how a music therapist might implement each of the practices, especially highlighting partnerships with family members and other professionals when appropriate. The examples are modeled after a set of guidelines developed by the DEC Recommended Practice Commission (2015).

To download the complete list of all of the DEC Recommended Practices, visit the DEC website.

INTERACTION:

INT1. Practitioners promote the child’s social-emotional development by observing, interpreting, and responding contingently to the range of the child’s emotional expressions.

Examples

1. ๏A music therapist provides a model for positive interactions for family members or teachers by commenting upon what a great helper the child is when he joins her in gathering up the musical instruments they have been using. 
   

2. ๏A music therapist smiles frequently at the children with whom she/he is working, shows genuine pleasure in the company of children, and shows authentic approval of each child’s accomplishments.
   

INT2: Practitioners promote the child’s social development by encouraging the child to initiate or sustain positive interactions with other children and adults during routines and activities through modeling, teaching, feedback, or other types of guided support.

Examples

1. ๏A music therapist working in an inclusive classroom supports a teacher to pair a child with disabilities with a developmentally sophisticated peer in order to teach and reinforce the hand motions associated with a popular song that is frequently sung at group time.
   

1. ๏A music therapist works with teachers to encourage and reinforce a child for initiations and engagement with musical materials and activities like singing by providing choices, making suggestions, and providing descriptive feedback.
   

INT3: Practitioners promote the child’s communication development by observing, interpreting, responding contingently, and providing natural consequences for the child’s verbal and non-verbal communication and by using language to label and expand on the child’s requests, needs, preferences, or interests.

Examples

1. ๏A music therapist works with a teacher to embed ideas for promoting children’s early literacy skills by using an alphabet song which includes teaching children to fill in lyrics with words that start with certain alphabet letters.
   

2. ๏A music therapist teaches developmentally sophisticated peers and other adults to recognize, interpret and respond to nonverbal children’s communicative attempts during musical activities.
   

INT4: Practitioners promote the child’s cognitive development by observing, interpreting, and responding intentionally to the child’s exploration, play, and social activity by joining in and expanding on the child’s requests, needs, preferences, or interests.

Example

1. ๏A music therapist extends and expands upon a child’s exploration of musical instruments by imitating the child’s behavior and then adding steps that show how instruments work and how the child  can perform other actions with the instruments.
   

INT5: Practitioners promote the child’s problem-solving behavior by observing, interpreting, and scaffolding in response to the child’s growing level of autonomy and self-regulations.

Examples

1. ๏A music therapist observes a group of children beginning to interact with musical instruments and helps them plan their activity (e.g., identify what roles and instruments they might use as they interact with each other) to expand and build upon what they have learned.
   

2. ๏A music therapist models strategies and the use of words to work out problems when children engage in aggressive behavior.
   

In summary, music therapists have multiple opportunities to support the development and learning of children with disabilities in inclusive and natural environments as part of their role of “using music to reach non-musical goals” (Bolton, 2014).  The DEC Recommended Practices (DEC, 2014) provide a means for identifying explicit strategies to use in the context of music therapy. For more examples of how to use music with young children during daily routines in inclusive settings see Kern (2008). Examine the complete list of practices and be inspired to imagine the many examples of how the practices can be a guide for your work with children. Then utilize this information to demonstrate that music therapists are indeed ideal partners for providing inclusive learning opportunities.

References

Bolton, D. (2014). One, two, three, and do, re, me: Early childhood musical development for music therapists. imagine 5(1), 38-41. Retrieved from www.imagine.musictherapy.biz

Division for Early Childhood (DEC). (2014). DEC recommended practices in early intervention/early childhood special education. Retrieved from http://www.dec-sped.org/recommendedpractices

Edelman, L. (Producer) (2014). A Parent's Perspective on Inclusion in Early Childhood [video]. Rohnert Park, California: Desired Results Access Project.

Kern, P. (2008). Singing our way through the day: Using music with young children during daily routines. Children & Families, 22(2), 50-56.

National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). (2009). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8 (Position Statement). Retrieved from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/position%20statement%20Web.pdf

National Professional Development Center on Inclusion. (2009). Research synthesis points on early childhood inclusion. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina, FPG Child Development Institute, Author.

About the Author

Pamela J. Winton, Ph.D. has been involved in research, outreach, professional development, and scholarly publishing related to early childhood inclusion for the last three decades. She has taught courses, intensive workshops, and curricula on families, teaming, and professional development for many years.

Contact: pam_winton@unc.edu