Melodic Intonation Therapy - Who Benefits From Melodic Intonation Therapy

Who Benefits From Melodic Intonation Therapy

The majority of research in melodic intonation therapy has been conducted with aphasia patients. Aphasia is a general diagnosis for communication disorders resulting from brain damage. There are different types of aphasia depending on the location of the damage. Patients that would benefit from MIT typically suffer from non-fluent aphasia or Broca’s aphasia. As the name suggests, the damage to the brain in this category is mostly in the Broca’s area and thus speech production is affected. Sparks and associates found that adult patients meeting the following criteria achieved positive results with MIT (Marshal and Holtzapple 1976:115):

1. Good auditory comprehension
2. Facility for self correction
3. Markedly limited verbal output
4. Reasonably good attention span
5. Good emotional stability

Later researchers have also noted that for MIT to be effective the patient must not exhibit any “bi-lateral brain damage” (Roper,2003:1). Melodic intonation therapy is not appropriate for patients suffering form receptive aphasia or brain damage affecting the patient’s ability to read and comprehend language. The main goal is to help the patient speak in a comprehendible manner. MIT may also be an effective treatment for speech impairments caused by other disorders such as Down syndrome, but research on this topic is even more limited than general research in MIT (Carroll 1996).