Somatron Vibroacoustic Products
Fairfax County Public Schools
Clinical Experiences
Type
of Facility: Public School - Special
Education Center
Patient Population using the Somatron: Children and
Young Adults with Severe Disabilities or Autism
Date of Reported Experiences: March,
1996
Primary Findings: Calming agitation
and reducing mouthing behavior
Music Used: Not reported
Contact Information: Ava Geozy Dowdy, MT-BC
Fairfax
County Schools, Kilmer Center
8102 Wolftrap Road
Vienna, Virginia 22182
Ava
Geozy Dowdy, Music Therapist at the Kilmer Center in Vienna, Virginia
discussed some of her clinical experiences with an Olympia table model
Somatron. Students at the Kilmer Center between
the ages of 5 and 22 years with severe disabilities or autism were
given opportunities to try the Somatron.
Ms. Dowdy reported that she was using the Somatron with several
goals in mind. She was
looking to see whether vibrotactile stimulation was successful in
encouraging deeper breathing, reducing self stimulatory behavior and
replacing agitation with calmness and relaxation in her students.
Ms. Dowdy reported that one particular student responded very
positively to the Somatron, he was able to “calm down on it when he
is very agitated”. Another student who mouthed his
hands kept them out of his mouth for 10 minutes during a Somatron
session. Some of the behaviors that Ms. Dowdy reported
to be observing during Somatron sessions were students’ physical and
vocal responses, positioning, and any other attempts at communication.
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