Resources & references

This news report describes the impact of music therapy on blind/visually impaired children.

This study compares the impact of play-based and music-based group sessions on attention behaviours in blind/visually impaired preschoolers. Results indicated greater attentive behaviour in the music-based sessions.

Read a literature review exploring childhood cerebral visual impairment (CVI) and the ways that music therapy can be used to approach CVI-related goals.

Learn more about what visual impairments are, and how they affect American children. Practice guidelines for music therapists working with blind/visually impaired children are also discussed.

Music therapy allows children with visual impairment to reach their goals and develop their motor, cognitive and communications skills. Children who are part of the group explain why they enjoy music therapy. 

Learn how music therapy helps a young girl with cerebral palsy and a cerebral visual impairment. Access to music therapy in Northern Ireland for blind/visually impaired children is also discussed.

This article provides background information on visual impairments and the impact of these disorders on social connectedness, activities of daily living, mood, quality of life, and child development. Implications and potential for music therapy for blind/visually impaired children and adults are discussed.

Read about a group music therapy program in Spain for adults with visual disabilities and blindness, targeting psychomotor and socio-emotional domains.

Simra was born with the rare conditions Lebers Amaurosis and Joubert Syndrome leaving her with total blindness as well as having poor muscle tone, co-ordination and balance. Watch as Simra explores the world through music with the help of Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy.

Music therapist Lisa Martino explains and shows how she uses music therapy to support students, including those with multiple disabilities, at the Perkins School for the Blind.

This story explores Jorien Habing's research examining the role of songwriting to help individuals who have acquired blindness or visual impairment adjust to their new reality. 

This chapter in the book, Music Technology in Therapeutic and Health Settings describes the use of music technology as part of music therapy sessions at the Perkins School for the Blind. Diverse music therapy technology tools and their clinical use are described: voice output communication aids and switches, soundbeam device,  and music production softwares.