When Hannah Silva, a five year old patient at Franciscan Children’s, lit up with excitement at the sight of a cart filled with musical instruments, both Hannah’s mother Emanuella and music therapist Jessica Triana knew music therapy had to be incorporated into her therapeutic treatment plan. Already receiving occupational and speech therapies, nutrition and dental services, music therapy proved to be just what Hannah needed to blossom.
Although Hannah was extremely intelligent, her mother began to notice that Hannah had a hard time expressing herself before the age of two. She had a sensitivity to noise and wouldn’t make eye contact. In 2013, Hannah was diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum and having Global Developmental Delay (GDD).
Children with GDD can show delayed skill development in a range of categories including cognitive, social/emotional, speech/language and motor skills as well as general activities of daily living. This can be caused by many reasons but some of the more common factors are complications at birth, medical conditions and various environmental issues such as lead poisoning, poor nutrition, and exposure to drugs or alcohol before birth or trauma.
