MacPhail Center for Music - Chanhassen

If you’re interested in understanding the non-verbal experience, we recommend watching The Reason I Jump. If you’re looking for a movie that can help your child understand their emotions, many neurodiverse families love Inside Out. Check out our autism-friendly movie guide here.

For both a scientific and personal look at autism, we recommend reading But You Don’t Look Autistic At All by Bianca Toeps. Check out our full book guide for more great reads.

Hero Elementary is great for the young ones. Songs for Littles is excellent for toddlers learning how to talk. And Ranking of Kings is a great option for anime and fantasy fans. See our full list of the best TV shows about autism and inclusion.

Music therapy can take place in a variety of settings including schools, hospitals, the child’s own home, rehabilitation centers, and clinics.

A therapy session will vary from child to child, depending on the child’s specific needs. Before your child starts music therapy, their music therapist will develop a personalized treatment plan for your child. Depending on your child’s goals their treatment may involve singing, dancing, listening to music, playing an instrument, or even composing music.

Once you find a music therapist, the therapist will perform an evaluation to determine if music therapy is a good fit for your child as well as determine possible goals. The evaluation will be comprehensive and look at your child’s response to a variety of musical stimuli, including giving your child an opportunity to play with instruments or listen to a variety of music types.

Evaluations will vary based on setting. For example, private practice has a number of evaluation tools while schools typically use an evaluation tool called the SEMTAP (special education music therapy assessment protocol) that focuses on looking at a student’s IEP goals and how or if the addition of music aligns with their IEP goals.