Let's get musical...


​HAEPI SLP Therapy Services is thrilled to provide Music-Directed Speech Therapy (MDST) as of July 2023 -- the first offering of its kind in Thunder Bay, Ontario. 

Keep reading to learn about the benefits and effectiveness of the collaboration between music therapy and speech pathology! ​

What is Music Therapy?


​Music therapy is the clinical & evidence-based use of music interventions (e.g., music improvisation, receptive music listening, song writing, lyric discussion, music and imagery, music performance, and learning through music) to address and accomplish individualized health, educational, and therapeutic goals, such as:
  • Improving  communication 
  • Managing stress
  • Increasing autonomy
  • Expressing feelings​​​
  • Enhancing confidence
  • Promoting wellness
  • Building a therapeutic relationship
  • and more!
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Music therapy is provided by a registered music therapist who has completed an approved music therapy program.

​Music-directed speech therapy is still classified as speech therapy (*not* music therapy), and it falls under the domain of speech-language pathology.

​However, with music-directed speech therapy, core aspects of music therapy are incorporated into the speech therapy treatment plan. This creates a customized treatment modality that highly benefits music-loving kids. 

See it in action...

What are the benefits of Music-Directed Speech Therapy?

​By combining music therapy and speech pathology, we are able to offer an interactive and engaging rehabilitation program that is especially effective for music-prone children (such as nearly all GLPs!).

Music therapy and speech pathology can play complementary roles when addressing common goals, such as in the areas of breath control, aural motor coordination and speech production. In addition, rhythmic speech and breathing & vocal exercises — core aspects of music therapy — have been shown to enhance the rate, pitch, variability and intelligibility of speech. 

​Most importantly, music therapy can maximize a music-loving child's potential and motivation in achieving their communication goals, while speech pathology provides the therapeutic intervention and measurable outcomes throughout the treatment. 


Meet Kaelyn McCallum,
BMT, MTA, MT-BC


​
​Kaelyn is a Speech Language Assistant at HAEPI SLP Therapy Services... who also happens to be an accredited & board certified Music Therapist. 

Contact us to inquire about Music-Directed Speech Therapy treatment with Kaelyn!
​
Does my child need to have musical ability to benefit from Music-Directed Speech Therapy?
Not at all! This treatment modality is NOT about music instruction, but about utilizing principles from music therapy to enhance speech therapy outcomes. It is not necessary for your child to be musically gifted in any way! 
What would a music-directed speech therapy session look like?
Since music therapy concepts can benefit a wide variety of individuals with many different types of needs, there is no one-size-fits-all session. Each child's needs, interests, and environments will be taken into consideration when developing a customized music-directed speech therapy treatment plan. 
Would these sessions still be covered by OAP or Insurance?
Yes. Music-directed speech therapy services are still offered as speech therapy services! Kaelyn is a registered music therapist, but she provides services through HAEPI SLP Therapy Services as a Speech Language Assistant. 

Music & GLPs: 

Did you know that songs are often some of the first scripts or gestalts that a child acquires?

Gestalt language processors are often referred to as "intonation babies" because they process intonation in spoken language (keying in on the starting and stopping of the stream of sound) instead of individual words. Seeing as music has a beautiful intonational quality, it's no surprise that it often appeals to all children and especially gestalt language processors. 

Explore other treatment areas...