The Voice in Neurodiversity Affirmative Music Therapy with Autistic People
Tuesday 23rd April 2024, 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM (London Time)
The Neurodiversity Paradigm challenges the concept of autism (and related neurological differences such as ADHD and dyspraxia) as a disorder or deficit, instead defining autism as a natural and normal part of human neurological diversity (neurodiversity). Under the neurodiversity paradigm, autism is considered as an aspect of identity, in the same way as gender or sexuality, and autistic forms of behaviour, communication and culture are valued in the same way as allistic (non-autistic) forms of behaviour, communication and culture. In recent years, the music therapy profession has begun to consider the application of the neurodiversity paradigm to music therapy practice, and an increasing amount of literature embracing this perspective has been published.
This lecture, delivered from a lived experience perspective, will begin with an explanation of the key concepts around neurodiversity, the neurodiversity paradigm, and some neurodiversity-informed theories within autism research, including a brief exploration of autistic communication and culture. We will look at ways to work musically from a neurodiversity-affirmative perspective with autistic people, whether therapeutically or within other forms of music-based work or teaching practice. Particular consideration will be given to the use of the voice with autistic people, both in terms of responding to the individual’s particular ways of using language, song and vocal sounds, and in terms of using one’s own voice (whether you identify as autistic or allistic), and other forms of music, to communicate respectfully and effectively with autistic people.
Hilary will speak about her own music therapy work with autistic people, which takes a collaborative approach with the client as much as possible, giving examples of how Hilary uses her voice and other forms of musical response in her therapeutic work.
Hilary Davies
Hilary Davies is a Health and Care Professions Council-registered Music Therapist, specialising in music therapy with autistic people.
Attend this course for as little as £22 as part of the Voice Professional Training CPD Award Scheme.
Learn MoreSorry, this is an archived short course...
We have plenty of upcoming short courses coming soon. See details of some of them below or look at the full list of short courses.
Thursday 18th December 2025
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
(London Time)
Improving Lyric Italian Diction for Classical Singers
Professor Conroy Cupido
Join Professor Conroy Cupido as he offers an in-depth exploration of the most frequent pronunciation errors made by classical singers in Italian lyric diction. Designed for both emerging and advanced singers, the course provides a structured and practical approach to mastering Italian pronunciation as used in opera, oratorio, and art song.
Monday 12th January 2026
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
Tuesday 13th January 2026
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
Wednesday 14th January 2026
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
Thursday 15th January 2026
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
Tuesday 20th January 2026
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
Wednesday 21st January 2026
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
(London Time)
Level One Certificate in Accents and Phonetics
Louisa Morgan
Are you a voice, acting, or singing coach looking to expand your expertise and add accents and phonetics to your teaching repertoire? This 6-session course covers essential topics such as articulatory, acoustic, and auditory phonetics, the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), and ethical approaches to accent and dialect coaching. By the end of this course, you'll be equipped with the knowledge and practical skills to start to bring phonetics and accent coaching into your coaching and provide more comprehensive support to your clients.
Monday 12th January 2026
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
(London Time)
Emerging and Developing Voice: Singing and Speech
Karen Brunssen
How does the singing voice influence the speaking voice? How does the speaking voice influence the singing voice? When is there a disparate relationship between the two? Can they help each other? Can one harm the other? How can we use them positively in the voice studio. During this short course we will consider the voice as we sing and as we speak. The acquisition of language is a very interesting journey from birth through old age. We will broach the topics of “lexical” which refers to learning words, and “semantic” which is how we use words in the context of language.