A WEEK AND A HALF LEFT OF THIS CRAZY RIDE!
"Wait....WHAT?" Absolutely cannot believe it has been 5 and a half months already, I literally feel like I was just freaking out about moving to Cleveland.
I'm actually quite scared out of my mind, this means I'm a big girl now, and officially in the real world.
Beyond ecstatic, this internship was the most challenging thing I've ever had to do in my life, and I did it....I DID IT. (knock on wood of course, a week.5 could be a while)
And finally, I am a little sad. I have learned more than I ever thought possible, made brilliant new friends, grown a thick skin, and really felt at home at UH. I feel like I never want to leave this place!
**I do have future plans, they just have to be solidified before I can let you all in on them ;)**
SO. Here it is: Melodic Intonation Therapy (MIT)
Melodic Intonation Therapy is a Neurologic Music Therapy technique used with clients who have experienced brain damage and have trouble with speech production. By singing simple phrases to a basic rhythm with a melody that matches inflections found in natural speech will help stimulate the right hemisphere of the brain (for speech production).
I'm pretty sure anyone who has every asked me what Music Therapy is, I use this technique as an example one of the things we do...
But here is the general process:
1. Identify a phrase
2. Grab the clients left hand (to access right sight of brain) and tap a steady rhythm
3. Hum your phrase to a melody in rhythm
4. Add words to your melody (have them watch your mouth)
5. Invite the client to sing the melody with you
6. Therapist will fade out
7. Therapist will initiate call and response: therapist says phrase first then client will repeat
8. Transition into speech instead of singing (brief)
9. Stop rhythm tapping, ask the client a relavent question so they must respond with the phrase they just re-learned
10. Watch them hear themselves speak the phrase correctly and form a huge smile.
I have had the pleasure of working with a WONDERFUL patient who suffered a terrible stroke. This stroke left them with the ability to completely understand speech, but unable to correctly produce it. Fixated on the sound "N," they would become very frustrated because they knew what they wanted to say, but just couldn't say it! The family often times got frustrated as well saying "You know how to say 'Bye' JUST SAY IT!"
Dr. Deforia Lane was in the room with me one of the first times we were working with this patient and she explained this frustration PERFECTLY
"You telling [the pt.] to just say the words is like me telling you to just sing You Are My Sunshine backwards!"
Right away, they got it. We all know the words to you are my sunshine but we would have to do some real cognitive labor to produce it backwards.
Anyway, so I worked with this patient for about 2 weeks (on multiple goals related to their recovery) but on the last session, we implemented MIT, they picked the phrase "my sister-in-law" (because she was in the room visiting). The patient went from literally not being able to say a single one of those words, to articulating them with 100% accuracy. They heard it, went bug-eyed, covered their mouth, and started dancing! Then the whole room busted out singing "I'M SO EXCITED! AND I JUST CANT HIDE IT!"
**working on getting permission to release the videos of these sessions, if I get it I'll post em!
That day will be a day I will NEVER forget.
Here is an example of a music therapist doing MIT----> 1:02
Jaclyn Bradley-Palmer (SHE IS AMAZING, she also works at UH. She's not only a great therapist, but a wonderful person in general!) Jaclyn has been a big source of support and inspiration for me! Thanks Jaclyn!
ONE AND A HALF MORE WEEKS. boom.
