Reflexões sobre a musicalidade da voz no tratamento de crianças autistas na clínica de linguagem

Abstract

This dissertation arises from questions related to the treatment of autistic children in the field of language clinic, specifically from inquiries regarding the effects of voice musicality on these subjects and the hypothesis of conceiving it as a therapeutic instrument in clinical practice. The research stems from the observation, during my clinical internships at DERDIC, that melodic elements present in the therapists' speech could produce singular effects in autistic children. The central question guiding this work is: considering the psychic structure of autism and the clinical approach to language in these subjects, what are the possible effects of the musical aspects of the voice on their relationship with speech and subjective position? This study is grounded in the framework of the Language Clinic, which has undertaken a consistent reflection on the nature of the symptom in speech — a reflection that has led to theoretical and clinical developments by researchers in the field. The Language Clinic, a research line founded by Lier-DeVitto (1997), draws on European Structuralism to theorize language and approaches the notion of the unconscious. In Chapter 1, I present the theoretical foundations that underpin this work. In Chapter 2, I develop reflections on the reception of autistic subjects in the language clinic. In Chapter 3, I draw on authors from psychoanalysis to explore the incidence of language on the organism, highlighting the role of melodic aspects of the voice and focusing the discussion on the singular relation of autistic subjects to vocal musicality. Finally, I present the clinical case of Lucas, analyzed through the theoretical lens of the Language Clinic, and I offer reflections and considerations on the effects of language therapy and the implications of the musical aspects of the voice as a therapeutic instrument in treatment