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Research Toolkits
Autism Research Toolkit
https://lamigdalia.etsy.com/listing/4383584272
40+ pages of annotated autism research citations on a wide range of relevant topics
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Continuing Education Study Guides & Resources
Recertification Toolkit
https://lamigdalia.etsy.com/listing/4357000045
This detailed, 29-page guide covers the similarities and differences between the 2020 and 2025 editions of CBMT’s Board Certification Domains.
ETHICS CREDIT (2 CMTEs): Sæle & Gilbertson
https://lamigdalia.etsy.com/listing/4447893317
“Ethical reflections on social media use within music therapy: A conversational focus group study” by Eirik Sæle & Simon Gilbertson
4 Part Study Guide (8 CMTE bundle)
https://lamigdalia.etsy.com/listing/1833456604
Includes:
- Botha’s “Academic, activist, or advocate? Angry, entangled, and emerging: A critical reflection on autism knowledge production”: a 5-page study guide and Addendum – Core values exploration tool: explore your professional and personal core values (2 CMTE credits)
- Lehmann-Kuit, Short, & Catanzaro’s “It’s my way of releasing I guess: A longitudinal neurodiversity-affirming study sharing the perceptions and collaborative song creations of two autistic former music therapy participants”: a 7-page how-to study guide for (2 CMTE credits)
- Mains, Clarke, & Annesley’s “Music Therapy is the very definition of white privilege: Music therapist’s perspectives on race and class in UK music therapy”: a 12-page study guide (2 CMTE credits)
- Bottema-Beutel et al.’s “Anti-ableism and scientific accuracy in autism research: A false dichotomy”: a 10-page study guide (2 CMTE credits)
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Activity Pages
https://lamigdalia.etsy.com/listing/1477855948
- 35 Music-themed Word Searches and 3 Crossword Puzzles (Criss-Cross puzzles) featuring popular music artists, each made by Jessica Leza. These use only black ink for cheap, easy printing.
3 Crossword puzzles and answer keys: Sabrina Carpenter, Taylor Swift, & Cavetown.
35 Word Searches: Alessia Cara, Billie Eilish, BTS, Carrie Underwood, Cavetown, Chappell Roan, Dax, Deftones, Eyedress, Fall Out Boy, Harry Styles, H.E.R., Juice WRLD, Kacey Musgraves, Lana Del Rey, Layton Greene, Lil Baby, Lil Peep, Melanie Martinez, Metallica, Mitski, Moneybagg Yo, NBA Youngboy, NF, Nirvana, Olivia Rodrigo, Powfu, Radiohead, Rod Wave, Sabrina Carpenter, Summer Walker, SZA, Taylor Swift, The Kid Laroi, The Weeknd
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Essays: Autism
“Autism and the Iso Principle”
Considering autistic sensory processing and habituation
February 18, 2021
“Levels are for video games, not people“
The reimagining of functioning labels through the DSM’s autism ‘levels’
August 30, 2025
Trump Administration to Promote Sales of Leucovorin for Autistic Children
Donald Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s autism conference was a disaster
September 22, 2025
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Essays: General Topics
“Investigating the Claims Made by MTs Selling Essential Oils at National Conference”
A deep dive into the research – or lack thereof – cited by the music therapists who sold MLM essential oils at the AMTA National Conference in Dallas, Texas
November 17, 2018
“On Silence“
Neurodivergent reflections on the role of silence in Music Therapy
June 21, 2019
“Doing the Gratitudes”
Dismantling Anglo-centric assumptions of the universal utility of gratitude
September 9, 2019
The Disability Day of Mourning: “A Tale of Two March Firsts”
Content note: This article includes discussion of murder/filicide and ableism.
- A Tale of Two March Firsts (Original essay)
February 25, 2021 - The Disability Day of Mourning: WWIII Edition
March 1, 2026 - Postscript: Looking Back Five Years Later
October 14, 2026
If the Profession of Music Therapy Is Not For Everyone, Who Is It For?
Low wages directly contribute to the lack of diversity in the music therapy profession
January 11, 2022
Self-Care: Performance, Punishment, and Commodity
Personal reflections on my experiences in an employer-sponsored self-care group
May 23, 2022
How Can I Help Neurodivergent Communities? It’s so Overwhelming…
I was asked: What can I do to support Autistic and disabled people in this political climate
February 18, 2025
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Podcasts
- Navigating Adulthood and IDD (Episode 7, October 26, 2020)
Jessica Leza – Neuroqueering, Music Therapy, and Individualized Client-Centered Work
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General Informational Handouts
Many of these resources were previously available on Patreon. However, Apple has forced Patreon to convert all creators to subscription billing. This is not a good option for me or my patrons, so I am closing my account. Some of those materials will now be available here, others will be available through Etsy, and other materials will no longer be available.
Destigmatizing Hallucinations
February 19, 2024 – Efforts to destigmatize mental illness often focus on the symptoms or diagnosis of depression and anxiety. While this is a noble and worthy cause, these efforts typically neglect a range of symptoms and diagnoses – from personality disorders to psychosis and much more. This leaves us with a society that is beginning to offer more compassion and understanding for mental health symptoms like profound sadness and worry but continues to pathologize other symptoms, like hallucinations and delusions. This informational packet is intended to take one small step towards destigmatizing the normal human experience of hallucinations by focusing on “nonclinical” hallucinations in people without psychosis, cultural contexts of hallucinations, and the affirmative choice to intentionally create the circumstances needed to experience hallucinations (e.g., through recreational substance use).
Global Music Therapy Organizations
This chart and map show music therapy associations and organizations across the globe. This was made in 2024.
Do you have a recommendation to add to this list? Please get in touch.
Mental Health Acronyms and Terms
Three pages of mental health acronyms and buzzwords that are used more often than they are defined
School District / Special Education Acronyms and Terms
Two pages of acronyms and terms often seen in K-12 educational settings
Autism in Women and Nonbinary People
In honor of Women’s History Month (March 2021), I collected six pages of information about Autistic women, girls, and nonbinary people.
Understanding and Responding to Unsafe Behavior in Autistic Youth
A music therapy toolkit
Singing Tips
This is a four-page PDF outlining tips for warming up (breathing, posture, vocalizing), practicing, and auditioning. Note: This document uses she/her pronouns.
Prompt Fading
Whether they are called prompts, cues, tips, or hints, intentionally using a variety of prompting methods can help music therapists and others assist clients in meeting their goals. This PDF includes definitions and explanations of common terms.
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Book Reviews & Recommended Reading
Looking for something new to read that could inform your music therapy practice?
Try this BookShop link: https://bookshop.org/shop/LaMigdalia
Book Reviews
Winners Take All: “The Elite Charade of Changing the World” by Anand Giridharadas (November 14, 2021)
Black History Month Mental Health Book Suggestions (February 4, 2022)
- The Unapologetic Guide to Black Mental Health: Navigate an Unequal System, Learn Tools for Emotional Wellness, and Get the Help You Deserve by Rheeda Walker, PhD
- Not All Black Girls Know How to Eat: A Story of Bulimia by Stephanie Covington Armstrong
- The Protest Psychosis: How Schizophrenia Became a Black Disease by Jonathan Metzl
Tales From the Table: Lovass/ABA Intervention with Children on the Autistic Spectrum by Margaret Anderson (October 23, 2022)
This 2007 text is a study in anti-Autistic bias.
Collected notes and observations on reading Dorita Berger’s book “Music Therapy, Sensory Integration and the Autistic Child” from Jessica Kingsley Publishers. I cannot in good conscience recommend this book. Read more to find out why.