MusicTraces: A collaborative music and paint activity for autistic people

Painting and music therapy approaches can help to foster social interaction for autistic people. However, the tools sometimes lack of flexibility and fail to keep people’s attention. Unknowns also remain about the effect of combining these approaches. Though, very few studies have investigated how Multisensory Environments (MSEs) could help to address these issues. This paper presents the design of a full-body music and painting activity called “MusicTraces” which aims to foster collaboration between people with moderate to severe learning disabilities and complex needs, and in particular autism, within an MSE. The co-design process with caregivers and people with neurodevelopmental conditions is detailed, including a workshop, the initial design, remote iterations, and a design critique

Dispositivos Open Source para Musicoterapia

The interdisciplinary work between professionals in biomedical engineering and music therapy makes it possible to adapt and build technological devices aimed at expanding and varying the musical sound elements available within a music therapy setting, making themselves available to the expressive and accessibility needs of each. The present work describes the process of design and implementation and testing of technological devices for sound activation by movement, under the Open Source philosophy, for use in Music Therapy spaces, with people with disabilities. This process was carried out by a team made up of engineers from the School of Biomedical Engineering (National University of Córdoba) and Music Therapy from the Seirén Music Therapy Center. The final product is made up of a set of 5 prototypes of open source motion activation devices, published on the POSTA Web Platform (Open Source Projects for Assistive Technologies).El trabajo interdisciplinario entre profesionales de la ingeniería biomédica y la musicoterapia posibilita adaptar y construir dispositivos tecnológicos orientados a ampliar y variar los elementos sonoros musicales con los que se dispone dentro de un setting musicoterapéutico, poniéndose a disposición de las necesidades expresivas y de accesibilidad de cada paciente. El presente trabajo describe el proceso de diseño, implementación (fabricación) y puesta a prueba de dispositivos tecnológicos de activación de sonido por movimiento, bajo la filosofía Open Source (Código Abierto), para su uso en espacios de Musicoterapia, con personas con discapacidad. Dicho proceso fue llevado a cabo por un equipo formado por ingenieros de la Escuela de Ingeniería Biomédica (Universidad Nacional de Córdoba) y licenciadas en Musicoterapia pertenecientes al Centro de Musicoterapia Seirén. El producto final se constituye por un conjunto de 5 prototipos de dispositivos de activación de sonido por movimiento, de código abierto, publicados en la Plataforma Web POSTA (Proyectos Open Source de Tecnologías Asistivas)

Dispositivos Open Source para Musicoterapia

El trabajo interdisciplinario entre profesionales de la ingeniería biomédica y la musicoterapia posibilita adaptar y construir dispositivos tecnológicos orientados a ampliar y variar los elementos sonoros musicales con los que se dispone dentro de un setting musicoterapéutico, poniéndose a disposición de las necesidades expresivas y de accesibilidad de cada paciente. El presente trabajo describe el proceso de diseño, implementación (fabricación) y puesta a prueba de dispositivos tecnológicos de activación de sonido por movimiento, bajo la filosofía Open Source (Código Abierto), para su uso en espacios de Musicoterapia, con personas con discapacidad. Dicho proceso fue llevado a cabo por un equipo formado por ingenieros de la Escuela de Ingeniería Biomédica (Universidad Nacional de Córdoba) y licenciadas en Musicoterapia pertenecientes al Centro de Musicoterapia Seirén. El producto final se constituye por un conjunto de 5 prototipos de dispositivos de activación de sonido por movimiento, de código abierto, publicados en la Plataforma Web POSTA (Proyectos Open Source de Tecnologías Asistivas).The interdisciplinary work between professionals in biomedical engineering and music therapy makes it possible to adapt and build technological devices aimed at expanding and varying the musical sound elements available within a music therapy setting, making themselves available to the expressive and accessibility needs of each. The present work describes the process of design and implementation and testing of technological devices for sound activation by movement, under the Open Source philosophy, for use in Music Therapy spaces, with people with disabilities. This process was carried out by a team made up of engineers from the School of Biomedical Engineering (National University of Córdoba) and Music Therapy from the Seirén Music Therapy Center. The final product is made up of a set of 5 prototypes of open source motion activation devices, published on the POSTA Web Platform (Open Source Projects for Assistive Technologies).Cátedra Libre Musicoterapi

Real-time 3D Graphic Augmentation of Therapeutic Music Sessions for People on the Autism Spectrum

This thesis looks at the requirements analysis, design, development and evaluation of an application, CymaSense, as a means of improving the communicative behaviours of autistic participants through therapeutic music sessions, via the addition of a visual modality. Autism spectrum condition (ASC) is a lifelong neurodevelopmental disorder that can affect people in a number of ways, commonly through difficulties in communication. Interactive audio-visual feedback can be an effective way to enhance music therapy for people on the autism spectrum. A multi-sensory approach encourages musical engagement within clients, increasing levels of communication and social interaction beyond the sessions.Cymatics describes a resultant visualised geometry of vibration through a variety of mediums, typically through salt on a brass plate or via water. The research reported in this thesis focuses on how an interactive audio-visual application, based on Cymatics, might improve communication for people on the autism spectrum.A requirements analysis was conducted through interviews with four therapeutic music practitioners, aimed at identifying working practices with autistic clients. CymaSense was designed for autistic users in exploring effective audio-visual feedback, and to develop meaningful cross-modal mappings of musical practitioner-client communication. CymaSense mappings were tested by 17 high functioning autistic participants, and by 30 neurotypical participants. The application was then trialled as a multimodal intervention for eight participants with autism, over a 12-week series of therapeutic music sessions. The study captured the experiences of the users and identified behavioural changes as a result, including information on how CymaSense could be developed further. This dissertation contributes evidence that multimodal applications can be used within therapeutic music sessions as a tool to increase communicative behaviours for autistic participants