Clowndoctors Case Studies

Surf Adventure
Dr Soundsgood and his colleagues regularly visited a boy (age 11) in his isolation cubicle. The boy was suffering from a degenerative disorder and due to his condition he had very limited movement, no speech and severe visual impairment. However his hearing was unaffected and the Clowndoctors decided to develop a surf-boarding and adventure theme accompanied by music. Moreover by involving his whole family, a “big band” experience was created. Crucially, the boy was in control, raising his thumbs to direct the proceedings and conduct his ‘orchestra’.  The play also included solo spots for the child to improvise and create in a safe environment.  Two themes developed were over a number of weeks a) musical concepts of start and stop, high and low, call and response b) storytelling improvisations of going to the beach, setting up next to the babes, finding and riding that perfect wave and performing as the star of sell-out gigs. Often the boy’s mum would join in with the Clowndoctors in improvised chorus, e.g."John...John, he's the musical boss, he ain't no fool, he's Mr. Cool…".
 
 
African Rhythms
During a visit to a hospital ward, Dr. MacFlea and Dr. Foot-Twanger brought along their boomwhackers*. A musical session developed unexpectedly with three boys (5 to 10 years old), and included their parents. Everyone involved was handed a boomwacker, and by hitting them in sequence one after another, the group developed a musical rhythm. The result was fantastic: there was a sense of discipline and a sense of fun at the same time. The family of the oldest boy was from Africa, and the rhythms and songs he had learned from them began to influence the improvisation. He started to dance and sing while the rest of the group began to respond and take their lead from him. The whole ward was transformed with an amazing atmosphere of joy and pleasure, shared with other families and staff.  

* Boomwhackers are brightly coloured plastic tubes of different length. The tubes are pitched in a chromatic scale and make a sound when being whacked.

Laughing Matter (Clowndoctors Songlines case study)
Susan is a 15-year old girl with complex special needs, and is fully dependent. Her sight is impaired and she can only distinguish light and dark.  She has no speech but is able to make vocal sounds. Dr Superdoc and his Clowndoctor colleagues have been visiting her over the past year at the residential house where she lives. The Clowndoctors wanted to discover Susan’s sense of humour and her particular triggers for fun and laughter.

At the start the activities were exploratory and instinctive - sometimes hit and miss. However, from the very beginning the girl has responded well to odd and surprise sounds. Over time, by getting to know her better and in particular with the development and training of Songlines activities and approach, the Clowndoctors learned to explore musical activities in a more formal way. They discovered that the Kalimba (an African thumb piano) interrupted by a hand clap (used as sound slapstick) trigger the biggest responses.

The girl's face now lights up when she hears the Clowndoctors approach (signified by the playing of the song whistle by Dr Superdoc and of drumming by Dr Soundsgood).  She begins to laugh while they are still visiting other children. Her sense of anticipation grows and when the Clowndoctors actually come to see her, she explodes into a deep infectious belly laughter that sets the tone for the whole room.

  
Shy Puppet
A girl (age 6 years), newly diagnosed with cancer, was admitted to an isolation cubicle in the oncology ward. The child had neither spoken nor played since being admitted to hospital and was very withdrawn.  The play specialist decided to refer her to the Clowndoctors, who developed a plan to use a puppet and multi-sensory materials.  Using the arts and the element of surprise to help transform the reality of the hospital for the girl, the Clowndoctors engaged her in communication and creative play. After a short time she began to interact and to talk excitedly.  The girl’s mother and a nurse observed the interaction and were delighted – the nurse called it a “break-through”.

 
Magic Carpet
A girl (age 6 years) contracted septicaemia.  Hospital staff saved her leg from amputation but she developed a psychological barrier to, and terror of, walking. The Clowndoctors used music and magic to encourage the girl to make her first step with her walking frame: a pink scarf became a magic carpet for the girl to step on and the walk down the hospital hallway became a musical parade of cheering staff and families.

Companion
A girl (age 7 years) sustained head and other extensive injuries in a road traffic accident. The first time Dr Whizz and Dr Elastic visited her, she was in a great deal of pain. The Clowndoctors tried gentle multi-sensory activities, but the girl remained unengaged and very ill-tempered. Her father told them that she actually preferred much more boisterous play. From then on – over a series of several months - the Clowndoctors accompanied the girl through her treatment and slow recovery. The girl was given the opportunity to control the Clowndoctors as her remote control ‘Action Men’, providing an outlet for frustration and a structure for play. Finally – just before she was released from hospital - the girl was able to chase the Clowndoctors along the hospital ward with her Zimmer frame.