Colloquium - Presenters

ABSTRACT

Autism is a developmental disorder characterized by social and communication difficulties, stereotyped and repetitive behaviors, and sensory processing deficits. In addition to these hallmark symptoms, symptoms of executive dysfunction frequently appear as a part of the disorder’s topography, which may present as cognitive inflexibility and perseverative cognition. Cognitive inflexibility and perseverative thinking in autism may result in increased psychosocial issues, distinguished by periodic use of first-person statements and recurrent verbal invocation of negative emotions. Perseverative thinking is often cyclical in nature, with one thought bleeding into the next until the initial thought is introduced once more, thus starting the process all over again. Executive dysfunction is considered a distinctive feature in autism, yet there is increasing evidence that suggests the presentation of these behaviors is a result of sensory connectivity issues, rather than an issue with executive functioning itself. 

These sensory processing differences, which are consistently associated with irregularities in the subcortical structures of the brain, influence how an autistic person might experience praxis as well as the vestibular, proprioceptive, and tactile senses. The coordination of these senses—vestibular, proprioceptive, and tactile—are essential developmental skills. Current research findings support evidence that deficits in these areas have a significant impact on attention, language, social relationships, communication, and executive function. Neurologic Music Therapy (NMT)® is a model of music therapy that uses the principles of neuroscience to address nonmusical, therapeutic goals. It is comprised of twenty techniques and spans four therapeutic domains—cognition, sensorimotor, speech and language, and psychosocial. This case study will use Musical Sensory Orientation Training (MSOT)®, Auditory Perception Training (APT)®, and Musical Executive Function Training (MEFT)®, which address arousal level, sensory coordination, and executive functioning. By implementing sensory coordination techniques throughout the sessions, the investigator hopes to draw a connection between the need for complete sensory integration before executive functioning tasks, indicating a sensory coordination issue as opposed to executive dysfunction.

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KEYWORDS 

Autism, perseverative cognition, sensory coordination, proprioception, arousal

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BIO

Megan Reynolds is currently studying at the University of Toronto with the Faculty of Music, working towards a Master of Music in Applied Music and Health. Upon graduation, she will be qualified to apply for board certification in music therapy. While Megan has spent a large portion of time specializing in and working with the autistic population, she also has experience working with a variety of other populations in therapeutic and educational settings, including traumatic brain injury, pervasive developmental disorder, cerebral palsy, stroke, and dementia.