Case Studies Flashcards
Who was Suzanna?
A 3-year old girl with communication difficulties
Which researcher’s looked into the case of Suzanna?
Bunt & Hoskyns (2002)
What was Suzanna’s behaviour in the initial phase of the therapy?
Went into the room with her mum
Didn’t take any notice of the therapist
Began by picking up and playing instruments that were lying around
Entirely self-directed in terms of what she wanted to do and how she was engaging with the session
What did the therapist first try to do with Suzanna?
Get her to interact in someway. Gradually developed eye contact with each other.
Make Suzanna aware of the therapist’s presence and get some social interaction going
What did the therapist eventually manage with Suzanna?
30 minutes of collaborative play
Learn the process of turn-taking
What did collaborative play and turn-taking exercises mostly consist of?
Matching drumming patterns
Turn-taking with mum and therapist on large drum
What 3 firsts did the Mum notice that emerged from the therapy?
First time she showed clear emotion
First cuddle
First interest in playing with soft toys / demonstrating creative and imaginative play
How did Suzanna show clear emotion?
Emotional response to cymbal - became angry when unable to replicate the nice sound that the therapist produced. Became angry at her inability to replicate the nice sound on the cymbal. Demonstrated an emotion of some sort.
When did Suzanna first want a cuddle?
When a visiting student played a viola
Came and watched the session
The impact of the viola music created a desire of physical contact and affection in Suzanna
How did Suzanna play creatively with the soft toys?
Made them dance and fall over
Played hide and seek with them
This was all stimulated by the musical therapy itself
Was music therapy in Suzanna’s case successful?
Yes - the music therapy itself stimulated lots of beneficial effects in Suzanna & her social behaviour
Incorporated the creative play into play at home - successful
What is Suzanna’s case a good example of?
A good example of how beneficial music therapy can be
Shows how parents can relate aspects of therapy sessions to home life
What is a doubt of musical therapy in general with children?
There is doubt whether effects found are due to the musical therapy itself or due to changes in maturation/ageing, that would have occurred irrespective of the therapy
Who was David?
A 5 year-old boy in a specialist autism school
What researcher looked at the case of David?
Brown (2002)
What sort of personality did David have?
Was very verbal
Did a lot of repetitive stuff
What sort of play did David partake in?
Repetitive play with cymabl and glockenspiel, repetitive stories
What was David’s relationship with the therapist?
David had a control issue and refused to allow the therapist to play the instrument unless he told them that they could
What was David’s fear?
Fear of relinquishing omnipotence/control
He wanted to control the session and the output of the sound
When could David’s therapist play?
Only when following David’s lead
How did David’s attitude change over time with therapy?
Became more hostile towards the therapist
How did David’s case study end?
Ended with a scenario in which David symbolically blew up the therapist (theatrical performance) - interpreted by the author as evidence that the sessions had developed David’s theory of mind
