Adults & Children with Complex Needs

​

I facilitate Community Circle Drumming for people with intellectual and physical disabilities. I find drumming particularly helpful for adults and children with special needs who are non verbal,  as it gives them the opportunity to express themselves and find their voice in this unique way. These drumming workshops are a great success with the participants who look forward to it every week. The benefits have proven to be invaluable. I have learnt that individuals with special needs enjoy participating as it puts everybody on equal footing and it becomes all about their ability to participate at their own level without  judgement.  The rhythms allow the participants to express themselves and to have fun.

Other benefits of drumming include:
• Reducing tension, anxiety and depression
• Boosting the immune system
• Increasing energy
• Releasing negative feelings
• Creating social interactions and feeling a sense of community
• Improving language
• Releasing negative feelings and emotional trauma
• Providing a sense of self-worth

​

I spend a  lot of time with children who are profoundly and severely challenged both intellectually and physically. One approach I adopt when working with children who are nonverbal and physically confined (in wheelchairs) is to enable them to sit unconfined and to be safely seated on bean bags in the middle of the circle. As the rest of the community start to drum the child can chose to find their lost rhythm and begin to rock backwards and forwards with their new-found freedom. I often place 2 small drums on the floor beside the child and in most cases despite their physical challenges they more often start to hit their drum and, in some cases, use the drum for call and response communication (communicating with each other through the drum). I trust my instinct and I am adaptable to the complex needs of individuals and groups, to observe, listen and to be open.