Goodbyes are Bittersweet

This past weekend I found out that one of my clients from my contract with Drury University was moving away. I had the opportunity to work with him for about seven months before finding out this morning that it was our last session together. I, as a therapist, could see the progress he was making in the sessions and knew that music was a great therapeutic medium for him as he was always excited for the sessions to begin and he played and sang along to all songs with such enthusiasm! It is one thing to boast about the benefits of your services but it is another to hear a parent talk about the benefits. I spoke with his mother during our last session and she was more than happy to allow her words regarding her son and his amazing progress with  music therapy to be shared!

“Leslie has just been wonderful!   Luke has made so many gains in his development.  Since coming to music therapy, he has mastered these skills:  Greeting people by vocalizing “Hi!” and waving. He also says “Bye” on a very consistent basis. He has learned animal sounds. He has learned to place items in a container (I know it seems so simple, but we had worked on this skill for months prior to coming to  music therapy). He has learned to hand items to another person. Again, HUGE for Luke. Normally, when you requested Luke to give something to you, he would just throw it. Now, he looks for your hand and places the item in your hand when requested. He has better hand-eye coordination.  He is recognizing letters and their sounds.  He comes home and sings large portions of the the songs he learns at Music…which is so wonderful to hear since Luke has yet to say 2 or 3 word phrases in normal conversation. When Music is involved, he can say so much more!

There’s so much more I could say, but we are just so appreciative of this program and would recommend it to anyone.  By far, it is Luke’s FAVORITE time of the week. It’s so wonderful as the mother of a special needs child to find something that your child really enjoys. These special kiddos work so hard to master even very simple skills. It’s so refreshing to have that one hour a week when you get to watch your kid smile and sing and laugh….and all the while, you know he’s learning too!” – Kristi

I am wishing little Luke and his family safe travels and happy hopes for his future milestones. It fills me with so much joy to know that music therapy had such a great impact on his development! I will miss you guys!