How much stimulation is enough?

[Anonymous]

How much stimulation is enough?

How much stimulation is too much?

[Grace Baer]

Just as it’s been said so many times already in this training, I think it depends on each child. As the facilitators of these groups, we need to be watching everyone’s reactions to the music and experiences to be aware of any children experiencing over-stimulation. For this current group we’re talking about (6-18 months), we can use a little more of stimulation in sessions which might look like some louder dynamics or some more surprises in the music. Music itself is a stimulus, and music therapists are trained to engage participants as fully as possible. But we do need to be careful to allow some pauses in the music and some space to recover mentally and then continue on in the session’s next experience.

[Brenna Sheaffer]

I agree that observing and providing pauses/space to absorb what is happening and then to move on is very important. We can observe the reactions of the children and quickly shift what we were doing to provide those moments of pause/space as needed.

[Samantha M Lawrence]

I agree with Grace in that it absolutely depends on each child. It also depends on the day and even the moment. That is why it is so important that we use our skills to continually assess the needs of each child and observe for signs of overstimulation. As we get to know our clients better, it’s easier. Some signs are obvious – looking upset, turning away, and crying But some are a little more individualized. Some kiddos bite their hands, vocal stim, or get tight muscles.

I think that we should feel free to use plenty of surprises in the music in this phase. Stops/starts you can anticipate, glissandos, changing tempos and changing dynamics. But, I think that you also need to give plenty of space both physical and musical. Kiddos need that time to take it all in and let you know if they want to keep going.

[Samantha M Lawrence]

I agree with Grace in that it absolutely depends on each child. It also depends on the day and even the moment. That is why it is so important that we use our skills to continually assess the needs of each child and observe for signs of overstimulation. As we get to know our clients better, it’s easier. Some signs are obvious – looking upset, turning away, and crying But some are a little more individualized. Some kiddos bite their hands, vocal stim, or get tight muscles.

I think that we should feel free to use plenty of surprises in the music in this phase. Stops/starts you can anticipate, glissandos, changing tempos and changing dynamics. But, I think that you also need to give plenty of space both physical and musical. Kiddos need that time to take it all in and let you know if they want to keep going.

[Celia Grove]

On a whole session kind of sphere I like to start low expectations, working up to the thing I want most to complete during the session or the thing that takes the most brain power in the middle, and then coming back down to calmer activities before goodbye- I like to look at stimulation on a whole in a similar sense, start low stimulation, increasing towards the middle being the highest point of stimulation, and then slowly getting kiddos back to calm towards goodbye. As Grace said though, it depends on the children on the group! There might be kids that need to stay in that low stimulation level and calmer, more consistent music and not get to a higher stimulation level, or there might be kiddos that need high stimulation and lots of musical variety the WHOLE time. That’s where our keen observation skills as therapists will come in. If there’s one kiddo that needs a little more in a group of more low stimulation kiddos, tickles might be a good way to provide more stimulation without causing too much disruption to the rest of the group. I think also having stable and consistent transition songs as well as silence can also help in that pause to give kiddos’ brains time to recover and come back to a happy medium level.

[Hally Batterman]

I agree with Celia in how she shapes her sessions. I always tend to start slow in regards to the amount of stimulation and gradually increase to get to the peak of the session and then gradually decrease as we cool down. I always used to keep in mind that I would need to hand the pre-schoolers back over to their teacher at the end of music time, so it was best to get them to a more regulated state before passing them back to their classroom staff. I also like to start slower in a new group because it takes time to assess and understand the stimulation needs of each kiddo in the group. Everything in the beginning should be predictable and easy to anticipate, sustain, and release. This means the gestures must be crystal clear. As I develop a relationship with the group, I can then start adding in more complex musical elements and/or instruments.

[Erika Svolos]

Thank you all for your insights.

[Brenna Sheaffer]

In terms of stimulation and how much is too much or enough depends on the child and the age group that we are working with. Stimulation and levels of tolerance of stimulation vary for age groups as well as developmental levels. I think that’s something that we can observe and tailor throughout the music. We have the ability to shift and shape the music if it is becoming too over stimulating for the group or for the child.

[Leeann Mcmorrow]

Agree- and what works in a session one week, may not be where the group is at the following!

[Leeann Mcmorrow]

I think this question is where assessing and reassessing during all sessions is just so extremely important. Even as it depends on the child, it can also depend on the day that the child is also having. This is also why live music by a trained therapist is so key because we have the assessment skills to identify when something is too much and the music skills to adapt on quick notice.

[Caitlyn Pawelek]

It is hard to answer this question alone without knowing a client! It really can depend so much on the child and what they may be going through that day. If the client seems to be reacting in a way that is not typical for them, working on regulation may be the solution to getting them back to their baseline. If you see a group or client who begin to get overexcited or energetic it is a good sign that they can be overstimulated. Noticing typical stimming behavior with some clients and what is out of the ordinary for them is also a good sign that overstimulation has occurred.

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