Coventry Reserve uses Sennheiser Headphones to Help Facilitate Music Therapy for Adults in Need

May 26, 2011 - PRLog -- Old Lyme, CT – May, 25, 2011: At Coventry Reserve, a life-enrichment facility located in Wylie, Texas, disabled adults are marking great strides through music therapy -- which rebuilds the brain’s ability to process sound. In her therapy sessions, speech pathologist Robin Harwell, MA, CCC-SLP, routinely uses Sennheiser HD 500 series headphones both in private practice and in workshops across the country.  

“Whether the cause is autism, stroke, traumatic brain injury or any other situation where the auditory system is diminished, you can positively affect all the other integrated sensory pathways using music therapy,” Harwell explains. “Using music as a tool, I can get in there and repair those pathways."

To help her patients focus on the modulated music used in therapeutic listening, Harwell relies on several pairs of Sennheiser HD 500a headphones. “Headphones are an integral part of this therapy because they allow the music to pass directly into the middle ear and other hearing centers in the brain,” Harwell says.

Mallori’s Story
Mallori Delozier is a 23-year-old woman who suffers from autism. When she first came to Coventry Reserve, she had approximately 30 words in her vocabulary, and her parents said they would be happy to see even a two percent improvement.

“When I told her parents about the music therapy we were using, they warned me that Mallori would not tolerate wearing headphones. So we worked with her on other pathways that utilized vibration on her head and face to help her get used to it,” Harwell says.

Once Mallori was comfortable wearing a pair of headphones, she got what Harwell calls a “listening face,” indicating that the music was helping her concentrate. This was immediately followed by the joyful expressions of hearing intelligible sounds that finally made sense to her.

Developing Life Skills through Music Therapy
At Coventry Reserve, participants work on designing pottery that is made available for sale. Mallori and the other program participants listen to music therapy through Sennheiser headphones while crafting their pottery. “The music actually helps them concentrate while they work,” Harwell says.

Since beginning music therapy, Mallori has experienced no less than a 40 percent improvement, and now has hundreds of words in her vocabulary. According to Harwell, her body movements are also smoother and she is able to interact and respond appropriately in conversation.

Recently, Harwell presented “Build the Brain” workshops to about 40 therapists throughout the country, where she spoke about the brain and music therapy -- all the while using the Sennheiser HD 500 series headphones. In addition to these road presentations, her private practice uses music therapy to help wounded warriors cope with post-traumatic stress disorder.

At Coventry Reserve, the ultimate goal is to build a long-term residential facility that will help program participants develop the life skills they will need each day. “There is such a desperate need for feeder programs like the one Mallori is participating in,” Harwell concludes. “When our program participants get they get what they need, they can make such incredible progress.”