Ferdinando Suvini | Conservatorio Di Musica G. Frescobaldi (original) (raw)
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Papers by Ferdinando Suvini
Deleted Journal, Mar 22, 2023
have been working together many years and are collaborating in the Florence Music Therapy Trainin... more have been working together many years and are collaborating in the Florence Music Therapy Training Course and in the First Specialization Training Course on Music Therapy and Autism (2022). This interview, in which Marco interviews Ferdinando and Agostino, addresses different subject areas in the field of music therapy during the COVID-19 pandemic in order to discuss the need to modify intervention techniques when transitioning from in-person to online work. Starting from some reflections on the literature about online Improvisational Music Therapy (IMT), both pre-COVID and during the pandemic, we discuss whether IMT could be a feasible method for online work with children and young people with autism. Special attention is given to the treatment guidelines for working with children with autism. In order to better clarify some specific themes, some clinical examples of children and young people with autism are included. The aim of this interview is to illustrate and explore different intervention methods involved in the transition from in-person to online music therapy, with a specific group of patients. The clinical examples show that it is possible to maintain the principles presented in the treatment guidelines for IMT with children with autism, even if online work demands adaptations and modifications to the proposed techniques. The main purpose of the reflections set forth is to explore and understand how IMT changes when moving from face-to-face work to online.
Life Research, 2018
This article presents the model of improvisational music therapy and its use with people with aut... more This article presents the model of improvisational music therapy and its use with people with autism. Firstly, the author provides a brief definition of some theoretical ideas and the clinical characteristics of improvisational music therapy, a relatively new treatment which is becoming more wide-spread on a global level. Particular reference is made to the possibilities which music offers in the creation of relational experiences, and the role of time, rhythm and repetition as regulatory elements both in music and in intersubjective relationships. Following this, the efficacy of improvisational music therapy with people with autism is discussed, with regard to research in the field of neuroscience (specifically, the Mirror Neuron System) and the impact of a multimodal stimulus such as music making. The final section outlines the results of the international research project RCT TIME-A, in which improvisational music therapy was used with children with autism. The literature analysis shows that music therapy has significant effects and contributes to improvements in several aspects of the autistic disorder, such as autistic mannerisms, social awareness and social affect. We can consider these results as the beginning of a pathway towards validating improvisation music therapy as a treatment for children with autism.
background Synchrony is an essential component of interactive exchanges. In mother-infant interac... more background Synchrony is an essential component of interactive exchanges. In mother-infant interaction, synchrony underlies reciprocity and emotive regulation. A severe lack of synchrony is indeed a core issue within the communication and interaction deficit that characterizes autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in accordance with the DSM-5 classification. Based on emerging evidence that music therapy can improve the communication and regulation ability in children with ASD, we aim to verify quantitatively whether: 1) children with ASD improve synchrony with their therapist during music therapy sessions, and 2) this ability persists in different structured contexts.
JAMA, Aug 8, 2017
Music therapy may facilitate skills in areas affected by autism spectrum disorder (ASD), such as ... more Music therapy may facilitate skills in areas affected by autism spectrum disorder (ASD), such as social interaction and communication. To evaluate effects of improvisational music therapy on generalized social communication skills of children with ASD. Assessor-blinded, randomized clinical trial, conducted in 9 countries and enrolling children aged 4 to 7 years with ASD. Children were recruited from November 2011 to November 2015, with follow-up between January 2012 and November 2016. Enhanced standard care (n = 182) vs enhanced standard care plus improvisational music therapy (n = 182), allocated in a 1:1 ratio. Enhanced standard care consisted of usual care as locally available plus parent counseling to discuss parents' concerns and provide information about ASD. In improvisational music therapy, trained music therapists sang or played music with each child, attuned and adapted to the child's focus of attention, to help children develop affect sharing and joint attention. ...
Health Psychology Report, 2017
Background Synchrony is an essential component of interactive exchanges. In mother-infant interac... more Background Synchrony is an essential component of interactive exchanges. In mother-infant interaction, synchrony underlies reciprocity and emotive regulation. A severe lack of synchrony is indeed a core issue within the communication and interaction deficit that characterizes autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in accordance with the DSM-5 classification. Based on emerging evidence that music therapy can improve the communication and regulation ability in children with ASD, we aim to verify quantitatively whether: 1) children with ASD improve synchrony with their therapist during music therapy sessions, and 2) this ability persists in different structured contexts. Participants and procedure Twenty-five children, aged from 4 to 6 years (M = 57.80, SD = 16.70), with an autistic disorder diagnosis based on DSM IV-TR and the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS), participated in the study. An observational tool for coding behaviors and emotive states of synchrony (Child Behavioral ...
