The use of Neurologic Music Therapy (NMT) can be critical for young children starved of oxygen at birth as evidence shows the injured brain can recover function, according to experts in the field.

A child’s brain structure changes as a result of illness or injury and research shows that the injured brain can recover function and the ability to respond to music can remain intact, even when those functions of the brain are damaged. For young people who have suffered a brain injury—either at birth, acquired, trauma-related or as a result of a condition such as cerebral palsy or epilepsy—NMT uses specific, age-appropriate techniques to help maintain or improve skills such as speech, language and communication—as well as motor and cognition skills. In the case of children with an acquired brain injury, NMT techniques are typically focused on a child’s development and enabling them to acquire functional skills for the first time.  Lucy Collings Pettit, Neurologic Music Therapist at Chroma, says: “Babies who are starved of oxygen at birth can suffer Hypoxic—Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE). In such an event, a child’s brain injuries can result in developmental and cognitive impairments.