Page 28 - SEN115 - November/December 2021

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and at times during the improvised music I may begin to sing other familiar songs which can be predictable and calming.
Children with PMLD have little or no opportunity for independence, therefore effectively communicating the capacity of the client, as seen in a music therapy session, with other adults is vital. Whether it be through video or having parents/carers in the sessions supporting the child.
I requested the same TA to support William every week as it was important for me to also develop a good relationship with her. Initially, William’s TA would actively tell him to play when he was communicating that he didn’t want to, or she would grab his hand and do it for him. I explained to her the importance of giving him space to be heard and that I felt he had capacity for more independence. She stepped back slightly and began to watch William in a different way. After a few sessions she began to join in and started communicating with him similarly to how I was. She would frequently comment that he was more focused than ever, and they had some really beautiful and communicative exchanges. Through weeks of explaining my process to her, I felt confident that the TA could support William in this way outside of the music therapy room. He knew that she had heard him too.
In my sessions with William, I learnt about his strengths, not his deficits. I was told he could not communicate effectively but I gave him space to be heard and responded to his music making. I noticed that he instantly developed interests in new sounds and became motivated to engage with me. William was
“The importance of giving him space to be heard”
playful and funny and extremely communicative. I only noticed William becoming frustrated when he was visibly unable to communicate his needs with me, but with space and time and the predictable structure of our sessions, William felt reassured and we developed a trusting therapeutic relationship.
Music has a beautiful and distinctive nature when working with children who have PMLD. It is extraordinary to observe how music-making can support those who are isolated in their environments. William was disengaged from people around him but through our shared music we developed a greater understanding of each other. The music therapist can go beyond any communication barriers and reflect back, or match, the smallest of communications presented by a client. This therapeutic relationship can offer a child with PMLD an experience of being acknowledged and heard, and a deeply meaningful connection can be formed on an entirely non-verbal level.
*Names have been changed.
MPS: care for children with cerebral palsy must be improved
To coincide with World Cerebral Palsy Day, a cross-party group of MPs has released a new report calling on the Government and local authorities to do more to improve access to care for children with Cerebral Palsy and
their families.
The publication by the All-Parliamentary Group on Cerebral Palsy examines how best practice can be spread in the vital Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs).
Drawing on the testimony of experts, parents and those with lived experience of Cerebral Palsy, the APPG’s report finds that there are gaps in the existing process and service provision that are letting children with Cerebral Palsy and their families down.
To remedy this, and to end the postcode lottery of access
to support, the APPG makes a series of recommendations that will revitalise the current support system and remove the barriers that children and young people with Cerebral Palsy and their families encounter.
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