Three-year-old Liam, recovering from a hypoxic brain injury at the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Dublin, once struggled to make a sound. Then came the music. During a therapy session led by Dr. James Burns and a speech and language therapist, Liam began humming the final 'o' in 'E-I-E-I-O' from Old McDonald. Weeks later, he was singing full phrases of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star—small victories that marked a profound reawakening of his voice and connection to the world.
This transformation wasn’t accidental. A groundbreaking study from the University of Limerick, led by Burns—a researcher at UL’s Health Research Institute and pediatric music therapist—has shown that combining music therapy with speech and language therapy can unlock meaningful communication gains in children aged 2 to 6 recovering from acquired brain injuries. These young patients, many of whom faced conditions like stroke, encephalitis, or Rasmussen’s encephalitis, often enter rehabilitation with limited or no verbal abilities. The interdisciplinary approach offered a new path forward: one where rhythm, melody, and play became tools for rebuilding language.
Over the course of the program, researchers observed children progressing from preverbal engagement—eye contact, gestures, vocal play—to producing words, completing phrases, and initiating spontaneous communication. The therapy sessions leveraged three powerful strategies: familiar songs to stimulate vocal expression, musical play to reinforce turn-taking and social reciprocity, and embedded choice-making within musical routines to empower children. One child, initially nonverbal, began selecting instruments by pointing and later progressed to using single words like 'drum' and 'more.' These weren’t isolated moments—they were signs of a deeper shift in how the children were relearning to connect.
The study, published in the Nordic Journal of Music Therapy, moves beyond anecdotal evidence by closely analyzing how communication emerges in real-time during joint sessions. Dr. Burns emphasized that music created a space where interaction felt less effortful. 'Familiar songs and playful musical routines helped children vocalize, take turns and connect more easily with the people around them,' he said. For families, these changes were transformative. A parent shared that their child, after months of silence, began singing along to a lullaby at bedtime—a moment of joy that signaled progress no test could fully capture.
Professor Hilary Moss, co-author and course director of UL’s MA Music Therapy, highlighted the broader significance: 'Interdisciplinary research, across STEM and the arts, is crucially important.' The collaboration between music therapists and speech clinicians exemplifies how blending clinical rigor with creative expression can meet the unique needs of young patients. As the team looks ahead, they hope these findings will shape future pediatric neurorehabilitation programs and inspire the development of better tools to measure communication growth in children with acquired impairments. For now, the music plays on—and with it, the voices of children finding their way back.