And so it begins. It feels like we’ve been waiting for the beginning of the action portion of our diagnosis forever instead of since, well, the diagnosis. There’s a profound statement for your Monday morning.

We were supposed to start with the social group therapy, but due to some bad weather last Thursday it was postponed until this week. Instead, we started off with music therapy. Our music therapist was very nice and she was impressed with Jacob’s ability to warm up to her. This is a good thing. She hopes to have her evaluation of Jacob and specific goals for his therapy in two more sessions, when she feels she will truly have an understanding of Jacob’s struggles.

Jacob, though hesitant at first, loved “music class”. He learned how to play the old standby, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star on the piano and in five more sessions he will be permitted to play the guitar too.

Are you wondering how playing the piano and the guitar will help him with his anxiety, ADD and Asperger’s? I’m with you. However, I am told that music provides concrete, multi-sensory stimulation which is processed in several areas of the brain and is helpful in organizing a child’s sensory systems. I am also told that music is a positive therapy experience because it is success-oriented in ways that the child sees instantly (learning everyone’s favorite star song, for example), it structures time, it provides a context for repetition (key for learning new skills), it is an effective memory aid (also why children learn to sing their alphabet) and perhaps what I like the most…it gives the child therapy in the above areas without making him feel like he’s AT therapy.

The results are waiting to be seen, but I’m feeling pretty good about starting out on this journey with music.