Strategies for Developing Individual Education Programs for Public School Music Students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Dyslexia Page: I

                                
Raviotta, Benjamin P. Strategies for Developing Individual Education Programs for Public
School Music Students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Dyslexia. Doctor of
Musical Arts (Performance), December 2016, 127 pp., bibliography, 88 titles.
This research explores the need for curriculum modifications, accommodations, and
remediation techniques for beginner band students with specific learning disorders (SLDs)
under the umbrella of Individual Education Programs (IEPs) or 504 plans for attention-
deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and/or dyslexia. ADHD and dyslexia are the most
common of the neurodevelopmental disorders, often affecting a student's ability to stay
focused and attentive; remain quiet and well behaved; comprehend written, visual and/or oral
instruction; organize thoughts and materials; exhibit good time management; execute fine and
gross motor skills; retain and recall information; decode symbols; process information quickly
and correctly; maintain healthy, interpersonal relationships; and overcome anxiety. In order to
provide inclusive instruction, music educators should understand how to identify these (often
comorbid) conditions and the musical challenges these students might encounter, including
time/pulse, notation, rhythm, posture, fingerings, and sight-reading.
A guide for instrumental directors and private instrumental teachers, "How to
Accommodate or Modify Musical Instruction for a Student with ADHD and/or Dyslexia," is
included in this dissertation to provide useful information, multisensory techniques, and
suggestions to help students with these learning disabilities achieve better success in the music
classroom.