The role of music therapy in an interdisciplinary approach to address functional communication in complex neuro-communication disorders: A case report

Purpose. This paper presents a case report of collaborative work between speech and language therapy (SLT) and music therapy (MT) in the case of an individual presenting with complex communication difficulties and lability caused by pseudo-Parkinsonian vascular disease. Design. MT intervention was used to investigate whether participation could be enabled in a client presenting with complex problems as well as facilitate change in communication parameters which remained unresponsive to conventional SLT intervention. A single case design measured communication and well-being parameters using pre-, during and post-intervention measures. In addition, analysis of the client's musical responses was undertaken to examine changes in vocal functioning which are involved in communication. Results. Analysis of the client's performance during MT intervention revealed improvements in prosody and phonation, with positive reports of participation, reduced incidence of lability and improvements in measures of well-being. Conclusions. The results indicate the value of such collaborative working in addition to making recommendations for the modification of existing treatment protocols. The findings highlight that fatigue is a major consideration when working with people with severe and complex clinical presentations.