MUSIC THERAPY & THE AUTISTIC SPECTRUM

A Seminar for Special Education Professionals, Music Therapists and Students

Hosted by The Faculty of Music & The Macgeorge Bequest

Friday March 30th
9:30 – 4:30
Queen’s College
College Crescent
Parkville

Registrations Due: Monday March 19th by email / post / fax (pdf brochure and application form)

Highlights

Professor Tony Wigram will be presenting evidence supporting the benefits of music therapy for people with Autism as published by the Cochrane Library of Systematic Reviews.  Significant studies will be highlighted and illustrated using musical material from Tony’s own clinical work.

Dr Jinah Kim will be presenting the results of her recently completed PhD investigating the effects of improvisational music therapy on joint attention behaviours in children with autistic spectrum disorder.  This research highlighted the ‘motivational aspects’ of musical interaction between the child and the therapist, and supported the value of improvisational music therapy for promoting self-expression, emotional communication and social interaction

Grace Thompson and Allison Fuller are Australian music therapists with substantial clinical experience in working with young people diagnosed on the Autistic Spectrum.  They will share case material and examples of music therapy work that illustrate the applied benefits of these interventions.

The Faculty of Music has been graduating music therapists for the past 28 years under the leadership of Associate Professor Denise Grocke.  Masters by Coursework information is available at: http://www.music.unimelb.edu.au/courses/pgrad/MMusThrp.html

Schedule for day

Location Details

Queens College
College Crescent, Parkville (see brochure for map)

Presenter Information

Macgeorge Visiting Speaker

Dr Kim is Acting Head of Music Therapy at the University of Queensland.  She has worked with children and adolescents on the Autistic Spectrum for the last 13 years both in the U.K and in Korea. Her work has been especially focused on early intervention area (age 2 and a half - 6 years old).

Prof Wigram is head of PhD studies in music therapy at the University of Aalborg in Denmark. He has worked for the past 25 years at Harper House Children’s Services in England which delivers a multi-disciplinary approach to the assessment, diagnosis, and management of children and young people with a wide range of complex neurodevelopmental disorders, and specialises in the Autistic Spectrum.

Grace Thompson currently works at  the Broad Insight Group early intervention centre in Melbourne’s North West.  She is part of a team that strives towards transdisciplinary practice, and her work provides direct clinical intervention for the child with special needs, but also supports the adults in the child’s family and community environments.

Allison Fuller is the Director of the NEW Music Therapy Centre in NSW and Sing & Grow group facilitator. She has 11 years of experience working as a Registered Music Therapist with children and adolescents with autism at Giant Steps Sydney as well as previous experience in the disability field.

Contact / Enquiries

Dr Katrina McFerran
Faculty of Music
The University of Melbourne
Melbourne 3010
Email: k.mcferran@unimelb.edu.au
Phone: 8344 7382
Fax: 8344 5346

12 CPD Points for Registered Music Therapists