Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): A developmental disorder characterized by difficulties or differences in social interaction/communication skills and repetitive patterns of behavior. Autism exists on a spectrum, presenting a wide range of characteristics and needs.

Neurodevelopmental Disability: Conditions which affect brain and nervous system development. This could refer to learning disability, intellectual disability, and traumatic brain injury (TBI). Neurodevelopmental disabilities can manifest in developmental issues surrounding motor function, learning, and communication.

Intellectual Disability: Functional limitations in learning and performing skills crucial to daily living, including adaptive behaviors. A student's need for support and level of functioning is based on individualized needs.

Adamek, M. S., & Darrow, A. (2018) Music in special education (3rd ed.). The American Music Therapy Association, Inc.

Music therapy approaches and trends continue to evolve alongside those of special education professionals. Music in Special Education provides a wealth of foundational knowledge regarding the history and legalese of special education in the US, inclusive music practices, and information/considerations about the wide variety of populations, diagnoses, and people that music therapists and educators work with. The foundational principles outlined throughout this book serve as a framework for music therapists to facilitate communication, cooperation, and collaboration across disciplines. The entirety of this book has been a source of knowledge and reference for me this semester, and I hope to continue to explore the concepts presented by it for years to come. As music therapy and special education research and practices continue to grow, I hope to find similarly comprehensive works that follow these trends, informing my music therapy practice similarly to how this book has guided my service learning experience.

Tomlinson, J., Derrington, P., & Oldfield, A. (2012). Music therapy in schools working with children of all ages in mainstream and special education. Philadelphia: Jessica Kingsley.

Music therapy work in the schools is an important part of the education of many children. Music therapy in schools working with children of all ages in mainstream and special education provides context for the wide breadth of work that music therapists could do in these settings. This book explores a range of procedures, approaches, and challenges of working as a music therapist in education. This book was written in the United Kingdom. As such, certain aspects of European legalese differ greatly from that of the United States. Despite this, there is still much to be learned from the foundational concepts presented. In particular, the book gives many insights into common populations served in educational settings, such as students with behavioral disorders and autism. I plan to use this resource as a source of ideas regarding intervention techniques and to broaden my understanding of how music therapy can be used in school settings. The use of this resource will be greatly vetted by my knowledge of the fact that European policies and therapeutic approaches can differ greatly from those used in the United States.

Abbott, E. A., & Sanders, L. (2013). Perspectives of Paraeducators on Collaboration in Music Therapy Sessions. Canadian Journal of Music Therapy, 19(1), 47–65.

Authors conducted focus-group interviews with twenty paraeducators who worked in special education classrooms. The paraeducators worked alongside music therapists and later described their experiences in each 45 minute session. Half of the paraeducators/students attended one music therapy session, and half attended two music therapy sessions. Paraeducators were asked to answer qualitative questions regarding three categories: how they defined collaboration, how music therapists contributed to sessions, and ways they and the music therapists learned from one another. In discussion, the authors explore how role clarity, mutual learning and respect were all important factors in each of the paraeducator's experiences. As I would have been working with several educators and paraeducators as part of a team, this article will help me gain insight into the key parts of team collaboration within special education classrooms.

Darrow, A.-A. (2009). Barriers to Effective Inclusion and Strategies to Overcome Them. General Music Today, 22(3), 29–31.

Despite the significant progress in the last two decades, barriers to effective inclusive practices can occasionally still persist in educational settings. Darrow analyzes common barriers and categorizes them into categories (organizational, attitudinal, knowledge). Throughout this article, Darrow intricately describes how these barriers affect student growth and provides examples of common barriers of each category. This article provides an in-depth analysis of how and why barriers to inclusion still persist. The author goes on to provide detailed strategies as to how to overcome them. While some of this information can be found in the 3rd edition of Music in Special Education, this article serves as a valuable resource, giving more detailed strategies for teachers and therapists. By informing myself of these concepts, I intend on arming myself with inclusive knowledge and attitudes so that I may best help any organization I work with in the future.

Markworth, L. (2014). Without Words: Music as Communication for Children with Autism. Qualitative Inquiries in Music Therapy, 9, 1–42.

Students with autism often demonstrate differences in the development of speech, language, and communication skills. The authors of this article discuss and explore the communicative nature of music, and how students with autism can benefit from having music that enriches and facilitates these skills. For this study, students were paired with music therapists and were observed working on goals related to communication, using music as the primary means of communication within each intervention. While I won't necessarily use a Nordoff-Robbins approach in every special education situation, the findings from this study can help provide insights into how music can provide multiple means of representation, action, expression and engagement.