New University of Limerick research has found that collaborative sessions combining music therapy with speech and language therapy can support meaningful communication gains in young children recovering from acquired brain injuries.
The study, led by UL’s Health Research Institute, explored how children aged between two and six responded to a joint music therapy and speech and language therapy programme, delivered during inpatient neurorehabilitation.
The research identified three key ways the interdisciplinary approach supported communication development: using familiar songs to encourage vocal expression, using active musical play to strengthen turn-taking and social reciprocity, and embedding choice-making opportunities in highly motivating musical activities.
Led by Dr James Burns, UL researcher and paediatric music therapist at the National Rehabilitation Hospital, Dublin, the study offers new evidence for how music can create structured, enjoyable opportunities for children with acquired communication impairments to re-engage with speech, sound, gesture, and interaction.
Dr Burns said the findings are particularly significant as research into collaborative music therapy and speech and language therapy for very young children with acquired communication impairments remains limited.
“What was particularly striking was seeing how music created a space where interaction felt easier and more natural for children.
“Familiar songs and playful musical routines helped children vocalise, take turns, and connect more easily with the people around them.”
The children taking part in the study were recovering from complex neurological injuries and conditions including stroke, encephalitis, hypoxic brain injury, and Rasmussen’s encephalitis.
Across the programme, researchers observed children progressing from early pre-verbal engagement and simple vocalisations to word production, phrase completion, and more spontaneous communicative exchanges.
“One child initially joined in Old McDonald using only the final ‘o’ in ‘E-I-E-I-O’, but later progressed to independently singing phrases from Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,” explained Dr Burns.
“While these moments may appear small, they represented important steps towards using his voice more intentionally, initiating interaction, and participating more actively in everyday communication with others.”
Professor Hilary Moss, co-author of the study and Course Director of UL’s MA Music Therapy, said the study demonstrates the value of interdisciplinary rehabilitation in paediatric settings.
“Interdisciplinary research, across STEM and the arts, is crucially important,” said Professor Moss.
“Music therapists are perfectly positioned at the intersection of music and clinical research and practice.
“We welcome interdisciplinary collaboration with our fellow clinicians to ensure services and treatments are developed to appropriately meet client-centred health needs,” she concluded.
The study was conducted by a multidisciplinary team from University of Limerick and the National Rehabilitation Hospital. Researchers say the work helps move the field beyond descriptive case reports by closely examining how communicative responses emerge within therapy sessions.
The team hopes the findings will inform future paediatric neurorehabilitation practice and support the development of more robust tools for evaluating communication change in young children with acquired communication impairments.
