This book explores how music can improve skills that are impaired in some neurodevelopmental disorders, including ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), autism, and Rett syndrome. Rehabilitation interventions based on the use of music, termed "music therapy", are relatively widespread, but not all are supported by empirical evidence. This book offers readers an updated and scientifically grounded perspective on this theory and argues that music can be effective in promoting the acquisition of some basic mental abilities. Chapters present some of the latest research and data on how musical activities can lead children affected by neurodevelopmental disorders to improve those skills, including examples of training programs and exercises. The book will be a valuable resource for therapists, rehabilitators, psychologists, educators, musicians, researchers, as well as anyone interested in exploring the potential in music for human growth.

During the past two decades incredible progress has been achieved in the instruments and devices used in the biomedical field. This progress stems from continuous scientific research that has taken advantage of many findings and advances in technology made available by universities and industry. Innovation is the key word and in this context legal protection and intellectual property rights (IPR) are of crucial importance. This book provides students and practitioners with the fundamentals for designing biomedical devices and explains basic design principles. Furthermore, as an aid to the development of devices and products for healthcare, it presents a brief description of the human body, covering anatomy and physiology, that will assist the reader in understanding the origin of biosignals, their significance and the technology to be used in their measurement. Issues concerning IPR and protections are also fully discussed, with examples and opportunities for IPR exploitation.

Creativity is a topic that has gained increasing interest over the past decades and, unlike other topics which have sudden "moments of glory" and then quickly become neglected, it is an issue that continues to attract the attention of researchers and practitioners, overcoming the fluctuating fashions and curiosity of the moment. For this reason, it can be useful to consider periodically what is new about creativity. The aim of this book is to discuss recent developments in the field of creativity. More precisely, attention has been paid to four aspects. Firstly, the concept of creativity changes as a consequence of transformations in the social and cultural environment. Thus, the way creativity is meant needs to be always updated by referring it to new requests and goals. Secondly, new theoretical constructs are proposed or unsuspected links between creativity and other notions are explored, so as to revise the old concepts. Thirdly, new research methods and instruments are devised and investigators have new opportunities to shed light on further aspects of creativity. Finally, both researchers and professionals discover new fields where creativity can be cultivated and trained, broadening the range of possible applications. A variety of subjects are addressed by following different approaches and by considering different aspects of creativity. Hopefully this should allow readers to have an updated view of what is currently debated and investigated in the field of theory and research about the psychological processes involved in creativity.