Archive for May, 2010
Getting stuck for words, stuttering in pre-school children
I’ve recently added an article about stuttering or stammering in pre-school children. When young children who have recently started to stutter, are referred to me, I usually offer an inital parent session where both parents attend my office, in either Clonakilty or Cloughduv. There we discuss the difficulty that their child is having, and identify factors which may be helping or hindering fluency.
I also have 10 tips for helping the child who stammers.
Study finds music therapy a promising cure for dementia
From the Centre for Ageing Research and Development in Ireland (CARDI) website
Date published: Wednesday, February 25, 2009 News source: The New Straits Times Region: International
Music seems to hold a promise for people suffering from dementia, for a new study has found that Alzheimer’s patients could improve memory by just listening to their favourite songs. For more information go to:
http://www.cardi.ie/news/newstudyfindsmusictherapyapromisingcurefordementia
Music as a memory enhancer in patients with Alzheimer’s disease
From the Journal Neuropsychologia 2010 May 7
Music as a memory enhancer in patients with Alzheimer’s disease
Simmons-Stern NR, Budson AE, Ally BA
Center for Translational Cognitive Neuroscience, Geriatric Research Education Clinical Center, Bedford VA Hospital, Bedford, MA, USA; Boston University Alzheimer’s Disease Center, Department of Neurology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
Musical mnemonics have a long and diverse history of popular use. In addition, music processing in general is often considered spared by the neurodegenerative effects of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Research examining these two phenomena is limited, and no work to our knowledge has explored the effectiveness of musical mnemonics in AD. The present study sought to investigate the effect of music at encoding on the subsequent recognition of associated verbal information. Lyrics of unfamiliar children’s songs were presented bimodally at encoding, as visual stimuli accompanied by either a sung or a spoken recording. Patients with AD demonstrated better recognition accuracy for the sung lyrics than the spoken lyrics, while healthy older adults showed no significant difference between the two conditions. We propose two possible explanations for these findings: first, that the brain areas subserving music processing may be preferentially spared by AD, allowing a more holistic encoding that facilitates recognition, and second, that music heightens arousal in patients with AD, allowing better attention and improved memory. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
F. A. S. T. campaign is launched to help you recognise the early signs of stroke and act quickly.
From Headway Ireland’s website:
The Irish Heart Campaign has just launched its F.A.S.T. campaign, which is designed to help people remember the main warning signs of stroke, and to act by dialling 999.
F – Face – has the person’s face fallen on one side? Can they smile?
A – Arms – Can they raise both arms and keep them there?
S – Speech – is their speech slurred?
T -Time to call 999 if you spot any single one of these signs.
F. A. S. T. can help you to rapidly recognise stroke and then act quickly to get medical treatment.
To see the TV ads, visit: www.stroke.ie.
Music therapy and good friends
Post from the blog of pianist Paul Cardall who has chronic heart failure. Here he shares excerpts from an intimate music session with friends from his bedside.
http://mytricuspidatresia.blogspot.com/search?q=music+therapy
Pro Singing Tip – Sing like a 2 year old!
…From Vivalavoice’s blog
http://vivalavoice.wordpress.com/2010/05/26/pro-singing-tip-sing-like-a-2-year-old/
Depression in children following surgery
“A Quiet Enemy to Recovery–Depression” An article from the Perfect Broken Hearts blog about the risk of depression in children post surgery particularly after open heart surgery. It cites therapies including music therapy as a recommended intervention.
http://perfectbrokenhearts.wordpress.com/2010/05/25/a-quiet-enemy-to-recovery-depression/
‘Blow the dust off your trumpet orchestra’
Performing tonight at the National Concert Hall. This orchestra is made up of older adults who have previously played musical instruments. The orchestra is a project which is part of the Bealtaine Festival which celebrates creativity in older age. It is featured in this evening’s Six One News.
http://www.rte.ie/news/2010/0526/6news_av.html?2760923,null,230
Patients with acquired brain injury have ‘nowhere to go’
Article in the Health Supplement of today’s Irish Times highlighting the lack of appropriate facilities for young people with acquired brain injury. For more information, go to:
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/health/2010/0525/1224271081801.html
Music Therapy Ireland website and blog
This website provides information about music therapy, and also about the services provided by music therapists based in Limerick.
Linda Coyle's Blog 