Sweet sibling moment as big sister teaches song to little brother with Down syndrome

  • 18/01/2018

A big sister using music to teach vocabulary to her little brother with Down syndrome has wowed people online.

Sitting on the floor, Lydia Bowman Gray sings 'You Are My Sunshine' to 25-month-old Bo.

Lydia sings "You make me…" and pauses.

"…happy," Bo adds.

Lydia and Bo's mother Amanda posted the video to Facebook, saying it is "proof that music therapy works. Bo is 25 months old and has a 12-word vocabulary. Every word he has learned has been through music and singing."

Music therapy is a technique sometimes used to help children learn through play. It's a taught by Raukatauri Music Therapy Centre in Auckland, which says there's an "innate responsiveness to music" that can assist growth and development. 

Many children with Down syndrome have delayed speech in infancy, although there are considerable variations between individuals. Non-verbal communication skills are often relatively strong in children with Down syndrome.

The video has been viewed millions of times.

Newshub.