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Music Therapy Assessment of Emotionally Disturbed Children (MTA-ED)

Catalog of Assessment Tools

Music Therapy Assessment of Emotionally Disturbed Children (MTA-ED)

The design of Music Therapy Assessment Tool for Emotionally Disturbed Children (MTA-ED) is open-ended and outlines basic musical elements that the child may express. The interpretation of how, why and when the child musically communicates may be viewed in context of the child’s pathology, and depends on the particular background of the music therapist.

Catalog of Assessment Tools

Music Therapy Assessment of Emotionally Disturbed Children (MTA-ED)

The design of Music Therapy Assessment Tool for Emotionally Disturbed Children (MTA-ED) is open-ended and outlines basic musical elements that the child may express. The interpretation of how, why and when the child musically communicates may be viewed in context of the child’s pathology, and depends on the particular background of the music therapist.

Title (Acronym) Music Therapy Tool for Emotionally Disturbed Children (MTA-ED)
Author(s) Goodman, K.D.
Publication date 1989 & 2007
Publisher info Charles C. Thomas, Springfield, Illinois.
Purpose The design of Music Therapy Assessment Tool for Emotionally Disturbed Children (MTA-ED) is open-ended and outlines basic musical elements that the child may express. The interpretation of how, why and when the child musically communicates may be viewed in context of the child’s pathology, and depends on the particular background of the music therapist.
assessment
index terms

Interview; Observational
Population Children with emotional disturbance (see more specific dx in DSM-5; see educational classification in IDEA). Ages 4-20 years.
Scores Not applicable
Administration Individual
Time Recommended administration: Two (2) to four (4) 50-minute administrations.
Comments
  • Specialized training and/or supervision recommended following graduate training in assessment.
  • This assessment can only be administered by a trained music therapist who is able to play composed as well as improvised music and has training in developmental norms.
  • Initial field testing conducted at New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center, White Plains, NY, a well-known inpatient psychiatric hospital, and included children in both in-patient and out-patient programs.
  • Training in the developmental, individual-difference, relationship-based (DIR) model (Greenspan & Wieder, 1998) as originally contextualized in music therapy (Goodman,2007) and defined by Goodman in Kirkland (2013, p. 35) is helpful.
CROSS REFERENCES

Greenspan, S. I., & Wieder, S. (1998). A functional developmental approach to autism spectrum disorders. Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities, 24(3), 147 – 161. https://doi.org/10.2511/rpsd.24.3.147

Kirkland, K. (Ed.). (2013). The international dictionary of music therapy. Routledge.

Wilson, B. L., & Smith, D. S. (2000). Music therapy assessment in school settings: A preliminary investigation. Journal of Music Therapy, 37(2), 95 – 117. https://doi.org/10.1093/jmt/37.2.95
Reference

Goodman, K. D. (1989) Music Therapy Evaluation of Emotionally Disturbed Children. Arts in Psychotherapy, 16(2), 179-192. https://doi.org/10.1016/0197-4556(89)90021-X

Goodman, K. D. (2007) Music therapy groupwork with special needs children: The evolving process. Charles C. Thomas. (see Chapter 2: In The Beginning: Assessment)
REVIEW None.
Description The MTA-ED, Music Therapy Assessment Tool with Emotionally Disturbed Children (Goodman, 1989; Goodman, 2007) is a descriptive music therapy assessment tool which includes seven areas of inquiry. With the exception of the first area and last areas of inquiry, these are assessed through open-ended music play: 1) Interview with the child regarding previous background in music and use of music with family members;2) Assessment of developmental appropriateness of social-emotional functioning while in music; 3) Assessment of ability to organize musical experience; 4) Following of content of musical behavior;5) Following changes in musical behavior over the course of session(s) and the possible meaning of these changes (process-oriented);6) Interpretation of musical behavior in consideration of family history, presenting behavioral problems, affective developmental levels, presenting diagnosis, previous background in and associations regarding music; and 7) Investigation of musical response(s) characteristic of particular pathology. The MTA-ED as well as examples of its use are previously published (Goodman, 1989; Goodman, 2007). The author may be reached at goodmank@montclair.edu.