Impact case study database

Oldfield’s music therapy approach for children with autism and their families has had an impact on the families receiving treatment, the music therapists providing the treatment, and the training of music therapists. The approach was recognised by the profession in 2014 when Oldfield was awarded the first Clinical Impact Award for Music Therapy by the World Federation of Music Therapy.

Introducing Oldfield’s music therapy approach with children with autism to families in the Cambridge area

Between August 2013 and 2019, Oldfield successfully used her approach in her NHS work with around 80 families. Three music therapy colleagues in the Cambridge area who trained with Oldfield and received clinical supervision from her, have each treated similar numbers of families using this approach during that time.

In 2017, following treatment using Oldfield’s approach, a father of a 5-year-old boy told us: “I can’t imagine having made this kind of progress, even in other areas of his development without having had this sort of experience and this kind of opportunity … It’s so clear that he responds well to this kind of therapy. You really see him coming alive during these sessions” (Source 1).

In 2019, a mother of a 5-year-old boy wrote: “He enjoyed the sessions so much and they have helped with his speech and communication. We are able to communicate with him better and hearing him sing is a joy!” (Source 1).

Oldfield’s music therapy diagnostic assessments (MTDAs) have been continuously used at the Croft Child and Family Psychiatry Unit (Cambridge), impacting on multidisciplinary overall diagnostic assessments given to all the children attending the unit. Between August 2013 and 2017, Oldfield carried out MTDAs on approximately 120 children at the Croft Child and Family Unit in Cambridge and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT), and her successor continues to carry them out up to the present day. MTDAs improve service provision, with many children finding it easier to engage with MTDAs than with conventional standardised assessments (Source 2).

Research assistants employed by ARU in projects described in section 2, have used Oldfield’s clinical approach and their work has led to the creation, in 2017 and 2018, of five new music therapy posts, in Cambridge and Peterborough, enabling more families to benefit from treatment.

Transfer of skills and competencies

Oldfield’s work has impacted music therapy by enhancing music therapy clinical practice and influencing the teaching of music therapy students both in the UK and internationally.

Between August 2013 and 2019 Oldfield’s approach has been taught to around 105 MA music therapy students at ARU. Music therapists have commented: “In adopting Amelia’s ‘positive’ and supportive approach […] we have received much appreciative feedback from families […] [and] have secured additional funding in order to continue the music therapy intervention for families.” (Source 3.a) “Her book […] inspired and encouraged me in the development of my own music therapy approach and […] the development of the music therapy service at the Child Development Centre” (Source 3.b).

Oldfield’s music therapy training DVD about this music therapy approach, produced at ARU, has been on YouTube since 30/07/14, and has been viewed 93,916 times (15/12/2020) (Source 4).

All seven UK music therapy training courses use Oldfield’s books and videos on music therapy with autism, and music therapy with families, in their teaching (Source 5). One course head has observed “Oldfield’s approach has had a significant impact on the way in which Music Therapists in the UK conceptualise and deliver music therapy interventions in these clinical areas” (Source 4). Another notes “her approach to working with children with autism and their families shape[s] how we encourage music therapy learners to practise and think about their work. This in turn influences the work that they have gone on to do” (Source 5). A third describes Oldfield’s publications as the ‘core of the UK literature in this area’ noting ‘our teaching in this area makes extensive use of these publications’ (Source 5).

Between August 2013 and 2019, Oldfield taught her approach to approximately 315 music therapy students at Montpellier University, France, and 130 students in Würtzburg University, Germany. The heads of these courses have confirmed the importance of her research and teaching in her specialist areas of autism and families (Source 6).

Between August 2013 and 2020 Oldfield ran and planned 9 specialist workshops and courses on music therapy with children with autism and their families for music therapy students and professionals in Singapore, Poland, Spain, Italy, Taiwan, Thailand, Canada and Finland. Testimonials indicate that her work has had an impact on both music therapists and their clients in these countries, becoming embedded both in education and practice in the field (Source 7). They describe Oldfield’s research as ‘extraordinary and influential’, ‘a cornerstone of the [Finnish] program’, as being ‘highly inspiring’ and ‘having influenced Polish music therapy in many contexts and aspects’. Other testimonies confirmed that Oldfield’s research has ‘widely impacted the music therapy work for children with autism and their families in Singapore’; that it has influenced ‘all Taiwanese music therapists, many of whom have incorporated her Music Therapy Diagnostic Assessments (MTDAs) and her family approach in their practice’; and that ‘many music therapists in Finland have been using Amelia’s approach and methods with children and autism and with families for the past 7 years’ (Source 7).

One director from Ontario, stated that Oldfield’s “’Integrative Music Therapy approach’ is exceptionally well received here in Canada and has garnered wide acceptance of our music therapy community.” Similarly, the head of a music therapy training programme in Poland, commented that Oldfield’s research-led contributions “undoubtedly enhanced the development of music therapy” in Poland (Source 7). An assistant professor at Khon Kaen University, Thailand explained how “children’s communication skills have improved” as a result (Source 8).

Between August 2013 and 2020, Oldfield remotely supported her Thai colleague, to develop her music therapy practice with children with autism and their families, and to teach students on this subject. As a result, Khon Kaen University has set up their first MA music therapy training course, due to start in 2021 (Source 8).

A new documentary film, changing understandings of music therapy

In 2017 Oldfield interviewed the families of the children with autism who received music therapy between 2000 and 2002, creating a full-length documentary film: “Operation Syncopation” (Source 9). The film director was a patient who received treatment from Oldfield as a child. The film received the Silver Punt Audience Award for Best Documentary at the 2017 Cambridge Film Festival and, in 2018 and 2019, was shown at six International music therapy conferences, and cinemas in Montpellier and Katowice. Subtitles in Mandarin, Thai, French, German, Spanish, Polish and English are available.

In 2019, an evaluation of the film was made by 109 viewers, in Italy, Slovenia, Denmark and Spain. 90% indicated that they would change the way they worked with children with autism; 70% wrote that their view of autism had changed; and 92% said they would recommend the film to others (Source 10). The film has been available on YouTube since 06/09/2019 and has been viewed 4,847 times (15/12/2020). Along with Oldfield’s training videos, the film (Source 4) has been cited by course leaders (Sources 5, 6 and 7), as an important resource for teaching music therapists. As one commented: “There are very few such resources that are suitable for supporting the development of knowledge and skills in this applied discipline, so these are especially valuable” (Source 5).