“Music is ‘in tune’ with the ASD mind because ‘music is typically saturated with far more repetition than is required to be coherent.”
Francesca Happé, 2013
My youngest son was diagnosed with Autism when he was 4 years old. I had sensed something was different about him far earlier, however, I experienced a sense of relief when a thorough assessment was finally done after running around to various specialists over the previous 16 months. Probably sounds very familiar if you too, are the parent of an autistic/aspie child. I then set out to learn all I could about Autism so that I could better understand my son and how to support him effectively and sustainably. Some years later, I came to realise that my older son was also on the spectrum. And then, many more years later, I too came to identify as being on the spectrum.
Along the way, I found myself teaching piano to more and more autistic/aspie students. It happened very organically and I was delighted to provide emotional attuned learning experiences for children on the autism spectrum who often, are unable to access a wide range of extracurricular activities in the community. Students on the autism spectrum are often drawn to music and the piano and when this is noticed and nurtured by a parent in collaboration with a receptive teacher, it can provide a wonderfully creative, therapeutic and confidence building experience for these exquisitely unique students.
My approach is gentle and supportive, tailoring each piano lesson to the child’s needs on that particular day. I seek to create an adaptive environment in my studio where rich, deep connection and meaningful learning occurs via the piano and music. I am child-centred and deeply collaborative in my approach, using varied music resources, tuned and untuned instruments, visual aides and other therapeutic equipment and strategies to enhance the musical learning experience. While the focus is on playing the piano, having these resources on hand, allows me to flexibly adapt lessons as needed.
Combining my passion for music, education and autism has led me to actively engage with professional development opportunities in the fields of both piano pedagogy and autism. I have attended conferences, courses and workshops with leading experts such as Michelle Garcia Winner, Peter Vermuelen and and Ross Greene. In 2017, at the Asia Pacific Autism Conference, I presented: A Cat, at the Piano, On the Spectrum: The Art of Nurturing an Autistic Child’s Special Interests and Strengths. This presentation explored how we can we better support autistic children (and teens and adults) to be who they are and realise their own unique potential through the deep exploration and nurturing of their strengths and interests in meaningful ways. I drew on my personal experience as a parent of an autistic child “hyper-focused” on cats as well as my professional experience with piano students – all along the autism spectrum – and their families, to vividly portray the vital importance of focusing on strengths and passions rather than deficits.