Testimonies
Max’s Testimony
Megan has been blessed with a gift that needs to be shared. Our
son Max, diagnosed with autism at two, has his greatest challenges in
speech. Max, now four, joyfully sings not only with Megan in his
session but also with his classmates and spontaneously throughout the
day. We will forever be connected to the "Hello" and "Good-bye"
songs along with all the special instruments and musical games. Megan
will open your world to music and touch your heart forever with the
memories made. Every one of all ages and needs should have the
gift of music; Megan will bring that into your world.
Peace, Cindy
Brimacombe
Mother of
Max, 4 year old with Autism
Patrick’s Testimony
“Pat has always been an audience member for his sisters’ musical events,
enthusiastically directing each number from the back of the auditorium.
We could tell he had a real yearning to be an active participant in a
concert; however, traditional public school music programs don’t
typically include an authentic role for students with reduced verbal and
fine motor skills.
Pat was thrilled to begin snare drum lessons, but as Megan discovered, he didn’t have the motor skills to sustain consistent right/left drumming patterns. His attention span was interfering with his ability to build this skill with the snare drum. This is where the Music Therapist’s creativity and ability to be flexible comes into play. Megan expanded his repertoire of musical instruments, allowing him to practice the same skills on a number of different percussion instruments, and eventually, he learned the physical skills he needed. He also learned how to read musical notation, sustain his concentration through a long song, and build the physical skills that he needed. With these skills, he was able to hold onto heavier instruments for a longer period of time than I would not have thought possible. My husband and I were thrilled when he played at his very own Christmas concert-- on six different instruments! For years he had been in the audience for his sisters’ concerts, and last December, he was a featured performer in his very own musical event. We were thrilled.”
-Jim and Becky Murray,
Parents of Patrick Murray, a young man with
Cerebral Palsy
My
daughter has diagnoses of Autism-PDD/NOS. She received this diagnosis
when she was three years and nine months old. She is eight years old
now. She has had three years of in-home intensive ABA Therapy. Last
August, Sammy started Music Therapy with Megan Cummins, MT-BC. She
seemed to enjoy music, but at the same time had sensory issues with
different noises. She cringes and blinks when certain instruments are
played. I thought Music Therapy would be something different she would
enjoy. My goals for Sammy for Music Therapy was to find out if she liked
something specific, to relax and calm her, and desensitize her through
different instrument sounds. Megan has done a terrific job with Sammy.
She has been patient, kind, and very helpful and sensitive to Sammy’s
feelings and needs. Sammy liked sitting on the bean bag chair and using
a vibrating snake to calm her. She likes to feel the vibrations of the
music through her body. These two items worked especially well when
Sammy first started music therapy. Megan and Sammy have gotten along
well. Megan has done an excellent job in picking instruments and songs
that help Sammy to feel the music (tone bars, a large gathering drum
where Sammy sticks her head into while Megan plays, which I could not
believe when I first saw it given Sammy’s fear of noises). The two take
turns picking instruments and Sammy’s choices are always sensory
related. I feel that Sammy has become much more tolerant of noises, both
from instruments and in general since attending Music Therapy with
Megan. Sammy also enjoys listening to Megan sing. She has repeated the
songs at home many times in the morning when she wakes up and is rocking
in her rocking chair. Megan has also had Sammy sing with the microphone
which has boosted Sammy’s confidence. She has a good tone and a nice
voice. She needs to confidence and to practice and Megan has given her
an outlet to do so. I’m grateful for Megan for working with Sammy these
past 10 months. She is an excellent Music Therapist and I would
recommend her to anyone.
-Julie Schmidt
Mother of Samantha, young girl with Autism-PDD/NOS