Nordic Journal of Music Therapy, 2016
Taylor & Francis has a flexible approach to subscriptions enabling us to match individual librari... more Taylor & Francis has a flexible approach to subscriptions enabling us to match individual libraries' requirements. This journal is available via a traditional institutional subscription (either print with free online access, or onlineonly at a discount) or as part of the Behavioural Science subject package or Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities full text package. For more information on our sales packages please visit www.tandfonline.com/ librarians_pricinginfo_journals. All current institutional subscriptions include online access for any number of concurrent users across a local area network to the currently available backfile and articles posted online ahead of publication. Subscriptions purchased at the personal rate are strictly for personal, non-commercial use only. The reselling of personal subscriptions is prohibited. Personal subscriptions must be purchased with a personal cheque or credit card. Proof of personal status may be requested.
Health Psychology Report, 2017
Background Infant research literature has described for a long time the main aspects of parentese... more Background Infant research literature has described for a long time the main aspects of parentese (motherese and fatherese) referring to musicality and specifically to musical language. It is believed that there is a deep analogy between the vital affects experienced by the child during interaction with the parent and the type of parentese that is a direct representation of them. Disruption of parentese has been described in early autism. The aim of this paper was to achieve a better understanding of this disruptive process. Participants and procedure Sequences of parent-infant interaction extracted from one home movie of a child later diagnosed with autism were analyzed in a micro-musical way in order to create a musical score that allows the description of parent-infant interaction in a new way (considering form, pulse, rhythm, melody, timbre and silence). Results Musical microanalysis is able to highlight features not brought out by other kinds of analysis. The first fragment is ...
The rapid development of music therapy in Europe is reflected in the increasing number of trained... more The rapid development of music therapy in Europe is reflected in the increasing number of trained professionals, music therapy positions and research publications. A development of the discipline implies increased requirements regarding the skills and competences of music therapy clinicians, and therefore the training of students, continuing education and research. This leads to a further demand for recognition of music therapy as a profession and for regulation, registration and governmental recognition. Looking back over the past 60 years, we are able to define some common paths of development in relation to the music therapy profession throughout the European countries. With this as a starting point, as well as our own engagement in the European Music Therapy Confederation (EMTC) for more than a decade, we will explore the innate complexity of the profession and formulate our views for the future directions of the music therapy profession in Europe and the potential role of the E...
Deleted Journal, Mar 22, 2023
have been working together many years and are collaborating in the Florence Music Therapy Trainin... more have been working together many years and are collaborating in the Florence Music Therapy Training Course and in the First Specialization Training Course on Music Therapy and Autism (2022). This interview, in which Marco interviews Ferdinando and Agostino, addresses different subject areas in the field of music therapy during the COVID-19 pandemic in order to discuss the need to modify intervention techniques when transitioning from in-person to online work. Starting from some reflections on the literature about online Improvisational Music Therapy (IMT), both pre-COVID and during the pandemic, we discuss whether IMT could be a feasible method for online work with children and young people with autism. Special attention is given to the treatment guidelines for working with children with autism. In order to better clarify some specific themes, some clinical examples of children and young people with autism are included. The aim of this interview is to illustrate and explore different intervention methods involved in the transition from in-person to online music therapy, with a specific group of patients. The clinical examples show that it is possible to maintain the principles presented in the treatment guidelines for IMT with children with autism, even if online work demands adaptations and modifications to the proposed techniques. The main purpose of the reflections set forth is to explore and understand how IMT changes when moving from face-to-face work to online.
Life Research, 2018
This article presents the model of improvisational music therapy and its use with people with aut... more This article presents the model of improvisational music therapy and its use with people with autism. Firstly, the author provides a brief definition of some theoretical ideas and the clinical characteristics of improvisational music therapy, a relatively new treatment which is becoming more wide-spread on a global level. Particular reference is made to the possibilities which music offers in the creation of relational experiences, and the role of time, rhythm and repetition as regulatory elements both in music and in intersubjective relationships. Following this, the efficacy of improvisational music therapy with people with autism is discussed, with regard to research in the field of neuroscience (specifically, the Mirror Neuron System) and the impact of a multimodal stimulus such as music making. The final section outlines the results of the international research project RCT TIME-A, in which improvisational music therapy was used with children with autism. The literature analysis shows that music therapy has significant effects and contributes to improvements in several aspects of the autistic disorder, such as autistic mannerisms, social awareness and social affect. We can consider these results as the beginning of a pathway towards validating improvisation music therapy as a treatment for children with autism.
background Synchrony is an essential component of interactive exchanges. In mother-infant interac... more background Synchrony is an essential component of interactive exchanges. In mother-infant interaction, synchrony underlies reciprocity and emotive regulation. A severe lack of synchrony is indeed a core issue within the communication and interaction deficit that characterizes autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in accordance with the DSM-5 classification. Based on emerging evidence that music therapy can improve the communication and regulation ability in children with ASD, we aim to verify quantitatively whether: 1) children with ASD improve synchrony with their therapist during music therapy sessions, and 2) this ability persists in different structured contexts.
