Assessments
As a music therapist the first step when working with a client is assessment. Assessments are important because it helps the therapist to learn more about the client and guides the therapeutic process and goal writing. There are many different ways to do a music therapy assessment, and there is not yet one standardized way to do a music therapy assessment. This is because when working with other fields and reporting on a client’s progress it is easier to communicate with other professions when a standardized assessment that has been tested is being used. It is also helpful to use an assessment that other professionals are already familiar with, so there is consistent communication. Some music therapists write their own assessments based on their knowledge of the population they work with or based on already created standardized assessments. For this post I wanted to share a few standardized assessment that MTCCA has used and have found helpful when assessing clients with various needs.
The first assessment I would like to share is the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS). This assessment uses a likert scale to measure severity of social skills related to autism spectrum disorder. Most of the time this report is filled out by the parents, caretaker, or the teacher. This assessment focuses on five main social domains, social awareness, social cognition, social communication, social motivation, and restricted interests and repetitive behaviors. Once the assessment is completed, the higher the score indicates increased severity of behaviors that interfere with social functioning. This assessment can be used for anyone from 2.5 years old through adulthood. SRS shows the best results when more then one person fills out the report for a participant. An accompanying CD-ROM analyzes the data and creates a report summarizing the client’s scores.
You can purchase this assessment at:
http://www4.parinc.com/Products/Product.aspx?ProductID=SRS-2
The next assessment is the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI). The PEDI is used for children 6 months to 7.5 years of age. Specifically the PEDI measures the capability and performance of functional activities of self-care, mobility, and social function. This assessment looks at a child’s ability to do an actual skill. Sometimes it is necessary to have the caregivers help at some point because of time restraints. The PEDI can also still be effective for a child who is older but they are functioning at or below the age of 7.5-years.
You can purchase this assessment at:
The last assessment is the Special Education Music Therapy Assessment (SEMTAP). This assessment is used in the school setting when working with an Individualized Education Plan (IEP). The SEMTAP focuses on IEP goals and assesses them with music and without music to find out if music therapy should be a part of the student’s IEP. A criterion-referenced test is used to show the students abilities. This assessment is only used by a music therapist and typically includes, reviewing the child’s IEP, interviewing members of the interdisciplinary team, observing the child in a non-musical setting, administering a music therapy assessment, and then reporting and presenting the data collected.
You can purchase this is you are a music therapist from:
http://www.preludemusictherapy.com/instruct.html
There are many more types of standardized assessments and a great way to find more is by talking to colleagues that work with the population you work with.
Happy assessing!
Emily
