Enhancing Engagement and Early Literacy Through Music: Perspectives from Head Start Teachers

Early literacy and engagement are critical outcomes that can be fostered by early childhood educators in their classrooms through intentional implementation of age-appropriate and contextually relevant learning experiences. This study examines the implementation of a music intervention model developed to enhance engagement and early literacy development of young children within inclusive early childhood settings. The intervention, which incorporated daily music activities embedded in a Head Start classroom’s daily routines, was implemented for six months by the classroom teachers. Qualitative data on the children’s actions allowed for an in-depth exploration of the role of music as the mediator for engaging teaching moments that allow learning to evolve as an integral part of children’s routines. Further, the perspectives of Head Start teachers’ on the use of the music as an engaging context to promote engagement and early literacy development were explored. Finally, possible challenges of implementing such a music intervention model in the classroom and the role of music as an asset-building strategy that can meet the educators’ goals and the children’s needs are discussed. Keywords: music, early literacy, inclusion, preschool, engagement DOI: 10.7176/JEP/11-14-02 Publication date:May 31st 202

Digital media as language and literacy learning spaces in multilingual families – survey results from Luxembourg

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Coping With the Pandemic in 2020 and 2021: A Mixed-Method Study of Adolescents in Luxembourg

peer reviewedThe unprecedented Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic affected adolescents’ routines, experiences, and physical and mental health but not everybody reacted in the same way. The present longitudinal mixed-method study based in Luxembourg explores adolescents’ emotional responses to the pandemic as well as resilience factors that helped them cope with the challenges. It combines data from a survey completed in 2021 by 332 adolescents and from interviews carried out with 19 adolescents in 2020 and 2021. Overall, the results document the importance of support through family and peer relationships in order to withstand adversity. The findings may help parents, educators, and policymakers develop a supportive environment that minimizes the consequences of future negative events on adolescents

Transforming engagement: a case study of building intrinsic motivation in a child with autism

This longitudinal case study of 10 year old girl with autism and severe communication impairment measures the impact of the MORE (Means, Opportunities, Reasons and Expectations) approach to enhancing engagement and communication proposed by Emerson and Dearden (2013a). Through detailed observation of video data over a period of 28 months engagement behaviours including interaction with adults and following adult directions increased whilst resistant behaviours such as kicking, hitting and pushing adults away decreased. Fluctuation between different ‘states’ demonstrated that the frequency and duration of engagement was influenced by the MORE approach and an emphasis on developing intrinsic motivation. In order to enable further efficacy research core features of the intervention and the changes in engagement over time are described

Promoting Communication for Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Family-centered Music Therapy Intervention

Introduction. Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are a continuum of traits that may negati-vely affect social and emotional competencies of individuals, including challenges in their engagement abilities, possible limitations in reciprocal interactions, and inflexibility in initia-ting and sustaining communication. Such challenges may affect language development and speech acquisition. Considering their importance, this study explored the impact of a family-centered, music therapy intervention to promote preverbal and verbal communication skills of young children with ASD during parent–child, music engagement episodes. Method. A mixed-methods design was implemented to gather data on the children’s prever-bal and verbal communication abilities (pre-and-post intervention data collection) and on each dyad’s musical interactions during a 16-week music therapy intervention. Quantitative out-come measures included children’s scores on the Pragmatics Profile of Everyday Communi-cation Skills (PPECS) and the Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales Developmental Profile (CSBSDP), to assess children’s communication, expressive speech, and symbolic behavior over time. Qualitative data were gathered through semi-structured interviews, logs, and journaling. Results. Reports from the families corroborate with quantitative results regarding changes on the children’s communication abilities after the intervention. Discussion and Conclusion. Collectively, the current study provides evidence on the poten-tial of using music therapy interventions within a family-centered approach to enhance young children’s preverbal and verbal communication skills. © Universidad de Almería and Ilustre Colegio Oficial de la Psicología de Andalucía Oriental (Spain

Students’ perspectives on their academic achievement during the Covid-19 pandemic: learner autonomy, school satisfaction and adult support

Distance education, used to contain the spread of Covid-19 in 2020, radically altered adolescents’ learning experiences and affected their academic achievements. Based on a survey with adolescents aged 12-16 in Luxembourg, this study investigates the differences the 332 adolescents perceived in schoolwork when learning at school and from home during the pandemic in 2021, as well as predictors of their reported academic achievement. The findings show that the participants perceived their work as less interesting or useful and more difficult while learning from home and that the main predictors of their academic achievements were school achievements before the pandemic, school satisfaction, learner autonomy, and the ways that adults listen to them. Teacher and parent support played a subordinate role

Communication and Language Development of Young Children With Autism: A Review of Research in Music

Research demonstrates connections among children’s music actions, their engagement abilities, and their language development. Although the link between music and the engagement abilities of young children with autism is well established, there is not enough evidence on the effectiveness of music strategies and music therapy interventions to promote language development of young children with autism. The purpose of this review is to examine and analyze current literature on the systematic use of music and music therapy interventions as effective strategies for the development of language and preverbal and verbal communication abilities in young children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Findings align with previous reviews on the positive effects of music as an age-appropriate, communicative medium. Also, the review pinpoints to the collaboration of music therapists and speech and language pathologists for the design and implementation of interventions that embed music and target language development of young children with autism. © 2017, © Hammill Institute on Disabilities 2017

Alexithymic and autistic traits in children and adolescents: A systematic review of the current state of knowledge

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