JAMA, Aug 8, 2017
Music therapy may facilitate skills in areas affected by autism spectrum disorder (ASD), such as ... more Music therapy may facilitate skills in areas affected by autism spectrum disorder (ASD), such as social interaction and communication. To evaluate effects of improvisational music therapy on generalized social communication skills of children with ASD. Assessor-blinded, randomized clinical trial, conducted in 9 countries and enrolling children aged 4 to 7 years with ASD. Children were recruited from November 2011 to November 2015, with follow-up between January 2012 and November 2016. Enhanced standard care (n = 182) vs enhanced standard care plus improvisational music therapy (n = 182), allocated in a 1:1 ratio. Enhanced standard care consisted of usual care as locally available plus parent counseling to discuss parents' concerns and provide information about ASD. In improvisational music therapy, trained music therapists sang or played music with each child, attuned and adapted to the child's focus of attention, to help children develop affect sharing and joint attention. ...
Health Psychology Report, 2017
Background Synchrony is an essential component of interactive exchanges. In mother-infant interac... more Background Synchrony is an essential component of interactive exchanges. In mother-infant interaction, synchrony underlies reciprocity and emotive regulation. A severe lack of synchrony is indeed a core issue within the communication and interaction deficit that characterizes autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in accordance with the DSM-5 classification. Based on emerging evidence that music therapy can improve the communication and regulation ability in children with ASD, we aim to verify quantitatively whether: 1) children with ASD improve synchrony with their therapist during music therapy sessions, and 2) this ability persists in different structured contexts. Participants and procedure Twenty-five children, aged from 4 to 6 years (M = 57.80, SD = 16.70), with an autistic disorder diagnosis based on DSM IV-TR and the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS), participated in the study. An observational tool for coding behaviors and emotive states of synchrony (Child Behavioral ...
Nordic Journal of Music Therapy, 2016
Taylor & Francis has a flexible approach to subscriptions enabling us to match individual librari... more Taylor & Francis has a flexible approach to subscriptions enabling us to match individual libraries' requirements. This journal is available via a traditional institutional subscription (either print with free online access, or onlineonly at a discount) or as part of the Behavioural Science subject package or Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities full text package. For more information on our sales packages please visit www.tandfonline.com/ librarians_pricinginfo_journals. All current institutional subscriptions include online access for any number of concurrent users across a local area network to the currently available backfile and articles posted online ahead of publication. Subscriptions purchased at the personal rate are strictly for personal, non-commercial use only. The reselling of personal subscriptions is prohibited. Personal subscriptions must be purchased with a personal cheque or credit card. Proof of personal status may be requested.
Health Psychology Report, 2017
Background Infant research literature has described for a long time the main aspects of parentese... more Background Infant research literature has described for a long time the main aspects of parentese (motherese and fatherese) referring to musicality and specifically to musical language. It is believed that there is a deep analogy between the vital affects experienced by the child during interaction with the parent and the type of parentese that is a direct representation of them. Disruption of parentese has been described in early autism. The aim of this paper was to achieve a better understanding of this disruptive process. Participants and procedure Sequences of parent-infant interaction extracted from one home movie of a child later diagnosed with autism were analyzed in a micro-musical way in order to create a musical score that allows the description of parent-infant interaction in a new way (considering form, pulse, rhythm, melody, timbre and silence). Results Musical microanalysis is able to highlight features not brought out by other kinds of analysis. The first fragment is ...
The rapid development of music therapy in Europe is reflected in the increasing number of trained... more The rapid development of music therapy in Europe is reflected in the increasing number of trained professionals, music therapy positions and research publications. A development of the discipline implies increased requirements regarding the skills and competences of music therapy clinicians, and therefore the training of students, continuing education and research. This leads to a further demand for recognition of music therapy as a profession and for regulation, registration and governmental recognition. Looking back over the past 60 years, we are able to define some common paths of development in relation to the music therapy profession throughout the European countries. With this as a starting point, as well as our own engagement in the European Music Therapy Confederation (EMTC) for more than a decade, we will explore the innate complexity of the profession and formulate our views for the future directions of the music therapy profession in Europe and the potential role of the E...