Rhythmic Integrations provides Neurologic Music Therapy programs to support childhood development across a range of areas including communication, sensory processing, motor planning, emotional regulation, and social skills. Their therapy programs for neurodivergent children can be accessed using NDIS funding.
The team at Rhythmic Integrations are passionate about building skills for both the child and the caregiver and strive to equip you with knowledge and tools you can apply outside of sessions.
About Rhythmic Integrations
Rhythmic Integrations is home to therapists who are both Registered Music Therapists with the Australian Music Therapy Association and have extra training in Neurologic Music Therapy. They have a keen interest in all things brain and music!
Neurologic Music Therapy (NMT)
Neurologic Music Therapy is an evidence based therapy program guided by advances in neuroscience. In other terms, NMT use music based techniques that are informed by research, to target specific areas of the brain and address a ‘non-musical’ goal.
This might be:
- increasing speech and language skills
- improving clarity of speech
- using rhythm to organise sensory input
- finding tools for co-regulation and develop the skills for self regulation
- improve motor planning
- improving core strength, gross motor and fine motor skills
- adopting augmentative and alternative methods of communication (AAC)
- developing executive function (things like impulse control, memory, attentional skills and shifting or flexibility)
Who is NMT with Rhythmic Integrations for?
Rhythmic Integrations’ Neurologic Music Therapy is appropriate for any child aged 0-18 years, diagnosed or undiagnosed, who may need extra support in their development. Music is both an enjoyable medium (the child doesn’t always realise the goals or the ‘work’ behind what they are doing!) and an effective mode of therapy for children.
Children learn best when they are relaxed and enjoying themselves. Music is a great tool to support this!
Funding
Music Therapy is an allied health profession and approved under the National Disability Insurance Scheme. You are able to use NDIS funds to cover Neurologic Music Therapy services with Rhythmic Integrations.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens during a session? In the first couple of sessions, your therapist will spend some time getting to know you and your child, building rapport with them and looking at their responses to musical stimulus. They will also run a few simple non-musical assessments. This will look like games and activities to the child and might be questionnaires for you. Rhythmic Integrations do this so they can track whether progress has been made on a non-musical goal. For example – they will use these same assessments as a ‘re-assessment’ later to check on progress.
Following assessment sessions, goals are established. These might be speech and communication related goals, physical goals, emotional goals, social skills… whatever might be helpful for your child.
During a session, your child is likely to be playing musical instruments, moving to music, singing or taking part in a sensory related task accompanied by music (eg. bouncing on a ball). Sessions may take on a structured approach or be free and flexible, depending on what is best for the child.
Will I stay with my child during the session? Parents are very welcome to be in the room during sessions or wait in the waiting room according to what works best for all. Rhythmic Integrations does like to show and share ideas and knowledge with parents, so even if you are not in the room for the whole session,they will spend some time chatting with you or demonstrating things after the session. They often have suggestions for things that you can try at home (or pass on to school) that do not require a musical background.
How long do sessions run for? Sessions are generally 30-45 minutes in length, with another 15 minutes set aside for note taking, planning and/or chatting with you.
Does my child need to be musical to benefit from NMT? No, not at all. It is certainly not a pre-requisite. What Rhythmic Integrations does find though is that music is generally received as non-threatening and sometimes less anxiety provoking than other therapies. The goals can be somewhat hidden. For the child, it may just seem like they are engaging in a fun musical activity and, as we all know, the best learning occurs when we are relaxed and having fun!
If you would like to learn more about music therapy or get in touch to see how Rhythmic Integrations might be able to support your child, you can get in touch here, or book in a phonecall here.