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Old 08-26-2009, 07:50 AM
Neil K Walk Neil K Walk is offline
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Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Pittsburgh suburbs
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Semi-OT, but FWIW I've heard great things about music being great therapy for special-needs kids with PDD, ASD, ADD, ADHD, SPD, etc. My 5yo son is PDD-NOS (Pervasive Developmental Delay [Not Otherwise Specified] which we're told is basically on the highe functioning end of the autism spectrum of learning/behavioral disorders) with symptoms on undiagnosed Apraxia (low motor function/usage/planning of the muscles used in speech) and sensory-seeking behaviors and compulsions/obsessions that may be indicative of Sensory Processing Disorder. He's only just now beginning to have verbal communication skills and has shown no interest in even learning sign language. We've taught him life skills that he either forgets or ignores and frequently has explosive tantrums that we believe is centered around his inability to communicate his needs or wants. One thing that he does seem to focus in on are musical melodies. He sing-songs jargon under regularly recurring conditions and seems drawn in by music. He's even begun to show rudimentary sing-along skills. It gives me hope and I'm hoping that he takes a more active interest in music as he gets older.

As a hobbyist I never understood how some people could be so obsessed about achieving perfection of others' compositions. For me that also led to frustration until at one point I decided to step back and try to see the forest instead of the individual leaves on every tree, as it were. I don't play songs verbatum now, but now I can actually play entire songs instead of the old "I could only memorize up to this point" trap that I used to (and sometimes still do) fall into.

Going even further, I learned that by learning parts of songs and playing around with them I could come up with ideas (or at least different arrangements) all by myself. I'm trying to flesh that out into actually penning my own works. The only problem there is the frustration that I hardly feel as if I've truly written anything "original."

My point is, they call it "playing" for a reason. If it becomes frustrating at all I just put it away for awhile until I either feel refreshed or inspired.

EDIT: I had to go finish the first paragraph. I have adult-onset ADD. IMO it's hereditary: I got it from my kids!
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Last edited by Neil K Walk; 08-26-2009 at 11:22 AM. Reason: Forgot to finish my initial throught
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