Joe and Mary are married couples. Together, they have a son aged 6years, Jagen. Jagen is suffering from a mental condition, ADHD (Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), which is a neurodevelopment health challenge that affects children. While much has been studied about the condition, its pathogenesis is not leading to gaps in developing effective clinical management guidelines to minimize the symptoms. Generally, ADHD is manifested as a behavioural syndrome that is characterized by three core symptoms: hyperactivity, impulsivity, and inattention. Unfortunately, Jagen exhibits all three chief symptoms.
With advances in the medical management of conditions, the focus has been given to the incorporation of pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions even in the management of children with ADHD. In line with this, music therapy has been thought of as a practical approach in the management of ADHD among children with some scholars, even suggesting its use to delay or decrease the use of pharmacologic drugs.
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The use of music as a potential therapy for children and adults with mental and developmental challenges has been widely studies. Existing literature suggests that core symptoms of ADHD can be resolved by music therapy, and go further to enhance cognitive functioning. In their study, Carrer, 2015; Norazah et al. (2017) examined the time taken by children with ADHD to process information. The results revealed that the performance of such children can enhanced by playing music to them. The study included a total of 36 participants and compared their performance and how it was affected by their state of mental health. Children with preexisting ADHD conditions were split into two groups involving those that were undergoing medication therapy and those who were yet to be initiated into medication. The children were required to perform sound and musical tasks which were allocated to them by the researcher. To effectively perform the tasks, the children had to control their impulsivity and inattentiveness, which are classical with ADHD. The results revealed that children suffering from ADHD were capable to controlling their impulsivity and could pay attention like those in the control group leading to average performances in most of the musical tasks that they were allocated (Carrer, 2015). Thus, the researcher concluded that music could be used by therapists to modulate the symptoms of ADHD either as an adjunct treatment or as the sole treatment in children whose symptoms are mild.
Rothmann, Hillmer, and Hosser (2014) used Pepe and training on the musical for young kids who have ADHD, and they observed significant post-training improvements. The children all aged between 5 to 10 years were scored for inattentiveness before the intervention. An additional assessment was performed post-intervention to rate any changes in the children’s attention capacity and quality of life. Additionally, the children’s parents and teachers were also required to report their observations on the children’s performance and conduct. The scholars noted that the attention capacity of the children had significantly improved post-intervention. Moreover, this finding matched with the feedback from parents and teachers who both reported significant reductions in ADHD symptoms among the children (Rothmann et al., 2014).
Scientific evidence has proven that music can be used as a therapy for ADHD treatment. Joe and Mary identified Jagen’s problem while he was still three years old. It began with mild symptoms of lack of attention, but with time it has scaled. The parents have tried all measures, including pharmacological interventions, but it seems these have failed to give the desired results, and the symptoms have advanced. Besides, the couples have exhausted their savings on the pharmacology medications. I propose that Joe and Mary begin adopting professional non-pharmacological interventions therapy, specifically music and the accompanying techniques to help ease the problem.
References
Carrer, L. R. J. (2015). Music and Sound in Time Processing of Children with ADHD. Frontiers in Psychiatry , 6 , 127. http://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2015.00127
Norazah, S. S., Abdullah, N., Salleh, N., Renuka, J., Azlina, M., Rahman, H. A., & Azila, N. N. (2017). The Effects of Music on Cognitive Performance in Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) Children: A Systematic Review. Asian Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies , 5 (9), 11-17. Retrieved from http://www.ajms.co.in/sites/ajms2015/index.php/ajms/article/view/2704
Rothmann, K., Hillmer, J. M., & Hosser, D. (2014). Evaluation of the Musical Concentration Training with Pepe (MusiKo mit Pepe) for children with attention deficits. Zeitschrift fur Kinder-und Jugendpsychiatrie und Psychotherapie , 42 (5), 325-335. https://doi.org/10.1024/1422-4917/a000308
