Articles

When teaching a child with selective mutism, I work hard to develop a nonverbal communication system and strive to make our lessons a safe space for the student to “chit-chat”.

I began working with special needs children by chance. In fact, I was teaching music and movement group classes for 2 to 4 year-old children when a parent reached out to ask if I would be able to conduct one-to-one lessons for her autistic son. I gamely said yes, not knowing that it would set me down this immensely rewarding path.

Many autistic children are musically inclined, trailing off and humming tunes on occasion – often whatever is on their mind at that moment. This is a strong signal that music can be an effective teaching method for them.