A 12-year-old boy with autism is profoundly deaf. The music therapist instructs him to rest his chin atop the body of a cello, his face inclined toward the instrument’s neck. As the therapist guides him in moving the bow across the strings, the vibrations travel up his jawbone to the inner ear, and the boy “hears” music for the first time.

A 4-year-old boy with autism does not use speech to communicate. He points at objects to express his needs. His music therapist ends all the sessions by singing “Happy Trails,” directing the nonverbal children to pantomime riding a horse. They make “clucking” sounds with their tongues to imitate the sound of the horse’s hooves. Soon, the boy starts making the sound to “request” the song. The teachers and aides point out that this is the first time he has used a speech sound to express a need.

Months later, the boy is saying, “One, two, three” and “ball game” to request another favorite song.

Not a bad day at the office for a New Jersey musician, and the accomplished artists like him who have achieved something that conventional therapists strive to do: open the eyes and ears and minds of children who have closed out their world.

“For people with autism, the world is a chaotic place, full of overwhelming levels of sensory input,” says John Foley, who has been working as a music therapist for more than a decade at schools and programs throughout North Jersey. “Music has form we all recognize, even if we don’t think in those terms; music makes sense. In the early days of defining autism, heightened response to music was considered for the list of possible symptoms.”

Scientists may be skeptical, but ask music therapists and parents whose children are receiving their services, and you’ll hear plenty of anecdotal evidence to support the healing power of music.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that it’s made a difference,” says Michele Phalon, whose, son, Michael, 4, receives music therapy from “Mr. John,” as Foley is called by parents and students at the Peter Cooper School in Ringwood. “Mr. John is a such a wonderful teacher and has a great way with the kids. I wish I could say how, exactly, but I just know that music is an avenue to get their little brains going.”

Foley expects the music will continue to help children with autism learn to connect with others.

“It may be difficult to explain or to quantify,” he says, “but it’s not difficult to see.”

Source: Ellen Chase/The Star-Ledger