Dr. Summa-Chadwick is executive director of the non-profit organization Music Therapy Gateway In Communication, Inc. (MTGIC).  MTGIC has established working relationships in the Chattanooga area with various local social, medical, and academic organizations and agencies interested in the support of persons with autism. A vital partnership formation between UTC and MTGIC has attracted interdisciplinary UTC involvement, engaging administrators, faculty, and students from the diverse departments of computer science, psychology, special education, and music. A strategic planning process sponsored by UTC and MTGIC identified three critical needs: (1) children need access to neuro music protocol interventions to support critical developmental processes; (2) neuro music protocol services must be available in flexible delivery methods to meet diverse needs and abilities of children with autism and families; (3) families need access to cost-effective, on-going neuro music protocol services to achieve measurable benefits for their children. To help achieve these outcomes, UTC generously provided space for the MTGIC laboratory on their campus, and a munificent grant from the Community Foundation of Chattanooga made it possible to purchase all the instruments and computer equipment needed for the initial phase of the project.

In the MTGIC laboratory, a neuro music protocol facilitator conducts one-on-one sessions with a client; the curriculum of protocols selected for the sessions is based on the client’s individual needs. Generally, a combination of sensorimotor and cognition techniques are utilized in varying approaches with most clients, and specific speech/language techniques are added for non-verbal clients or those who have other speech impediments. All NMT techniques use the auditory sense to help integrate an additional sense awareness, such as motor or cognition. It is important to note that the techniques chosen are selected based on the goals the client is undertaking.

The unique additional contribution of MTGIC is the extension of the one-on-one sessions with software designed to automate specific NMT techniques. The software is used either in one-on-one sessions with the protocol facilitator or in the client’s home or school with a parent or teacher. Client accuracy is automatically measured and recorded for each individual response within the software; the parent or teacher of the child is permitted to access the data of their own children to assess and track the child’s progress.

Software development was initiated in September 2004 following two years of research gathered during MTGIC pilot phases. Throughout the pilot periods, the one-on-one sessions were carried out with the goals of providing neuro music protocols to the client and determining which techniques would be feasible to build into the software. In addition to the initial research results collected, local agencies and organizations supporting children with autism were invited to contribute feedback to the initial software model. This resulted in the creation of a high quality, flexible prototype to suit many needs.

The neuro music protocols in the software are referred to as "games", and the parent or teacher will have the capability to modify factors such as music selection, length of time to play, etc., so the game is more personalized to their own children’s needs. The first two games are developed using protocols for auditory warm-up and the practice of sustained attention functions. These are followed by a third "cool down" game currently under development. Beta testing of the initial two games is almost complete with an expected release date of the first full release to the Internet before summer 2006. When the software is available to the general public, any parent or teacher will be able to request access for their children or students. MTGIC will utilize the ongoing data attained from these sessions to continuously research new and creative ways to further develop and improve the product.