7/25/2019 How Music Unlocks the ADHD Brain

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How Music Unlocks the ADHD Brain

Learning an instrument helped my son increase his attention and boost his performance. Here's how youcan use music to give your ADHD/LD child a leg up, too.

by Sharlene Habermeyer

Children do not come in tidy pacages ! they come with spontaneity, energy, and delicious individuality."ome have learning challengesthat affect them physically, cognitively, emotionally, and/or behaviorally. #hegood news is that music can help with most of them.

$n %&(, my third son, )randon, suffered a traumatic birth that left him with pre*frontal corte+ damage. Hewas a fussy baby, cried all the time, and had constant ear infections, speech and language delays, andsevere separation an+iety. At si+, he was diagnosed with ADHD, auditory processing, auditorydiscrimination, visual*motor, visual perception, and sensory motor problems. #he difference between his oraland written $ was - points, indicating severe learning disabilities. A team of school and professionale+perts concluded that he would have a hard time learning, focusing, and concentrating. #hey said he maynot graduate from high school college was out of the uestion.

$ decided to tae the e+perts' conclusions as one possibility, and not get too discouraged. $ researchedADHD andlearning disabilities! asing uestions and aggressively networing. $ learned that it taes timeto solve such challenges. $ learned that all learning disabilities start with auditory processing ! the child canhear, but has difficulty processing what he hears. #his can affect his ability to concentrate and focus. $enrolled )randon in learning programs, many of which helped. 0usic, though, was the ey to unlocing hisability to learn.

Rhythm of Change

0usic strengthens the areas of the brain that, in the child with ADHD, are wea. 0usic builds andstrengthens the auditory, visual/spatial, and motor cortices of the brain. #hese areas are tied to speech andlanguage, reading, reading comprehension, math, problem solving, brain organi1ation, focusing,concentration, and attention issues. "tudies indicate that when learning*disabled children and children with

ADHD learn a musical instrument, attention, concentration, impulse control, social functioning, self*esteem,self*e+pression, motivation, and memory improve. "ome studies show that children who have difficultyfocusing when there is bacground noise are particularly helped by music lessons.

"tarting from birth, )randon listened to classical music and, by age three, he was taing group musiclessons. )y five, $ was teaching him piano by color*coding the eyboard. )y eight, he was taing privatelessons.

#o support )randon in school, $ created musical games. 2or instance, $ made up musical 3ingles to teach himspelling. 4e clapped out rhythms while learning addition, subtraction, and multiplication facts. $ createdsongs, 3ingles, and rhyming couplets for material he was learning in social studies, science, and languagearts. Coupled with formal music lessons, concepts became easier for him to grasp and understand. Hisability to concentrate and focus for longer periods increased each year. After a long, hard climb, )randonwas accepted to a four*year university, and he eventually graduated with straight A's in film and philosophy.

Here are the sound strategies $ used with )randon. $ have no doubt that they will wor with your child aswell.

> Start group music lessons.4hen he is about % months old, find a group music program for your child.

> et into the rhythm.5ur biological systems wor on precise rhythms 6thin heartbeat7. $f these rhythmsare out of sync, it is hard for anyone to focus and stay on tas. 8sing rhythm instruments is a powerful wayto sync the natural biorhythms of the body, allowing the child to feel 9in tune9 with his environment. "o put on

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7/25/2019 How Music Unlocks the ADHD Brain

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music with a strong beat ! the 9)aby Dance9 CD is good ! and beat out, bang out, or clang out the rhythmof the music with your child.

> Dance to the music.0ovement for an ADHD child is a must: $n fact, movement is an indispensable partof learning, thining, and focusing. As a child moves to different cadences and rhythms, his physicalcoordination and ability to concentrate improve.

> Draw what you hear.0any ADHD children are creative and in search of creative outlets. Drawing ordoodling engages motor sills, organi1es the brain, and stimulates artistic 3uices. After a busy day at school,and before your child 3umps into homewor, give her paper and crayons, put on some classical music, andlet her draw.

$ used to play a game with )randon called 9Draw 4hat ;ou Hear.9 $ put on classical music and )randondrew or doodled to the music. Later, when he was in high school, these e+ercises helped him shut outoutside noise, and rela+ed his mind.

> Rea! music "ooks.$'m a strong advocate of reading to your children every day. ames 0arshall 6a great boo to introduce your ids tothe ballet Swan Lake7, andLentil,by Start pri#ate music lessons "etween the ages of fi#e an! se#en.$f you are a parent with ADHD, taemusic lessons along with your child.

> $in! an ADD%frien!ly instrument.#he string bass, woodwinds, and percussion instruments are goodchoices, because a child can stand and move while playing them. Let your child choose his own instrument.$f he decides on drums, buy earplugs:

> March in the morning.Children with ADHD usually have a hard time attending to tass during the busymorning hours. ?very morning, play marching music 6>ohn @hilip "ousa tunes are great7 and march fromactivity to activity ! getting dressed, maing beds, eating breafast, brushing teeth ! with feet moving andarms swaying.

> Sing your way to school.#eachers want students to be ready to learn when they come to class. "o, on

your way to school, sing in the car or play classical music. "inging demands total focus. 9#he Alphabet5peretta,9 by 0indy 0anley Little, is perfect.

> &rchestrate homework."ome classical music changes the way the brain processes information bychanging its electromagnetic freuencies. As a result of listening, children and adults are able to absorb,retain, and retrieve information better. 4hen doing homewor, try listening to eorge 2redericHandel's Water Musicor >ohann "ebastian )ach's Brandenburg Concerti.

> Com"ine music an! nature."tudies show that listening to music while waling in nature has a beneficialeffect on the brain. #he combination re*sets the brain ! increasing its focus and priming it for learning.

How is )randon doing todayB He is -% years old, married, wors in the film industry, and writes blogs onphilosophy. 0usic is still an important part of his life. He listens to classical music while traveling to woreach day and plays the piano weely. )randon has the tools and understanding to mae ADHD his 9friend.9

He will always be somewhat of a round peg e+pected to fit in a suare hole, but he is a happy, successfuladult who embraces the differences in people.

Habermeyer, S. (s.f.). http://www.additudemag.com.Recuperado el 27 de 1 de 2016, deADDitude !ttp""###.additudema$.com"ad!d"article"111%0.!tml

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